Digital Declutter: Step 3 Apps and ScreenTime

The next phase in my Digital Declutter is analyzing and changing my relationship with my phone.

Make it boring

I found advice on YouTube from other Digital Minimalists/ Declutterers that the quickest and easiest way to make your phone “boring” is to change the home screen icons to black and white. It is very easy to do and if you add in changing your home screen background to black you would be amazed at how uninteresting your phone becomes. If you need even more “blah” you can turn the whole interface black and white which mirrors most of the look of a LightPhone or other simplified phone. There are also launchers that can be added to remove the quick access to many apps and make your phone look “dumb”. Ryder Carroll walks through how he simplified his phone and when I found the video, I realized that it’s not just me who wants to spend less time on my phone. Other stationery folks want to break away too!

Delete the problem apps

I started by removing some apps (or rearranging them) on my phone. I removed YouTube from my phone so I would be less inclined to watch videos while I ate my lunch. I also hid a lot of apps that are time wasters (for me). It is possible on iPhone to remove apps from your home screens so they are only available in the library (the last swipe page of the home screen).

Create personal Downtime

The last step I’ve taken is trying out the ScreenTime tool on my iPhone. For years, I didn’t “think I had a problem” so I had never turned ScreenTime on. Even now, I don’t need a number to tell me I spend too much time looking at my phone. What I wanted was some of the other tools that are in the ScreenTime app including the Downtime option. What this function does is allow you to “lock” certain apps at certain times of the day. For me, I tend to spend the most time scrolling thoughtlessly in the evenings so I set my ScreenTime to block Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, etc from 7pm until 7am. I left apps that I might need access to like my language app (that’s GOOD time wasting) and Libby so I can listen to audiobooks or check out an ebook when needed.

The phone function and chat are still accessible so I can stay in touch with real people. In ScreenTime, you can even set who can reach in your Downtime so you can curate a list of close friends and family and block the non-important texts.

I can override the Downtime functions when needed but the moment of pause allows me to decide if I want access and then the window asks if I want access for a minute, 15 minutes or until the next day, allows me to decide if I need to look something up is necessary or just disruptive.

My Wrap-Up

I am definitely more aware of how much I pick up my phone now. And I like forcing myself not to scroll Instagram or Reddit in the evening. Picking up my phone is often a nervous habit and I realize that now. I will continue to keep track of how much time I spend on my phone and try to make more conscientious decisions about how I spend my time.

Are you tracking your phone/internet usage? Do you doomscroll? What are you doing to change your habits?