How to reduce your iPhone screen time the ruthless way
- Are you fed up with staring at your phone screen every day scrolling your life away?
- Do you spend hours on Instagram and have nothing to show for it?
- Do you want to spend more time pursuing your hobbies and interests but can’t escape the pull to pick up your phone?
- Is your phone making you anxious?
No worries, I have some ruthless hints and tricks to help you start living your most valued life.
Change is hard and staying motivated is even harder. The steps I am about to show you are not for the faint-hearted, they are for the people who really want to cut back their addiction to their phone. These tips take willpower and discipline out of the equation.
Are you ready to begin your new adventure? If you follow the steps in this blog post you will transform your life.
Trust me, I should know.
My screen time was 8+ hours a day
It’s quite embarrassing to type out but… I didn’t have a life. I used to spend my free time endlessly scrolling on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit and YouTube.
I was chronically online and to be honest, I didn’t know any better. Besides, I had my first social media account at 10 years old (it was Bebo) and pretty much grew up with social media.
Scrolling on my phone was my only hobby. I’d close my work laptop and instantly jump on my phone and start scrolling. Hours would pass by. I’d fall asleep at night with my phone in my hand.
Tragic.
I was an attention-seeker
Yay, the perks of being a GenZ/Millennial who was programmed to believe that every great thing that happened in my life needed to be presented in front of an audience!
I used to be the girl who updated my Instagram and Snapchat stories every day with the most boring updates.
- ‘Omg I hate studying! Can’t wait for uni to be over’ Insert selfie in the library
- ‘Starting the night’ insert picture of cocktails in a club
Or the most drama-fueled updates:
- ‘Beginning the process of repressing the night. Hash browns are life!’ Insert a drunk selfie on the floor outside eating a McDonald’s breakfast.
- ‘You can’t trust anyone. At least now I know who my real friends are’ Cue the infamous black screen with text on Snapchat.
Yes, I was that girl and yes, I am severely embarrassed about it even though it was years ago and I am no longer the same person. Back then, I lacked the emotional maturity to actually communicate my feelings with real people and instead chose to send indirects over Snapchat.
And I know I am not the only one. I’m sure you have some embarrassing social media stories too.
I was a chronic information seeker
As a naturally anxious person, Reddit, YouTube and blogs I found on Google were perceived to be my life savers. Any niggling question could be answered in a matter of minutes. In fact, there were hundreds of answers for every question I had which was great because I could feed my anxious energy with endless scrolling in the pursuit of the truth.
I didn’t realise that scrolling on Reddit and Google was an unhealthy coping strategy to soothe my anxiety.
So, how did a chronically online, anxious and attention-seeking Gen Z/Millenial reduce screen time from 8 hours a day to 1 hour a day?
I wanted to change. Life was passing me by and I didn’t have anything outside of work to show for it.
Things had to be different. I needed to start living a life aligned with my true values.
I adopted a ruthless cut-throat mindset to my phone usage by doing the following:
- Deleting all social media apps
- Blocking websites that are time drains – e.g. designed for endless scrolling
- Adding app limits e.g. internet and email
- Setting up downtime restrictions
- Creating a screen time passcode and purposefully forgetting it
- Adding the screen time widget to the home page
- Setting up notification summaries throughout the day
- Turning off notification badges
- Getting a life! – Finding something else to do that’s relatively fun.
- Researching digital minimalism by reading books
First things first, are these tips only for iPhone users?
I’m sure you can apply these tips to your Android (or other OS) however, I was sadly indoctrinated to the Apple world at 13 years old so unfortunately I only have experience using an iPhone device. One day I will break free from the shackles of the Apple conveyor belt and I will share my story with the world. But for now, I’m sure you’ll be able to apply the Android equivalent to your phone especially because most phones are the same nowadays.
Step 1: Delete all social media apps from your phone
You don’t have to delete or deactivate your whole account but you should delete the app from your phone.
