How I Stopped Scrolling and Started Slow Living: 5 Phone Habits That Helped Me Break My Screen Time Addiction
- Tara Simone
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
I denied it for the longest time, but I was addicted to my phone.
Not in the "haha, I'm always on Instagram" kind of way. I mean the kind where I couldn't sit through a TV show without checking notifications. The kind where I'd pick up my phone to answer one text and somehow end up watching someone's evening routine 45 minutes later while my own slipped away.
And the hardest part to admit was it started affecting my relationship.
Instead of ending the day talking to my wife, I'd find myself half-listening while scrolling. We'd sit together on the couch, physically in the same room but mentally in completely different worlds. Somewhere along the way, I became more present for strangers on the internet than I was for the person sitting right beside me.
A few years ago, I realized I was spending more time watching other people live their lives online than I was actually living my own. My screen time had climbed to over nine hours a day. Sure, some of that came from running my small business, creating content, and answering emails. But if I'm being really honest, a lot of it came from opening Instagram every time I had a free moment without even thinking about it.
Standing in line at the grocery store? Phone. Waiting for my coffee to brew? Phone. Commercial break? Phone. Bathroom? ...Phone. (Don't act like you're judging me while reading this from yours. 😂)
And I have a feeling you've been struggling with something similar if you found your way to this blog.
In fact, 57% of Americans say they feel addicted to their phones. I don't think that's because we lack discipline. I think these little rectangle devices were intentionally designed to keep us glued to them and no one ever taught us what healthy boundaries with technology actually look like.
The good news is you don't have to delete Instagram, buy a flip phone, or throw your iPhone into the ocean before running off to live in a cabin in the woods. You can absolutely enjoy social media, use technology for work, and still create healthy boundaries that allow you to be more present in your everyday life.
These five habits completely changed my relationship with my phone. They helped me lower my screen time, become more intentional with technology, and start enjoying the beautiful little life I'd worked so hard to build. I hope they do the same for you.
So go ahead and get cozy, make yourself a cup of tea, and let's create some healthy boundaries with technology so you can live a slower paced life too!
1. Phone Habit: Create a "Phone Home"
One of the biggest changes I made had nothing to do with screen time settings or deleting apps. Instead, I simply gave my phone a home when I didn't need to be using it.
Before this, my phone followed me everywhere. It sat on the kitchen counter while I cooked, next to my plate during dinner, on the coffee table while we watched TV, and even tagged along to the bathroom more often than I'd like to admit. If it wasn't in my back pocket, I immediately felt like something was missing.
That constant proximity made it far too easy to pick it up without thinking. Every notification, every moment of boredom, every awkward pause in my day became an excuse to scroll.
Until I chose one designated place for my phone to live whenever I wasn't intentionally using it. For me, that's a crystal on my desk in my office. For you, it might be a charging station by the front door, a drawer in the kitchen, or a cute basket hanging on the wall. The location doesn't really matter as long as it is out of sight, out of mind.
Now that your phone has a home, you have to make a conscious decision to get up, walk to the other room, and pick it up. That tiny bit of friction creates an opportunity to pause and ask yourself "Do I actually need my phone right now?" or "Can this wait until after dinner?"
One of the biggest shifts I noticed after implementing this phone hack was in my relationship. There were so many evenings where my wife and I were technically spending time together, but we were both reaching for our phones every few minutes. We were physically in the same room, but mentally somewhere else. And I can't even tell you how many times we'd pick it up during a commercial break, miss half the show, and need to rewind it.
But since giving my phone a home in the evenings now that time is spent on us - eating dinner together, walking our dog Nala, talking about our day, actually spending time together. Those little moments of presence have become some of my favorite parts of the day.
ps. if you want to create a more intentional life for yourself away from your phone, this Slow Living Starter Pack has 3 of my favorite practices to become more present in just a few minutes a day! Download it for FREE below and start listening the episode 1: "Magical Moments"
2. Phone Boundary: Turn Off Notifications and Turn on App Timers
I know this next one might sound a little ironic coming from someone who runs an online business, but my home screen is almost completely blank (except for a picture of my dog Nala). Most of my notifications are turned off so I don't have dozens of little bubbles begging for my attention every time I look at my phone and 9 times out of 10 it's on "Do Not Disturb"
For years, I thought being constantly available was just part of being a small business owner. If someone sent me a message or left a comment, I needed to respond right away. But eventually I realized NONE of those things are actually urgent.
