There's no app for that

When discussing my flip phone experience with those interested in trying the phone-less life for themselves, one of the most common questions I'm asked is: "Are there any good apps I can use to help limit my screen time?"

Unfortunately, this question itself reveals the problem with the smartphone.

We've become so accustomed to there always being "an app for that." From friendship to banking, from love to meditation, even down to gamifying our daily habits... we reach for that little magic rectangle in our pockets to solve nearly every problem we encounter.

Rather than trying to install yet another app to minimize your screen time (it sounds absurd when you say it, really), try moving some of your tools off the rectangle and into the real world.

Even making a simple switch like a small pocket calendar, a physical notebook, a wristwatch, or a digital camera gives you one fewer reason to pick up your phone, reducing the likelihood of a notification catching your eye and sending you down the rabbit hole and back onto the internet.

The best way to reduce your screen time is to move the important things in your life off the screen. The less power you give it, the less power it has over you.