These are the tricks I use to drastically reduce screen time

Not long ago, I noticed that my screen time Android phone Very high. Too high. I didn’t even realize how much time I spent using my phone until I checked the numbers.

The problem I have is that when I’m bored or need a break from a difficult task I’m working on, I often grab my phone to check notifications, watch a video or five, or scroll through the latest news. I often feel like I’m using my phone as a digital pacifier.

I wanted to end it, but that was easier said than done. Habits are hard to break, but I did manage to reduce my screen time through a combination of tricks and sheer willpower. This is a list that worked for me and I hope it works for some of you too.

This is by far the most successful technique I’ve ever used. If I don’t have my phone with me, I can’t use it. This is simple logic.

I mainly use this strategy at work. I’ve noticed that when I go to work and have to deal with mentally draining tasks, I instinctively reach for my phone. I often grab my phone and mindlessly scroll for a few minutes to give my brain a break, which is just an excuse to procrastinate.

To avoid this, I make sure there’s enough distance between me and my phone so I can’t easily grab it when faced with a difficult task. I usually keep it in another room that’s close enough to reach it if I need it urgently or get a call, but far enough away that I don’t have to reach for it 10 times during my shift for no reason .

When I’m not working and have my phone with me, I still tend to grab it frequently and do all sorts of mindless tasks just to pass the time. I use a lot of apps for this, among them Youtube at the top of the list.

To solve my little problem, I decided to start hiding apps on my device. Most phones have this feature, including those from Google, Samsung, and OnePlus.

I don’t want to delete these apps from my phone because I still need and use them for specific purposes, but I hide them to avoid using them without a clear goal. Sure, it takes a few extra clicks on the screen to access them, but the extra steps are enough to stop me from opening apps when I don’t need to.

Even when I make a conscious decision to use a specific app like YouTube to watch an interview or a random video, it’s easy to get sucked in and move on to the next video, and suddenly, three hours have passed. This is where app timers come into play.

For apps that I might be a little addicted to (like YouTube), I set a daily timer for how long I can use them. It’s never more than an hour, and once that time passes the app shuts down and I can’t use it until the next day without messing with settings – which I never do.

This also works with my hidden apps, just in case I open them when I shouldn’t. This is a feature built into Android, so no matter which phone you have, you should be able to access it starting with Android 10. Settings > Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls > App Restrictions.

Staring at screens right before bed is not the best thing to do. Of course, that’s exactly what I did for a while. I checked my notifications, read the news, researched new topics, and anything else I could think of.

I wanted to scale this down, so I started using bedtime mode. For those who don’t know, Bedtime Mode automatically turns on at a preset time, turns off notifications, and changes the screen to black and white. Still, alerts and important calls come.

Bedtime mode usually turns on about an hour before I go to bed and turns off about 30 minutes after I wake up. It only takes one tap to turn it off, but seeing the black and white screen reminds me that this isn’t the time to use my phone and I should be doing something more productive. There’s a bit of willpower involved, but in this case I had no problem with it.

Every Android phone running Android 10 or above supports bedtime mode, which you can do by going to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls > Bedtime Mode.

I receive more notifications every day than I can count. The problem I have is that every time I get my phone I jump up and grab it, which results in the phone being in my hand a lot of the time. It’s easy for me to continue mindlessly using my phone after checking notifications. After a while, I felt like my phone was controlling me, rather than the other way around.

I solved this problem by checking the notifications on the schedule. People usually call me if there’s something important, so not checking my phone for notifications right away doesn’t cause me any problems.

I check my notifications several times a day, usually in the morning before work, then again in the afternoon, and again in the evening. I also try not to get carried away and start opening my obsessive apps because I know it will lead to me not wanting to go any further.

So like the tips I mentioned before, willpower is very important here. You have to make a decision and stick to it; otherwise, you will quickly become a slave to your phone.

These are the tips I use to reduce screen time and they help me a lot. Which ones are you using? Let me know in the comments below.