Have you noticed that when you get a notification on your phone, how easy it is to subconsciously open another unrelated app? Before you know it, one notification spiraled into 30 minutes of scrolling. Multiply this by 365 days a year, and you might be losing thousands of hours per year, time that could’ve gone towards things that actually improve your life.

The Problem

The world is transitioning from an economy of manufacturing to an economy of attention. Massive corporations use addictive psychology to design infinitely scrolling feeds that keep us hooked watching ads, consuming content, buying products, and wasting our lives staring at screens.

Our brains evolved as hunter-gatherers; we were ‘designed’ to live in a small tribe of ~100 other humans, sleeping in the forest, drinking from creeks, hunting animals, living off the land, and picking fruit. We were not engineered to thrive in a world where all of humanity’s knowledge is available in our pocket 24/7. We are ill-equipped to handle a constant barrage of overstimulating and flashy colors, notifications, and social media apps.

There is a reason why “doomscrolling” and “brainrot” have become popular terms that have entered the global vernacular. People are getting tired of the addictive nature and the onslaught of information presented by our modern devices.

Things are not entirely bleak, however, as this is a solvable problem. And when you solve it for good, you regain your ability to focus, and re-awaken your innate creative potential. You can use the benefits of modern technology, instead of it using you.

Practical Tips

The single largest attack vector that companies use to keep us hooked is the smartphone. You have it on you constantly, and it’s always buzzing and trying to hook you back in. Phones are super useful tools; however, I like being able to call/text, using GPS and maps, and having access to my Spotify library. So, how to get the good, without the bad?

  1. Delete all social media, news, and TV apps off your phone, and move them to a laptop.
  2. Turn off non-essential notifications.
  3. Use grayscale mode.

Deleting Apps

I access all social media, news, and any kind of “infinitely scrolling feed” on my laptop. This adds a layer of friction, so if I want to check something, I have to find, open, and log into my laptop (instead of just pulling my phone out of my pocket). This also adds an “environmental barrier” - I know when I am out of the house, I do not have access to these things, and so my usage of them has dropped greatly. Instead of constant breaking news and social media alerts, I check these things a few times per day, and when I put the laptop away, they are gone.

This still requires a bit of discipline to not just re-download the apps. However, this layer of friction gives your brain a moment to pause and ponder before doing this. Small moments of friction like this are key for breaking out of a bad habit cycle.

Ultimately I like occasionally reading social media, the news, watching TV, etc. - But I don’t want to be doing it constantly. A few minutes per day gives me all of the benefits (keeping up with people, seeing what is going on), and then I put it away for a while, and I can turn my attention to more important things.

Turning Off Notifications

This one is pretty self-explanatory: turning off all notifications except for essential apps (like texting and calling, etc.) means the amount of times your phone is buzzing for your attention (opening up the potential to get pulled into something else and distracted) goes down. I keep notifications for the most important apps (where I do want to be reached immediately), everything else can wait until I decide to check it.

Grayscale Mode

In the accessibility settings of your phone you can look for “color filters” and set this to grayscale. This means the entire device now renders in shades of gray, instead of bright and vibrant colors. On modern versions of iOS you can even add a custom button to the control center that quickly toggles this on/off (or you can set a triple click of the side button to do the same). This is useful, whenever I want color (such as viewing an image, or using GPS) I can set the phone to full-color mode. When I’m done, a quick tap and I’m back to the non-distracting, non-stimulating gray color scheme.

A Note on Discipline

Discipline is like flexing a muscle in the gym. You can use it for a while, but eventually it becomes exhausted and needs a break. The key to breaking any bad habit or building a good habit, is to find ways to do this automatically, with as little discipline required as possible.

If your phone’s homescreen has TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, TV apps, etc. and this is the first thing you see when you open the phone, of course you will click on one of these over-stimulating apps out of habit.

However, if you don’t even have these apps on your phone at all, when you’re away from the house, the desire to open them is gone. Or if you do have the urge to open one, you have to re-download it, and then you have a moment to ask yourself “is this really what I want to be doing right now?”

This lesson applies to lots of areas in life actually. Designing your physical and digital environments in such a way that the “good behavior” is easy, while the “bad behavior” has friction and barriers.

Eventually these behaviors move from “habit” (something you intentionally have to remind yourself to do) to a “system” (something that has become ingrained in your life, you do it automatically without thought). The key is to analyze what behaviors you want to change, and then set a plan in action to recalibrate your “auto pilot.”

The Benefits

The biggest reason I’ve spent so much time solving this problem for myself, is because I noticed I was losing my ability to focus, to be mindful/present, and my desire to create.

When you are constantly reading other people’s opinions, seeing snippets of other people’s lives, seeing what terrible breaking news is happening, and getting constant notifications and alerts, your brain becomes fried and overwhelmed.

We have a limited amount of bandwidth, when you are overloaded with stimulation and information, you lose the ability to sit still for long periods of time doing nothing. And sitting still doing nothing, unfortunately, is required if your goal is to focus on doing something difficult (like education/studying, writing, building/creating, etc.)

It is in these moments of boredom that we allow our brains to “get to work” in the background: synthesizing, integrating, finding insights, and generating ideas. There is a reason that lots of people say they get their best ideas during dreams, or in the shower - These are moments where you are sitting still and doing “nothing.”

When you silence the constant onslaught of other people’s thoughts and content, your internal creativity can shine.

Spending Time Outdoors

Probably the single biggest habit I’ve implemented that helps me reduce my screen time is spending more time outdoors.

Going into nature, getting sunlight (in moderation), exercising, walking, breathing the fresh air - These things trigger the part of your brain that evolved to love doing them. Spending at least some time outdoors every single day keeps me grounded and healthy, and has benefits for both physical and mental health.

The key is not to just “stop using your phone” and sit inside watching paint dry. It’s about finding actual fun, positive behaviors that are even more stimulating and joyful. It is about replacing “fake” instant-gratification with “real” dopamine that comes by doing the things your body/mind deeply seek to be doing.

The “modern world” makes it easy to over-consume, to be sick, and to be unhealthy. However, genuine health and balance absolutely still exist in this world, you just have to do things a bit differently. The trick is to live more like an ancient human would’ve lived. Reducing digital/screen time and replacing it with time spent outdoors is one of the most powerful “levers” you can pull, and the benefits of this cascade throughout your entire life.

Finishing Thoughts

I just wanted to share since this is a problem that I see many people battling, and I’ve spent a great deal of time contemplating it myself. I’ve read lots of books on building habits and productivity systems, and I think the best advice is usually the most simple, and the root solution comes down to consistency and focus.

The first step is to visualize and plan what you’d like to accomplish. Then it takes consistency each day in order to focus on that goal, sometimes for weeks, months, or years. And to properly focus, and to live each day mindfully and with presence, you must strip away the junk, the distractions, and the things holding you back.