If you want to know how to use your phone less, the answer probably isn't to become the kind of person who never checks it. It's usually just to make it a little less easy to reach for.
Why Less Works Better
In Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, she points out a few reasons why being on your phone too much is a problem. For example, it can pull you away from the real people around you, and the blue light can mess with the internal clock that tells your body it's time to sleep.
That all makes sense. But the fix doesn't have to be extreme. We're no longer cavemen, after all.
She suggests something an hour less a day, but I think the better version is to make it relative to your own habits. If you're trying to figure out how to use your phone less, aim for 10% less than whatever you're doing now. That's enough to matter, but small enough that you won't immediately rebel against it.
My One Easy Trick
For me, the biggest difference comes down to one simple thing: my phone is usually not with me.
At home, it lives on a shelf. At work, it's tucked in my bag. When I’m sleeping, it’s on my desk or dresser. That means when I get the little ping of addiction to reach for it, I literally can't grab it without getting up and walking somewhere first.
That tiny interruption matters more than it sounds like it should.
- At home, distance creates just enough friction.
- At work, the bag makes it less automatic.
- At night, leaving it away from the bed protects sleep and reduces the blue light temptation.
And if I need an alarm, I use an Apple Watch. If I need emergency calls, I can still get them. So I don't really lose anything important.
Make The Default Better
A lot of advice about how to use your phone less focuses on self-control. Mine focuses on environment instead. If the phone is right next to you, you’ll probably reach for it. If it’s slightly annoying to get, you’ll often decide not to. That’s not weakness. That’s just how friction works.
Once 10% less feels normal, you can always go 10% more. The goal isn’t to punish yourself. It’s to create a setup where the phone is still useful, but no longer running the whole show.
That small shift has been enough for me to feel a lot more in control, without needing to pretend I’m above the same dopamine traps everybody else deals with.