From eight hours a day to under two hours. Here is how I turned my smartphone into a “dumb phone” using specific apps and psychology-based friction.
The visual reset (launcher hack)
Default home screens are built to hook you. I tried text-only launchers and pure monochrome, but total minimalism made me slower (three authenticator apps look identical without icons).
The balance: a minimalist launcher (Before Launcher) with black-and-white icons so the home screen is boring by design, but still usable.
The “marshmallow” problem
Built-in limits like Screen Time failed me because of the “add 15 minutes” button. It is the digital marshmallow test: most of us cave.
Friction beats willpower
I switched to ScreenZen. When I tap YouTube, it asks, “Is this important?” and makes me wait 60 seconds. The urge to doom-scroll usually dies before the timer finishes.
- Entry cost: enforced delay before an app opens.
- Exit plan: 5-minute caps that auto-close the app.
The notification cull
I tried blocking everything and became paranoid. Now I whitelist three categories only:
- Humans: messaging apps.
- Money: banking alerts.
- Time: calendar reminders.
News, social, and games stay silent by default.
The “semi-productive” trap
Doom-scrolling the news felt adult but produced the same anxiety spiral as social media. I added ScreenZen friction to news apps and blocked sites in my browser. I have not missed them.
Seeing it in action
Visualising the delays and launcher layout helps. The walkthrough below shows exactly how the friction works.
Key takeaways
- Do not buy a burner phone - dumb down the one you have.
- Kill the colour: monochrome icons reduce impulse taps.
- Add friction, not blocks: delays break the dopamine loop.
- Whitelist humans, money, and time; silence everything else.
- News doom-scrolls count as doom-scrolls - treat them the same.