Weird small-but-effective things I've done to reduce screen time and get more sleep

I've been trying to reduce screen time on my phone lately so I have more time to spend on my computers... look, it's mostly about taking back control of my time. My eyes are already doomed (thank you, hereditary myopia). I also wanted to spend less time scrolling and more time sleeping.

We've all been there, right?

You sit down to reply to that message, and then the next thing you know, three hours have passed while you were on your phone going down the Google rabbit hole. That's the scenario I'm trying to avoid. Sometimes it's okay to spend three hours down a rabbit hole, but I want it to be a conscious exploration with a guide rope back to the surface, not an uncontrolled fall for who-knows-how long.

So here's a few things I've found effective.

Enabling screen distance reminders

I know I said I'm already doomed to myopia, but weirdly, enabling the "screen distance" setting has made such a difference in how I interact with my phone. I originally turned it on because I thought it might help my posture when I'm on my phone and reduce neck pain, but what I've found is that as I get sleepy or start falling down the rabbit hole, I bring my phone closer to my face. Duh. It seems obvious, right?

But when that happens now, I get a giant pop-up that tells me my phone is too close to my face and I need to move it away to keep doing whatever I was doing before. It's like being nudged with the guide rope: here's the way back to the surface, if you want it.

It turns out, most of the time, I want it.

Qi chargers

I found some Qi-charging mousepads on sale, and now I have one on my bedside table (phone charger + giant coaster, all in one!), on my desk at home, and on my desk at uni. These work for me because it gives me a specific spot that my phone goes, and that encourages me to a) physically put it down, b) leave it there so it can charge, and c) not look at it, because it's located at the edges of my peripheral vision/out of my immediate eyeline (to the right of my mouse on desks, or off to the side on my bedside). It also helps when I can't find my phone, because it has a designated spot.

I already had an old IKEA Qi-charger next to the couch, but I found that I don't use that one as much because if I'm on the couch, I've already committed to zoning out to some degree. Which brings me to the next thing I did to reduce screen time.

Setting screentime limits on specific apps

Most smartphones these days will let you schedule downtime, or restrict use of certain apps/websites. It's generally designed for managing kids' screentime, but guess what, it works for adults too. I have my favourite phone games limited to 30min/day, social media limited to 15min on weekdays and 30min on weekends, and internet browsers/reading apps limited to 2hrs.

How does that all work? Isn't it horrifically restrictive? Why would I want to restrict reading time?

Y'all, chill. Limited ≠ blocked. After the time limit, I get a notification that I've used my allotted time, and can either close the app or extend the time limit for another 15min. The whole purpose of this exercise (for me) is to take back control of my time, and to be more conscious of how I'm spending time on my phone. That prompt is a chance for me to pause and ask myself whether I really want to spend my time this way, or if there's something else I'd rather be doing right now.

Even for reading/internet browsing, most of the time, I'd rather be doing those things on my computer or on my e-reader, because it's an ergonomically more comfortable experience, and less likely to lead to neck pain.

(If you want to use it to restrict kids' screen time, or you don't think you have the self-control/self-awareness to check in with yourself before extending the time forever, you can choose to block the app at the end of the limit, just FYI. I don't, because this is an exercise in conscious control for me, but you do what you gotta do for you.)

Setting scheduled downtime on my phone

On top of specific app limits, I also set up downtime on my phone (only a few apps allowed) during the hours I want to be sleeping. This originally tied into the reading apps. If I open a reading app 30min before I want to go to bed and have a 2hr limit, then chances are good that I'll go to bed around 90min later than intended. Oops.

So it's just another layer on my screentime limits, and I still have that 15min override available if I want it. But there are certain apps that I want to be able to use when I'm getting ready for bed or wake in the middle of the night so I have them set to "always allowed". My favourite app for this time of day is the official Bullet Journal companion app. It's great for recording late-night thoughts and reminders, and blocks off the rabbit hole of access to full note-taking/task list/reminder apps - all you can do is record that thought, then put the phone down and go back to sleep.

Routines on scheduled lock screens

One of the problems I had was that I wanted to establish a regular bedtime routine to improve my sleep hygiene but some days I would be so tired that I couldn't remember what that routine was. So I created a phone lock screen in Canva with my routine written down, and scheduled it to display an hour before bed.

Then I did the same for my morning routine.

This reduced my screen time because when I picked up my phone out of boredom/habit, it would tell me what I could be doing instead of idly browsing or doomscrolling. Again, it's just the nudge of the guiderope, but it's helped me be more intentional with my phone use, and get a better night's sleep.

Journaling prompts: How do you feel about the time you spend on your phone? What do you do to limit screen time? Why would these techniques work/not work for you? How might you change them so they fit your goals and lifestyle?