Breaking Free | How to Reclaim Your Life from Smartphone Addiction

[Anderson]

With the ease of access to instant gratification, smartphones have gradually pushed nearly everything else out of our lives.

Statistics show that the average smartphone user spends about 5.5 hours per day on their device. These are average numbers, which means that many people spend even more time on their phones. And we all know that this isn’t just work-related.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, he called it a revolutionary and magical product. He was right. The iPhone and other smartphones, with their easy access to the internet and apps for social media and games, have drastically changed our relationship with information. Never before has access to information been so easy. Today, we can find out anything, connect with anyone, order something, or resolve a work issue at any moment and from almost anywhere on the planet. This is indeed a revolution.

But this revolution didn’t just change our relationship with information; it also radically altered our relationship with time, boredom, and distraction. Older generations struggle to recall what they used to do in moments of boredom or waiting before smartphones existed. Younger people have never known anything different because they’ve always had a smartphone at hand. Although it initially seemed like a blessing, it gradually became clear that by eliminating boredom and providing unbearable ease of quick pleasures, smartphones have effectively squeezed out everything else from our lives—enjoying nature, reading books, studying, thinking, meaningful conversations, sleep, playing outdoors—all these are crucial activities. Some of them are even pleasurable, and in the long run, they provide a sense of happiness and fulfillment in life. But all of these activities require some form of effort from us, whereas a smartphone demands nothing.

In modern smartphone models, you don’t even need to press a single button. Moreover, the phone is always with us—in our pocket, bag, or right in front of us on the table. Most of the time, we literally don’t have to take a single step to indulge in the endless source of quick pleasures that our phones provide. Our brains are wired to always prefer immediate pleasures available right now over those that require waiting. Even more so, it prefers quick pleasure over something that doesn’t bring pleasure at all, even if it’s beneficial in the long term, like studying, working, or exercising.

While our rational brain fully understands the dangers of endlessly scrolling through our smartphones, in almost any situation, many people can’t put them down—even when brushing their teeth, engaging in intimate moments, or waiting for a card payment to go through at the store. The part of the brain responsible for this behavior is the limbic system, which couldn’t care less about rational considerations. It simply wants to get a dose of pleasure immediately because, for it, pleasure unequivocally means something useful. Given that the limbic system has been shaped and honed over millions of years of evolution, it is much stronger than our rational brain and almost always wins in a direct confrontation. 

Because smartphones perfectly meet the demands of the limbic system, it’s incredibly difficult to fight against their influence. Trying to take away its favorite source of easily accessible pleasure means engaging in a battle with evolution itself. As you can imagine, the odds of winning such a battle aren’t great. But this doesn’t mean all hope is lost and there’s no way out. Although it may be nearly impossible to directly overcome the limbic system and the smartphones that have so successfully hacked it, you can use your rational brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, to find ways around it. Here, we’ll discuss practical techniques based on understanding how our brain works that can help you do just that.

As usual in my posts, this one won’t just be a list of supposedly effective techniques with a “do this, and everything will be great” approach. As we go through this, we’ll examine which features of smartphones make them so irresistible and how different techniques can counteract these features. Because when you understand how, why, and for what purpose something works, you can always modify the techniques to suit yourself or even create your own.

Fighting Smartphones is a Battle Against Evolution

The challenge of resisting smartphones lies in the fact that they perfectly align with the demands of our limbic system. This makes their influence so difficult to combat. Trying to deprive the limbic system of its favorite source of easily accessible pleasure is essentially like waging war against evolution itself. The odds of success, given such a scenario, are slim. But that doesn’t mean there’s no way out. While it may be nearly impossible to directly overcome the limbic system and the smartphones that have so successfully hacked it, you can use your rational brain—specifically, the prefrontal cortex—to act indirectly and find a workaround..

App Blockers

Reducing smartphone usage often requires making it more difficult to access distracting apps. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by using app blockers. While there’s advice out there suggesting a complete abandonment of smartphones, let’s be realistic—this isn’t feasible for most people. However, it is possible to not use your phone during specific times, and app blockers can help with that.

