Tools & Tweaks You Can Use on Phone & Desktop
To Start Your Digital-Well Being Journey
Building new habits often gets easier with a little support, just like sticky notes that remind you of tasks or a vegetable chopper that speeds up meal prep. In the same way, there are various apps, settings, and browser extensions designed to make unhelpful habits, like doomscrolling, mindlessly picking up your phone, or visiting social sites during work, less convenient, or to serve as accountability partners.
Think of these tools not as a complete solution, but as helpful aids or catalysts on your journey to better digital habits.
Phone Settings
Identify your patterns
Build your awareness with some data-driven reflection. Spend 10–15 minutes reviewing the data below. If possible, check previous weeks too!
Android
Open the Settings app
Select Digital Wellbeing
Take a look at
Screen time
Notifications received and from which apps
Number of phone unlocks
Most used apps
Time of day you use particular apps
iPhone
Open the Settings app
Select Screen Time
Tap See All App & Website Activity to view
Total screen time
Most used apps
Time of day apps are used
Number of pickups (unlocks)
Notifications received per app
Remove Shorts from YouTube
On Mobile:
1️⃣ Open YouTube
2️⃣ Go to Settings
3️⃣ Tap History and Privacy
4️⃣ Click Manage all activity
5️⃣ Switch Off Watch History
6️⃣ Clear your Watch History (This might take some time.)
On Desktop:
1️⃣ Open YouTube
2️⃣ Click History (left sidebar)
3️⃣ Click Pause Watch History
4️⃣ Clear your Watch History
YouTube uses your watch history to personalise Shorts and video recommendations. Turning it off removes most recommendations, so you only see what you search for. You can do the same in the YouTube App under Settings > History & Privacy.
Remove Reels from Instagram
On Mobile:
1️⃣ Open the app
2️⃣ Tap the three lines (menu) in the top right
3️⃣ Go to Content Preferences
4️⃣ Select Hidden words and phrases
5️⃣ Add “#” as a muted word to block most posts with hashtags (covers much of Explore and Reel content)
6️⃣ Add common words like “and,” “or,” “post,” “when,” etc., for extra filtering
7️⃣ Toggle Snooze suggested feed for 30 days to stop suggested Reels from appearing in your main feed
On Desktop:
1️⃣ Click your profile icon
2️⃣ Go to Settings
3️⃣ Follow the same steps as above under Content Preferences
App limit settings
Both iPhone and Android have app limit settings that help you set daily time limits for specific apps or app categories. Once the limit is reached, access to those apps is restricted unless you override it.
iPhone
Open the Settings app
Select Screen Time
Tap App Limits
Tap Add Limit
Select one or more app categories. To set the limit for individual apps, tap the category name to see all the apps in that category, then select the apps you want to limit.
You can also play around with the Focus and Downtime settings to customise when and where certain apps are blocked.
Android
Open the Settings app
Select Digital Wellbeing
Select the app you want to set a time limit for
Tap Set timer
Choose the desired time limit and tap OK
Phone Homescreen
Make it boring with a single colour background or use these apps
Dumb Phone
Available on iPhone
Dumb Phone is a minimalist widget app that helps you to create your own version of, well, a dumb phone. You can adapt your phone to have a clean home screen without distractions.
Olauncher minimal
Available on Android
Olauncher Minimal is a minimalist launcher for Android, similar to Dumb Phone for iPhone.
Remove all the shortcuts to the attention-seeking apps. They’ll still be available on your phone, but they won’t tempt you in plain sight. Just keep 3 important shortcuts that are essential to your day-to-day functioning.
Keep the screen time widget always on the homescreen, so you can always see your total time spent on the phone, which itself will nudge you to curb your screen time.
Turn off all notifications. If it’s too difficult for you, change the tone of the notification super annoying to your ears. Then you will eventually turn off notifications.
Grayscale
Colourful phones are stimulating. Make your entire phone boring and change it to grayscale.
iPhone
Open the Settings app
Select Accessibility
Tap Display & Text Size
Turn on Colour Filters
Select the Grayscale Filter
Android
Open the Settings app
Select Accessibility
Tap Colour and Motion
Tap Colour Correction
Select the Grayscale Filter
Apps/Extensions
DuckDuckGo
Available on all devices.
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused browser and search engine that blocks trackers. By eliminating trackers, it block third-party trackers before they can load, preventing companies from collecting your browsing habits, interests, or demographic details. This means you won’t see ads that follow you around or suggestions based on your private activity, helping you stay present with the content you actually want to see. It has tools like Duck Player for ad-free YouTube viewing.
OneSec
Available on iPhone, Android, and Desktop.
OneSec forces you to take a deep breath whenever you open your attention-seeking apps so you can make a conscious decision – “Do I want to be here?” You can fully block the apps (and websites), and you can set intentions and intention reminders.
ScreenZen
Available on iPhone, Android, and Mac.
Similar to OneSec, it prompts you to pause and reflect before opening distracting apps. You can set daily limits for app time and number of opens, group apps for different rules, and track your progress toward more intentional phone use.
BlockSite
Available on iPhone, Android, and Desktop.
BlockSite lets you block distracting websites and apps across devices. Features include website and app blocking, category blocking (e.g., social media, news, shopping), scheduling, password protection for blocked content, block by keyword, and cross-device syncing. You can also customise blocked pages, set up uninstall prevention, and use Focus Mode (Pomodoro-style intervals) for better time management
News Feed Eradicator
Available on Desktop (browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox).
News Feed Eradicator removes distracting social media feeds (like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, and more) from your browser, replacing them with inspirational quotes or a blank space. It helps you avoid endless scrolling while still allowing access to essential features such as messages and notifications. Customisation options let you choose which feeds to hide and which to allow.
Freedom
Available on all phones and browsers.
Freedom blocks distracting websites and apps across all your devices, letting you create custom blocklists and schedule focused sessions. You can block the entire internet, sync sessions across devices, and set recurring schedules. Freedom is used for deep work, studying, or digital detox, with options for locked mode (to prevent changes mid-session) and whitelisting essential sites.
Forest
Available on all phones and browsers.
Forest helps you stay focused by planting a virtual tree that grows as you avoid using distracting apps or websites. If you leave the app to use something distracting, your tree dies. Over time, you can grow a forest as a visual record of your focused time. Forest also lets you set focus timers, track your progress, and, through partnerships, contribute to real-world tree planting. The app is designed to gamify focus and reduce screen time.
How to Choose the Best App/Extension for YOU?
Start by understanding your unique context and personality—what works for you and what doesn’t? Some of you might already know what works for you, while others will discover their preferences through trial and error with different tools. Remember, real habit change still requires your effort and commitment.
For instance, I find strict blockers and app limits effective because I respond well to clear boundaries (“cold turkey” style). My partner, on the other hand, prefers gentle reminders, so OneSec works better for him. The key is to find a tool that matches your style.
Stay Committed:
It’s normal to override your own rules from time to time. Don’t get discouraged! The important thing is to keep looking for what fits you best. Experiment with different options until you find the system that truly works for YOU.
Be Consistent:
Expect some discomfort or frustration at first—that’s just part of stepping out of your comfort zone. Try sticking with your chosen tool for at least two weeks before deciding if it’s right for you. Consistency is where the real transformation happens.
Start Small, Start Convenient, Stay Consistent and Restart Every time. Slowly, your habits will transform, and so will your life.