I make a living writing about smartphones, Android, and consumer technology, but I can admit that I’m addicted to the devices I use every day. I thought I needed a firewall and, hand on heart, it makes me happier and healthier. If you use your phone too much, learn from my mistakes.
Take five minutes to talk to anyone and, almost unanimously, there is growing discontent about the amount of time we all waste staring at the shiny rectangles we carry around every day.
Don’t confuse it, I love technology. I always have and probably always will. When something new and shiny is released, I want to know everything about it, and that certainly applies to my favorite mobile platform. If there’s a new Android device, I simply have to know more about it, sometimes to the detriment of my own mental well-being.
It’s a blessing and a curse. I love my phone, but I hate that it makes me less “present.”
Just humor me for a moment and think about your own relationship with your phone for a second. We all spend hours and hours a day simply putting our lives in a box designed to keep us busy, moving around and cutting into our precious free time.
I know it seems a bit exaggerated, but in the process of writing my Pixel 10 Pro Fold long-term reviewI took a close look at my screen time stats over an average week and was horrified at how addicted I’ve been to my phone.
So, a week before Google meI had the catalyst. I just need to disconnect more from my devices.
The truth is that this had started a little earlier.
Admit you have a problem and take the first steps
I knew I had a problem and initially it all came from Twitter. It was a crutch. On autopilot, when I picked up my phone, I would open it and put it down to refresh. Skimming through the news, getting lost and wasting 20 minutes before I have time to process what’s happening.
However, I had a respite, since When Elon Musk took over Twitter, I had just regained control of my account after being hacked through a vulnerability in the email hosting service I had used and linked to my profile. His inauguration came at a fortuitous moment. I recognized my problem and decided to delete my account and data in favor of a mostly rage-free social media experience.
The problem was that instead of scrolling through my Twitter feed every hour or so, I simply replaced it with Threads, Instagram, and briefly Bluesky in an attempt to relieve the itch.
What’s more, Digital Wellbeing Tools Are Very Easy to Overlook Which, if I’m honest, they’re better off not being there. Pressing “Use the app for 5 minutes” is simply not a real obstacle or deterrent. I still use it to save Slack over the weekend, but I still sometimes check in on Sunday night just to be safe, knowing the world hasn’t collapsed before Monday.
It was time for the second phase: going nuclear.
I still have accounts on all of these services for visibility purposes, but I thought it was time to quit cold turkey. Sure, I’ll dip into an update every once in a while, but for the most part, I’m free from most social media platforms.
If I ever need to look at Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, etc., I block them from my browser window. I have to go to a PC to access them and that’s really annoying. The good thing is that because it’s such a process, I tend not to do it often unless I want to share something important. I’m not completely invisible on these platforms, but I want to limit my usage and this seems to work.
Is it me or is it the phone?
After a few months of not socializing, I thought I was doing well. Then I realized that I had suddenly become very addicted to… Reddit.
Any free time, any free moment meant diving into specific subreddits and hobbies that I have.
I migrated my scrolling to something I thought was productive. If you don’t know, Reddit is not productive at all. Getting into discussions about yellow cards in Champions League games, discussing inconsequential side quests in Cyberpunk, I was becoming the stereotypical “Redditor” and had to start my detox again because I fell into the same trap once again.
It turns out that when we talk about our phones, it is very easy to substitute one service for another.
Replace the phone, not the service
Nobody’s going to get rid of their phone now, right? I use Uber too much, I need Maps when I drive, and Google Wallet is essential for me. Heck, my phone is my car key, so I can get rid of it.
Every time I feel the need to reach for my phone, I now reach for something completely different.
I even stopped taking my phone into the bathroom.
Hey, it sounds gross, but we all do it. You go to the bathroom, grab your phone, and 99 times out of 100, you’re browsing, texting, or doing something to cut into your “business time.” I thought that maybe when there were deals to be made, I would leave my phone in my pocket or just put it somewhere else.
We’re going in there to take care of business, not to read the daily news. The best thing has been that I spend less time in the bathroom, which is always a plus!
If I want to see a movie, I’ve started forcing myself to go to the theater to see things because it forces me to focus on the movie instead of being background noise. When I watch a TV show at home, I just leave my phone in my room or my office. I thought I didn’t need to know how many Emmys Better Call Saul was nominated for and didn’t win.It’s 53 for what it’s worth.and deserved at least a victory.
Gaming has always been a key component in my life, so if I simply need to distract myself while watching TV, I’ll play something on my Switch or Steam Deck. Playing my backlog of games is a much better use of my time than arguing with idiots on the internet or watching YouTube shorts about the dumbest things. Every time the “scroll hole” call comes, I try to grab a controller. If I play, at least I’m doing something fun and potentially productive.
My bed is now a no-go area for my phone. I’m lucky in that I’ve never needed an alarm to wake up on time every day. However, if I need to get up early for something, my Nest Hub takes care of that for me. My phone stays charged on the opposite side of my room, in a cabinet inside my closet, so if there were an emergency, it’s still within reach, but I’m not tempted to just grab it and mindlessly scroll to bed.
Instead, I read for up to 45 minutes in bed. I stay a little Boox 6-inch e-reader on my nightstand instead of my phone. Interestingly, it runs Android, but it’s so underpowered that anything beyond an e-book isn’t really a great experience. You can barely open a website without breaking a sweat, so it stops me from trying to stray from reading.
While I’m not saying everyone should do any of these things, I wanted to at least share some experiences from someone who has undoubtedly been very addicted to my phone. Partly because of my profession, but also because the devices we use are designed that way.
I’m only 5-6 months into these changes, but I can’t deny that even after such a short period, it feels great to not be so dependent on my phone. Dare I say it has helped me better understand the products I review here on the website and on YouTube? Maybe I’m a little arrogant, but I stand by it. There’s a part of me that’s still worried I might relapse, but for the most part, I’m happier, a little healthier, and definitely more present. I count it as a huge lifestyle victory.
Follow Damián: Rags, blue sky, instagram
FTC: We use automatic affiliate links that generate income. Further.
