5 min readSome things in life are none of my business. My daily screen time is one of them. Every time I glimpse those dreaded stats on my phone, I feel extremely unwell.
Lately, I’ve noticed that the vast majority of my screen time occurs when I’m in my apartment. I usually average between nine and 12 hours of screen time a day—but some days can easily exceed 16 hours. While definitely excessive, this is because my phone is not just an entertainment device, but also how I initiate most of the tasks I have to do around the house.
Interior designers already know that layout shapes behavior—micro-zones encourage more intimate gathering, cozy seating encourages lingering. Behavioral scientists call this “designing your environment,” which is the idea that small changes to your surroundings can make certain behaviors easier and others harder. So, I began to wonder: what if my apartment was keeping me hooked on scrolling?
The concept of “going analog” at home in favor of being more present and relying less on technology does feel like a misnomer. For example, I wasn’t about to give up my dishwasher to explore the meditative benefits of handwashing. I was, however, willing to implement a few changes to my home over the course of a month to help dissuade me from reaching for the phone over and over again.
As it turns out, what was most effective wasn’t forcing myself to eliminate my phone use entirely. It was designing a home where it’s no longer the default. Here are the screen-reducing design strategies that stuck for me.
Putting My Phone in “Jail”
While replacing my smartphone with a landline would certainly cut down on my at-home screen time, I wasn’t about to go to those lengths. However, the concept still interested me. I liked that a landline serves a single purpose—having phone conversations in real time—and that it would stay docked and out of the way when not in use. Perhaps there was a similar concept to apply to my home.
The solution I found? Adding a “phone jail,” which is a lidded box that acts as my cell phone’s designated spot. Much like a landline, it doesn’t prevent me from answering or making a call, but it keeps my phone out of sight, out of mind. This small swap has allowed me to be more intentional about when I really need it for any other task.
Reaching for the Activity Bin
One of the reasons why I get stuck scrolling for hours is that no other activity is as easy to access as my phone. But once the device is “jailed,” I need something else to keep my hands and brain busy. Enter the analog activity bin: an easy-to-reach box filled with some of my favorite screen-free activities. I keep this bin in my living room, since that’s where I spend the most time.
My bin is currently filled with all of my go-to hobbies: a crochet project, my needlepoint, a Sudoku book, as well as boxes of puzzles and LEGOs. But you can add books, journals, watercolors, jewelry kits, or any other “grandma hobbies” that you love but never seem to have time to do.
With my phone out of the way (and maybe my TV remote in another room as well!), having a relaxing, analog night in doing all these soothing activities is no longer purely aspirational. It’s finally stopped feeling like I’m depriving myself of something—now I feel like I’m choosing between genuinely enjoyable alternatives.
Stashing Notepads Everywhere
I can never seem to fully adopt a single system to remember important reminders. If I put something in my Notes app, it may as well go into the digital void—and I’m getting distracted by all of my other notifications along the way. But prior to this experiment, I had virtually no paper at home, so even if I wanted to jot down a quick note or reminder, I couldn’t.
To fix this, I bought a pack of notepads and pens and stashed them in every corner of my apartment: my desk, my vanity, and the entry table. Instead of grabbing my phone to write down grocery lists or look up random info, I started writing those things down so I could revisit them at a more intentional moment.
Creating Photo Albums
I own a few different cameras and love the art of capturing moments on film. Sometimes, I hold onto a roll of film for months, so the anticipation of seeing how my photos turn out is part of what makes them so special to me. But the moment feels fleeting—the photos usually wind up hidden away, since I haven’t had a way of organizing or displaying them.
My solution has been to start making literal photo albums. This also serves a design-forward purpose, as I can display them as coffee table books. My friends love flipping through them when they visit my apartment. I now rarely feel tempted to scroll through my camera roll of 18,000 photos (help) or tap on a horrifying “Nine years ago today” memory on Snapchat.
Bringing Back Wall Clocks
Prior to this experiment, I heavily relied on my phone to check the time and keep myself on schedule. But naturally, checking the time often means getting sidetracked by notifications.
Adding a wall clock to a prominent location in my bedroom has proved to be immensely helpful in getting me out the door on time, and it prevents me from needlessly picking up my phone. The bonus is that it’s also really cute wall decor!
Planning Analog Hangouts
I’ve found that even my bonding moments with friends have become a little too reliant on technology: We send TikToks to each other in a group chat and spend most of our time together watching TV or showing each other silly things on our phones. In an effort to spend more offline time with them, I’ve been inviting friends over for more evenings centered around analog crafts and activities.
For example, I recently hosted a vision board night, which is a craft I had long put off making. Everyone brought magazines and art materials to share, so it cost us nothing! The satisfaction of finally finishing something I’d been wanting to do for years felt amazing, and it was great to feel truly present with everyone for a whole evening.