Here are the important features to look for in an app blocker:

1. Strong Blocking Features: Choose a blocker that makes it genuinely difficult to bypass. The best blockers might require you to enter a long password, type out a lengthy piece of text, or even make it nearly impossible to disable the block without uninstalling the app. This extra step gives your prefrontal cortex the time it needs to intervene and potentially decide against opening the app.

2. Ability to Block Both Apps and Websites: Opt for an app blocker that can block not only apps but also websites. This ensures that distractions from multiple sources are minimized.

3. Two Blocking Modes: Set up two types of blocking schedules. The first is time-based blocking, which you can set to automatically activate during specific periods (like the first hour after you wake up or the last hour before you go to bed). The second mode is on-demand blocking, which you can activate whenever you need focused time (for example, when you’re playing with your child and want to be fully present for 45 minutes, or when you’re working on a project and need an hour of undistracted time).

It's crucial to pre-set these blocking configurations. If you attempt to configure them on the spot, you risk getting distracted in the process, especially if your limbic system, which is adept at seeking immediate gratification, finds a way to bypass your efforts. By setting up these blocks in advance, you close off potential loopholes that could lead to distractions.

Physical Strategies for Limiting Access to Smartphones

One of the most effective ways to reduce smartphone usage is to physically limit access to the device. Since most of us carry our phones with us everywhere, we’ve become accustomed to having them on hand for any situation. We often justify this by saying we might miss an important call or message. But how many truly urgent calls have you received over the years that couldn’t wait? Unless you work in emergency services, these instances are rare.

This is where cognitive biases come into play, such as the fear of missing out (FOMO). Our brain tricks us into thinking that something critical might happen, leading us to constantly keep our phones close. However, this is more about irrational fears than reality. By creating a physical separation between you and your smartphone, you reduce the temptation to constantly check it.

For instance, when you go to bed, charge your phone in another room rather than keeping it on your nightstand. Research shows that avoiding smartphone use before and during sleep improves happiness, quality of life, and reduces phone dependency symptoms. This is a small but significant change that can help you get better sleep and, over time, reduce your reliance on your phone.

Handling Triggers that Lead to Smartphone Use

Apart from the time around sleep, there are other periods when we are more likely to reach for our phones. These often include evenings without specific plans, meal breaks, waiting periods, difficult or tedious tasks, and other moments when we feel either stressed or bored. 

One strategy is to become aware of these triggers and plan how to handle them in advance. When you know that you’re likely to reach for your phone in certain situations—like while waiting in line or sitting in a café alone—decide ahead of time not to do it. Instead, take in your surroundings, observe people, or even eavesdrop on conversations (in a non-intrusive way, of course). 

If you feel the urge to check your phone during these times, having a pre-determined plan can help you resist. Over time, this conscious effort can help break the automatic habit of reaching for your phone.

Making Your Phone Less Appealing

One surprisingly effective strategy to reduce smartphone use is to make your phone as unappealing as possible. This can be done by changing the background to something neutral or even unsettling and removing any apps that aren’t essential. Keep only the most utilitarian apps like your calendar, maps, timer, and notes. Replace addictive apps with useful content, like eBooks you’ve been meaning to read.

This strategy works because it removes the temptation of quick entertainment. If your phone only contains practical apps and lacks anything visually or emotionally engaging, you’re less likely to spend time on it. Over time, you may find that your phone becomes a tool rather than a source of constant distraction.

Final Thoughts

Smartphone addiction is a complex issue deeply intertwined with how our brains have evolved to seek out and prioritize immediate gratification. While technology has advanced rapidly, our brains are still wired to favor quick, easy rewards, making smartphones a perfect tool for constant engagement. The strategies discussed—using app blockers, creating physical separation, managing triggers, and making your phone less appealing—are all ways to combat this addiction by working with, rather than against, our natural tendencies.

In the end, the goal isn’t to eliminate smartphones from our lives but to use them in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, our overall well-being. By being mindful of how and when we use our devices, we can reclaim our time, attention, and ultimately, our lives.