- Touch and hold the selected app on your home screen
- Click on the grey minus bubble
- Select ‘Delete App’
And when I say delete them all, I also include YouTube in that list. I’m sorry but it has to go. YouTube is one of the biggest time drains of them all because it tricks you into thinking you’re doing something productive.
You’ll still be able to log in to your account on your laptop but the goal is to add a few extra steps to help you reduce your screen time.
Step 2: Block all websites that consume all of your time
It’s better to be safe than sorry so now you will need to block all of the social media apps in your internet browser. It seems extreme but if you’re chronically online I don’t think you are going to give up your dopamine hit that easily by just removing the app. You have to make social media inaccessible on your phone. From now on the only way you will be able to access your social media account is through going on your laptop/computer. Besides, your friends and family will still be able to contact you the old-fashioned way: text and calls.
Yep, block:
- Youtube
- Tiktok
- Discord
- Any other website that you find yourself wasting time on
BE RUTHLESS. Tell all of your friends and family to stop sending you links to funny YouTube videos because you have no way of accessing them on your phone. If it is really important or you have the time you will watch it on your laptop.
Go to:
- Settings
- Screen time
- Content and privacy restrictions
- Content Restrictions
- Web content
- Under Never Allow add your chosen websites
Step 3: Add app limits
Now we are going to take things a step further. We are going to add individual limits to the remaining apps on our phones that have the potential to drain our time.
The first app I recommend you add a limit to is Safari (or whatever internet browser you use e.g. Chrome). My limit is 1 hour and it is plenty.
I like to travel a lot so I was worried that I might end up stranded in a foreign country with no ability to find my way out using the internet. Luckily, nothing like that has happened but it has forced me to be conscious of what I spend my time googling. You can find out a lot of information in 1 hour when you are strategically concise.
Add an app limit to your email inbox because you would be surprised at how interesting scrolling your inbox becomes when you have no access to social media.
I limit my Gmail consumption to 20 minutes a day.
Find out what other non-essential apps are taking up your time and add app limits as appropriate.
Go to:
- Settings
- Screen time
- App limits
- Add limits
- Select the categories of apps you would like to limit
- Set a time limit for apps
- Click add
Step 4: Set up downtime restrictions
Downtime helped me to break my night-time Google scrolling activities by blocking Safari at 10 p.m. every day – my bedtime. It’s a great way to make your phone as boring as possible during set periods of time.
Go to:
- Settings
- Screen time
- Downtime
- Turn on scheduled
- Every Day (or ‘Customise Days’)
- Select ‘From’ and enter a time (e.g. 10 pm)
- Select ‘To’ and enter a time (e.g. 7 am)
- Click on ‘Block at Downtime’
- Go back to Screen time settings
- Always Allowed
- Select apps that should be allowed during downtime (e.g. calls, messages, maps etc……)
Quick disclaimer: I no longer use downtime restrictions as part of my digital restrictions but it was incredibly useful to use at the start of my journey to help me change my phone habits. I hardly use my phone now so there isn’t a need for this restriction.
Step 5: Create a screen time password and throw away the key
You will need to set a screen time password for your phone. This is a game-changer step. The final boss when it comes to screen time restrictions. The trick is to pick a bunch of random numbers as your passcode (don’t use your screen lock password) and then write down the new passcode in the back of a book/diary/safe space.
Once you have safely stored your password, keep thinking of random numbers until you forget your screen time password. Make a conscious effort to not think of the password numbers. Play music, put on an interesting TV show, call a friend. Deliberately write down the wrong numbers over and over again. Do whatever it takes to forget the password.
Live Science has a great article with research backing different methods of forgetting a memory.
From now on, you will only bypass the screen time restrictions if you are desperate enough to find the hidden passcode. 99% of the time you won’t be bothered enough to go through all of that effort, you will just put the phone down and do something else instead. Which is the whole point of this exercise!
Go to:
- Settings
- Screen time
- Use screen time passcode
- Enter number
- Re-enter number when prompted
- Confirm with Apple ID password
Step 6: Add a screen time widget to the home page
I’ve added this step to help me become more aware of how often I use my phone on a daily basis.
