Free guides, tools and printables on using your phone less. Every claim links to its source, and where the evidence is thin we say so.

What did you come here to work out?

Fix something

Tell me what to change on my phone

Exact settings paths, in order, for iOS and Android.

→ 41 guides Pick a tool

Decide which blocker is right for me

Four questions, three answers, and the reason each one matched.

→ open the finder Check the research

Is the thing I read actually true?

Sourced answers, and the popular claims that don't hold up.

→ compare and check Parents

Set a rule I can actually defend

Age-by-age guidance and an agreement you both sign.

→ the parents' hub

Quick wins

The five-minute list

Nothing here is tracked or saved — these are checkboxes for your own head, not a form.

Documented

Things we actually tried

All guides →

Experiment · May 2026

I Tracked My Screen Time for 30 Days: Here's What I Learned

A month-long experiment that changed how I think about my phone. The numbers were embarrassing, but the patterns were even worse.

Experiment · May 2026

What Happens to Your Brain After a Week Without Social Media

I deleted every social media app for seven days. The withdrawal was real, but so was the clarity that came after.

Experiment · Apr 2026

I Replaced My Smartphone with a Dumb Phone for Two Weeks

Trading my iPhone for a basic phone with no apps, no browser, and no camera. What I missed, what I didn't, and whether I'd do it again.

Experiment · May 2026

I Deleted Instagram and Nothing Bad Happened

The FOMO was a lie. After 60 days without Instagram, here's what I actually missed (spoiler: almost nothing) and what I gained.

Experiment · May 2026

Digital Detox Retreats: I Spent $2,000 to Not Use My Phone for a Weekend

I paid $2,100 for three days without a phone. About 80% of it you can replicate free. Here is the 20% you cannot, and whether it was worth it.

Recent

Newest guides

All 41 guides →

Start here

How dependent on your phone are you, really?

A short, honest self-assessment about when and why you reach for your phone. No email required, nothing stored — it runs entirely in your browser.

Take the quiz

Do something about it

Pick a phone detox challenge

All 5 →

7 daysBeginner

7-Day Phone Detox

Based on Catherine Price's method from 'How to Break Up with Your Phone.' Each day adds one small, research-backed change — no cold turkey required. Studies show gradual reduction is more sustainable than quitting all at once.

30 daysIntermediate

30-Day Digital Reset

Inspired by Cal Newport's 30-day 'digital declutter' from Digital Minimalism. Habit research suggests new routines need weeks rather than days to stabilise, and that the time varies a lot between people and behaviours — so treat four to six weeks as a reasonable commitment, not a magic number. Each week builds on the last — awareness, subtraction, replacement, and optimization.

14 daysIntermediate

Social Media Cleanse

A structured two-week break from social media. A 2022 randomised trial from the University of Bath (Lambert et al., Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking) found that a one-week break from social media significantly improved well-being, depression, and anxiety scores across 154 participants. Two weeks gives your brain enough time to fully move past the initial withdrawal (which peaks around days 2-3) and discover what fills the space.

Tools