Written by Alice Dartnell, Life and Success Coach
Alice Dartnell is a time management and energy management coach, trainer, speaker, and author, who is passionate about empowering people to create a life by design, not by default! Known as an expert in time management and energy management, Alice doesn’t teach time management in the traditional sense.
Did you know you’re spending a whole month each year just on your phone? If you are anything like the average smartphone user, studies show that you’re spending over three hours a day on your device, which adds up to more than a month each year of screen time!
Wasting time on your phone is a huge drain on your productivity, focus and well-being. Plus, this habit can crank up your stress and anxiety levels as you scramble to catch up with everything you haven’t done because you have been too busy procrastinating on your phone.
As Jerry Seinfeld writes in his book, 23 Hours to Kill, ‘Our phones keep getting smarter — why don’t we?
Don’t worry, I am not going to tell you to go on a digital detox, because whilst I see the benefit in that, I also don’t think it’s always practical. Full disclosure, I am constantly with my phone. I have a business as a life coach, with clients in the USA, United Kingdom, and Middle East, whilst I travel the world and spend a lot of time in Southeast Asia. So, I am constantly connected to loved ones and clients in lots of different time zones, and I use social media as the main way to market and grow my business.
But the time I waste on the phone is minimal, as I am super intentional every time I pick things up! So, I want to show you how you can be too with these 7 practical tips.
First, let’s identify the triggers that leave you reaching for your phone because when you’re aware of these, you’ll be more mindful if (or when) you’re mindlessly picking up the phone!
Identifying the triggers of why you’re constantly picking up your phone
It depends on what study you are referring to, but some report on average, people check their phones 344 times per day!
Understanding what prompts you to reach for your phone is crucial in breaking the habit. Here are five main reasons that might be causing your constant screen time:
Boredom: Filling in those quiet moments, even just a few minutes standing in line at the checkout, by scrolling through social media.
Stress or Anxiety: Using your phone as an escape from stressful tasks or situations.
Notifications: The constant ping of alerts and updates are your phone’s way of screaming “Look at me!”
Habit: Grabbing your phone out of habit, without a second thought.
Dopamine Hit: Chasing that little rush of pleasure from likes, comments, and new content.
Pause for a moment to consider this – what is the underlying reason you’re reaching for your phone? Recognizing your triggers will help you develop strategies to manage them more effectively and make more intentional choices about your phone use.
7 Smart strategies to reduce smartphone screen time
1. Silence the notifications
Our phones constantly ‘ping’ to tell us about the latest WhatsApp message, email, or social media notification. You might not think this is a big issue, it only takes a couple of minutes to check! But that is not the real issue or time waster!
Studies suggest it takes up to 23 minutes to recover your focus after a distraction, but guaranteed, you’re checking your phone before those 23 minutes, so it’s a constant loop of being distracted and trying to refocus.
You can eliminate these distractions by turning off all notifications on your mobile device. This will enable you to be more productive and increase your focus. Remember you are choosing to answer the distraction of that ping!
2. No phone for the first 30-60 minutes of your day
A study showed that about 80% of smartphone users check their mobile devices within 15 minutes of waking up each morning and that’s a big problem. Your thoughts, ideas, and focus are immediately hijacked by the new messages, emails, and notifications that you’ve received before you’re even fully awake or out of bed!
Avoid checking your smartphone the first 30–60 minutes of your day. Instead, use the morning to improve yourself, work towards your goals, and prepare for a successful day.
3. Keep your phone physically out of reach
The ultimate way to prevent your phone from distracting you is to physically remove it from your location! Rather than “out of sight, out of mind”, it’s more “out of reach, out of mind”.
Think of ways to keep your phone out of reach. Instead of keeping your phone in your pocket or sat on the desk next to you, keep it in your desk drawer, backpack, or purse, making it a less accessible place. I find that even just putting it face down helps me not “see” it.
4. Allocate phone/social media time
I couldn’t live without my phone – it is my lifeline and business, so I am not going to tell you to go all day without using your device, but I am going to tell you that you must be in control of the scroll!
Checking your phone and staying connected isn’t the issue. Mindlessly checking your phone is. Be intentional WHEN you pick up and use your phone by planning ahead and allocating specific ‘phone session’ times during the day to check notifications and look at social media. You will also need to limit how long you will spend on each ‘phone session’. Set a timer for yourself if you must, so you know when the allocation is up.
5. Use time-tracker apps
We’re all familiar with scroll hole spiral. You know, when you watch one video on YouTube, and then it quickly turns into a two-hour binging session. Then there’s the smartphone black hole. Suddenly you have amnesia because you can’t remember how you went from checking one WhatsApp message to stalking all your childhood school friend’s wedding photos.
Most smartphone habits are mostly subconscious which is why time can run away. There are lots of time tracker apps like ScreenTime, ZenScreen, and Social Fever that can help you break these habits because you can set limits on yourself, and when you have ‘used’ all your time for the day, it locks you out!
6. Deliberately create ‘Phone-free time’
With an online business, I know that I am constantly glued to my phone, so I love to do a “phone-free activity” – aka an activity where the temptation to check my phone is reduced or near on impossible. I encourage you to get into this too! For me, this includes baths, massages, facials, kickboxing classes, morning yoga by the pool, and dinner out with friends.
7. Awareness
Constantly grabbing the phone is down to habit and like any habit, the first step to combating it is awareness. If you aren’t aware, then you don’t know. If you don’t know then you won’t be able to think of solutions.
A few years ago, I lead a time management group coaching programme. One of the ladies complained she had no time for herself and her hobbies. As part of the modules, the members completed a ‘time management audit’. Her audit revealed she spent eight hours at the weekend on social media and using her phone! This was a big eye-opener for her and allowed her to see ways to start using her time in ways she wanted.
Recognizing the problem and pinpointing the triggers that cause you to spend excessive time on your phone is a crucial first step in the right direction. With these 7 smart strategies, you can take control of your screen time and reclaim your productivity. Remember, it's not about cutting out your phone entirely, but about using it more intentionally. Implementing these tips will help you break free from the distractions and get back to focusing on what really matters in your day-to-day life.
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Alice Dartnell, Life and Success Coach
Alice Dartnell is a time management and energy management coach, trainer, speaker, and author, who is passionate about empowering people to create a life by design, not by default! Known as an expert in time management and energy management, Alice doesn’t teach time management in the traditional sense. Instead, she focuses on importance of energy management and mindset as the way to improve time management. Alice believes that time management actually isn’t about managing time! Instead, it is about managing you, other people, your tasks and most importantly, your energy! She works with individuals on a 121 basis, as well as through programmes, workshops, and courses. Additionally, she delivers training to org