The screen time widget will update you on your current screen time and will quickly show you what apps are taking up most of your time. In times like this, ignorance is not bliss.
Go to:
- Home page
- Press and hold a space on your home page until apps start to shake
- Click on the plus sign on the top left corner
- Scroll down and click ‘screen time’
- Select the preferred widget design
- Add widget
- Drag and drop where you want the screen time widget to sit on your homepage
Step 8: Set up notification summary
The notification scheduled summary setting allows you to receive your notifications at set times each day.
I like to receive a morning summary at 8 a.m., a lunchtime summary at noon, an afternoon summary at 4 p.m. and a final evening summary at 8 p.m.
This allows me to stay up to date with important notifications without getting flooded with information throughout the day.
Maybe you need fewer summaries or earlier times. You can choose times that are suitable for you.
Go to:
- Settings
- Notifications
- Display as ‘Count’
- Select Scheduled Summary
- Turn on the Scheduled Summary
- Select times (e.g. 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm and 8 pm)
Step 7: Remove notification badges
Those little red notification badges are the enemy. They might look cute and harmless but they have been designed to lure you back to your phone. Psychologists and behavioural scientists are hired by these big tech companies to find ways to make phones more addictive (Check out, this Leantrepreneurs article: How Social Media Captivates Your Mind). In this economy, your attention is the main currency and these little red bubbles are designed to capture as much of your attention as possible.
Break free by disabling all app notification badges.
Go to:
- Settings
- Notifications
- Scroll down to Notification Style
- Click on all unimportant apps and switch notifications off
- For the remaining important apps (e.g. message) click allow notifications
- Select scheduled summary
- Turn off badges
If you want more information about the dangers of notification badges check out The New York Times article: How Tiny Red Dots Took Over Your Life.
Step 9: Get a life, touch grass, pursue a hobby
Now here comes the fun part and quite possibly the hardest part if you’re chronically online: develop some off-screen hobbies and interests! Your phone usage will naturally go down when you are actively doing something else with your time.
Why don’t you:
- Join an art class
- Try your hand at martial arts
- Host a games night with friends and family
- Learn how to play an instrument
- Join an improv group
- Cook every recipe in your favourite cookbook
- Go to open mic nights
- Find interesting events on Eventbrite
- Make friends on Meetup
- Go on a hike
- Read books
- Write in your journal
- Redecorate your room
- Volunteer for a cause
- Go to a yoga class/retreat
Try something new and step out of your comfort zone.
There is a real world outside of the internet just waiting for you to explore it.
Since I have reduced my screen time I have rediscovered my creative side with music, art and writing.
Step 10: Read books on digital minimalism when you start to falter
If you’re looking for additional information on how to reduce your screen time then I recommend Cal Newport’s book on digital minimalism or his blog post about the subject.
This book reinforced my reasons for cutting back on my phone usage and it motivated me when I started to wonder if I’d made a mistake
I recommend this book to everyone.
You can also check out his podcast where he talks about digital minimalism and productivity.
I hope these ruthless tips help you on your journey
These are my tried and tested methods for reducing screen time on the iPhone. My phone usage is minimal and I have even reached the point where sometimes I leave the house without my phone! That used to be unheard of.
So if I, the phone addicted chronically online 20-something, can reduce my phone usage to 1 hour or less a day then so can you.
I believe you can do it
The steps seem quite extreme at first but once they have been implemented your brain will start to reprogramme its relationship with your phone.
You’ll start to feel less anxious and overwhelmed in life by reducing your screen time. Become a calmer, more secure version of yourself in no time.
Don’t wait for tomorrow. Start today.
If you want more detailed step-by-step instructions about the screen time settings check out the Apple support website
Check out my other blog posts
- How to be your best self in times of uncertainty
- The ultimate minimalist bullet journal setup for busy people
- Addicted to self-help? Break out of the addiction cycle now!
- 9 quotes that will inspire you to change your life
