What can I do right now?
“I’m overusing my phone”
I’m overusing my phone? You pick it up without deciding to, and time disappears. Most checking is automatic.
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You pick it up without deciding to, and time disappears.
Try one of these now
- Urge surfing — (3–5 min · Emerging evidence)
- Add friction to your phone — (5 min · Emerging evidence)
- Notification audit — (10 min · Emerging evidence)
- Replace the scroll — (2 min · Practical evidence)
Why this can help
Most checking is automatic. Riding out the urge, adding a little friction, cutting the prompts and planning what to do instead each break a different part of the loop.
When it is more than a rough moment
If phone or gaming use feels out of your control and is harming sleep, work, study or relationships despite trying to cut back, a doctor or counsellor can help.
Understand it better
- Phone checking and overstimulation — The quick check that turns into twenty minutes, and a mind that forgets how to be quiet. (6 min · Practising)
- Habit loops and unpredictable rewards — Cue, action, reward — and why a reward you can’t predict is the hardest one to put down. (7 min · Practising)
- Replace, don’t just remove — Take away a habit and something fills the gap. Choose what fills it. (6 min · Beginner)
If you need more support
- When self-help isn’t enough — Signs it is time to talk to someone, and who you can talk to.