8 Things I'm Doing to Take Back My Attention (One Divided My Screen Time by Ten)

Because sensitive nervous systems pay a higher price for constant input.

Jul 05, 2026

I have a love/hate relationship with my phone. Or should I say, my pacifier?
What started as an idyllic relationship of fun and connection, has become slightly icky, slightly obsessive, and radically anti-presence.

This year has marked a turning point for me, and I can’t even clearly articulate why. It’s just this weird feeling I get.

In the elevator, a stranger gets in: Unbearable silence → phone.
Walking down the street: What if I get a text → phone.
In the shower: Some music would be nice → phone.
In any waiting room: Boredom is worse than death → phone.

And don’t even get me started on scrolling. Endless, disgusting scrolling that leaves you deflated and drained of the will to do anything. The worst is that hint of disappointment I get when I crave a notification and there isn't one.
Compulsively scroll email. Compulsively scroll Whatsapp. Compulsively scroll Substack. Or like, Ben Sims, the calendar app. I’ve been there too, Ben.

My dad, who’s a retired doctor, told me that thirty years ago, doctors would sit around a table at every meeting or conference, and the first thing they’d do is light a cigarette. That would be unthinkable nowadays. I feel like we’re at a similar moment with our phones. We know something is off, but couldn’t tell you exactly what. And many of us are in complete darkness.

By now, we’ve all heard some version of “scrolling is bad for you”, so I won’t get into the specifics of that, but if you want to know exactly how bad it is and why, I highly recommend neuroscientist Tj Power’s work. He opened my eyes to my brain’s chemistry and why the crash after scrolling feels so miserable. Once you understand what's happening, it becomes very hard to unsee. Which is what pushed me to try to do something about it.

If, like me, your gut’s telling you it’s time to take some space from your phone, here are 8 things I’m doing to go back to a more analog life. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting closer every day. Here’s how:

Wake up with a different device. I got a smartwatch but a traditional alarm clock will do just fine. It removes the excuse of “how would I wake up without my phone?”. Mine sleeps in the living room now, which makes the next two tips much easier.
Check your phone as late as possible in the morning and never as soon as you wake up. The news, notifications, or other people’s lives should not be the first thing your brain is exposed to in the morning. It fries your dopamine circuits before you're even out of bed. Give yourself at least an hour before you let any of that in.
I swear by this magic sequence:
get up —> brush teeth —> wash face —> make bed.
It’s scientifically proven to transform your mornings and takes about 5 minutes. Seriously, try it. It’s unbelievable.
Set a parting time with your phone at night. The earlier before bed, the better. The brain can't unwind while we're feeding it new exciting input every thirty seconds. Set a time at which both you and your phone can recharge. Mine is 9 pm.
Resist the urge to use your phone as a crutch during uncomfortable social moments. At the party where your friends didn’t arrive yet, or at the doctor’s waiting room when you’re a little nervous. Make it your personal little game of “how long can I resist without touching my phone?”. I try to look longer and closer at my surroundings and notice the tiniest things like the details in someone’s bag or somebody’s body language. Really, actually see things around me. It’s no instagram, but it can be entertaining.
Delete your favorite apps. Yes, even Substack. Not the account, just the app. Every time you really want to use it, intentionally, you can download it back. You’ll have to go to the app store, wait for it to download, and deal with a bunch of pop notifications. By doing this, you engineer some useful friction that does two things: it reduces the temptation because your brain knows the app is not there and makes the constant app checking much less automatic. And don’t forget to delete the apps after you’re done. Doing this simple thing divided my screen time by ten.
There will be relapses, but that’s okay. Still better than not doing anything about it.
Let yourself be bored. The next time you’re in public transportation, look around. It alarms me how enslaved we’ve become to that thing, our necks bent in total submission. Be a little rebel, and look out the window instead.
Boredom is where our best thinking happens. When we fill every dead minute with a screen, we lose the space our mind needs to process the day and be creative. These days, I try to give it back.
If you haven’t yet, I beg you, block all notifications except the ones you genuinely want to have. The only notifications I allow are from Whatsapp, and that’s only because my parents live in Morocco, my best friend and my brothers are in France, and I have dear friends all over the world that I want to keep in touch with. But apps like social media or even emails? Sorry, but no. I decide when I give you my attention, not you.
Create physical distance from your phone while doing something else. When I’m watching tv, my phone stays on the dining table, out of my sight and out of reach. When I’m writing, it’s in another room. When I’m watching a movie, I’m watching the movie. Also, phones shouldn’t be bathroom companions. In and out, my friend. We need to relearn how to do one thing at a time and physical separation helps a lot.

I know I’m not the only one who’s a little fed-up with my phone, lately. According to Mark Groves’s note, thousands are feeling it too:

There’s an undeniable no-phone movement gaining momentum, and I’m definitely on board. Realistically, it’s impossible for me to lead a no-phone life, especially while keeping multiple long-distance relationships of different kinds. Plus, smartphones are incredibly useful and I don’t want a radical break up. But maybe we can open the relationship a little, spend less time together, and see other people and things and places.
If you're a sensitive person like me, this is one of the most important habits we can build in 2026. Because emotional work gets much easier when the input slows down. It gives us space to think and feel more clearly ✨

💬 What would you add to this list? I'm collecting tips!

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