So you want to reclaim your time and attention by spending less time on your phone. How do you do that when your phone is designed to suck you in and keep you scrolling?
Life Kit spoke to experts in behavioral science, psychology and technology for real-world advice. The key, they say, is to find effective ways to resist that constant urge to keep picking up your phone.
For some people, the solution may be as simple as practicing self-awareness: Do you really need to look at your phone right now, or do you actually need something else? Others may need a little more help from blockers that limit access to apps and websites.
Find the right approach with these five expert-recommended strategies.
1. Ask yourself why you're picking up your phone in the first place
When you want to reach for your phone or check Instagram for the hundredth time today, notice how you feel at that moment, says Sammy Nickalls, author of Log Off: Self-Help for the Extremely Online.
"For example, I noticed that whenever I was feeling bad about myself in some way, I would log on Twitter," she says.
Then ask yourself: What can I do to address what's really going on? "Most times, it's not scrolling. It's taking a nap, talking to a friend or doing something that makes you happy," she says.
2. Practice "urge surfing"
Just because you have the urge to pick up your phone doesn't mean you have to act on it.
"Urges are a lot like waves. They rise up, get bigger and bigger, and they come back down again," says clinical psychologist Diana Hill, co-author of I Know I Should Exercise But … 44 Reasons We Don't Move & How to Get Over Them.
In addiction research, the practice of riding out an urge without doing anything about it is called "urge surfing," she says. "The more you do it, the better you get at surfing and the less you feel you have to give into the urge."
3. Get to the root of the behavior
If you want to break the habit of picking up your phone every few minutes, learn what it takes to make a habit.
"A behavior happens when three things come together at the same moment: motivation to do the behavior, ability to do the behavior and a prompt or cue to do the behavior," says BJ Fogg, a behavioral scientist at Stanford University who studies habit formation.
"If you get rid of any one of those three things, the behavior will stop," he says.
There are lots of ways to do this with your phone. "I turn off tons of notifications," Fogg says. That stops the prompts that remind him to keep checking his phone.
You can also decrease the motivation to use your phone by making it less visually enticing. Turn your phone black-and-white, or set up a simple home screen that has just a list of apps and no pictures.
4. Keep your phone out of the bedroom
That can cut down phone time by removing the temptation to scroll before bed, in the middle of the night and when you first wake up in the morning.
Plus, this change might help you sleep, says Jean Twenge, a psychologist and the author of 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-tech World.
Research has shown that just having your phone or computer near your bed — even in airplane mode — can cause lower-quality sleep, says Twenge. When your device is nearby, it's easier to pick up. The content can keep you alert and scrolling. And the light from screens can affect your circadian rhythm, disrupting your sleep.
5. Make it harder to use your phone
Need an extra barrier between you and your device? Don't be afraid to get a little outside help. There are many apps available that introduce delays and reminders not to use your phone. And there are programs that allow you to temporarily block access to the apps you choose.
"The more friction you introduce into your life, the harder you're making it to use all these services and devices," says Jose Briones, author of Low Tech Life: A Guide to Mindful Digital Minimalism. "Your brain is going to say it's not worth it."
We want to hear from you: How do you creatively limit your phone use?
Email us at lifekit@npr.org with your creative and effective solutions, as well as your full name, and we may include your response in a story on NPR.org.
This story was edited by Meghan Keane. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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