Most notifications aren't emergencies. Just little interruptions asking you to stop whatever you're doing and give your attention to the screen. And when you have dozens of those interruptions happening throughout the day, it becomes really difficult to stay focused on the task at hand.
One notification turns into checking Instagram which turns into replying to a few comments. And then suddenly you're watching a Reel about someone's morning routine, then a video about organizing a pantry, and somehow twenty minutes later you're questioning if you need matching glass jars for your kitchen. (The answer is probably no, but I understand the temptation. 😂)
I also started using app timers to create a little more awareness around my habits. Your phone already has settings built in that can remind you when you've spent a certain amount of time on an app. It a gentle reminder in the form on a pop up that creates a moment for you to pause and ask yourself "Do I really want to keep scrolling or go do something else?" the next time you fall down the TikTok rabbit hole.
If you need a little extra accountability, tools like Brick can also help create a physical barriers between you and your phone by blocking certain apps at scheduled times every day. Every little obstacle you place between you and your phone creates an opportunity for you to choose a how you really want to spend your time.
3. Set an Intention Before Picking Up Your Phone
This might be the simplest habit on this entire list, but it has completely changed my relationship with my phone. Before I pick it up I pause and say why I am using it out loud: "my intention for using my phone right now is to ___________"
By voicing why you are opening your device, it helps you brain stay on task instead of get distracted with the shiny apps, constant notifications, and random squirrel videos on Instagram. Even if you do sneak a peek and fall down the rabbit hole, it is easier to remind yourself why you grabbed your phone in the first place because you set that intention.
Research also shows one of the reasons we tend to mindlessly pick up and scroll on your phones is because there is no clear way to indicate a task is completed. Unlike a typical chore on your to do list that you can check off when done, your phone always has more content to watch, emails to answer, and things to do. But if you state your intention before using it, you give your brain a task to mentally check off so you can move on to the other things on your list instead of wasting hours online.
So next time you reach for your phone, pause and ask yourself "what's my intention for using this?". If it's to respond to a text or check the weather, go for it! But if it's to distract, numb, or beat boredom, go find some other fun like we do in the next tip!
4. Replace Scrolling With Cozy Hobbies
Now that you have a few hacks to reduce screen time, let's replace it with something you'll find more entertaining to do than watch another day in the life vlog - cozy hobbies!
Because if scrolling has become your default anytime you have a free moment, putting your phone down can feel surprisingly uncomfortable. We've forgotten how to be bored and more importantly, how to have fun.
For so long, Instagram become my go to "hobby" anytime I had a spare moment. I was constantly consuming other people's ideas, routines, homes, hobbies, and adventures while complaining I didn't have enough time for my own.
That's when I decided to start swapping out just 30 minutes of evening scrolling for a cozy hobby. Something to keep my hands busy and actually relax my mind after a long day. For me, that hobby was crochet and I was instantly hooked (pun intended).
For the first time in a long time, I was using my hands to create instead of constantly consuming. Whether it's gardening, reading, baking, painting, puzzles, knitting, crocheting, woodworking, journaling or one of the other I shared in the video below, these hobbies bring you back into the present moment in a way that scrolling never can.
And I think that's one of the reasons cozy hobbies have become such a huge part of the slow living movement. They aren't just cute ways to spend your time, but actually help you disconnect from your phone and reconnect with yourself. Instead of watching someone else garden, you plant something in yours. Instead of binging a "Decorate with me" series, you make your own space feel cozy. Instead of vicariously living through other people, you create your own slow, magical life.
Need a little help finding your new favorite cozy hobby to replace scrolling with? This video has 10 beginner friendly options to get your started!
5. Create a Weekly Slow Living Sunday
This final habit I think will become your favorite day of the week! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have heard of Slow Living Sunday. One day a week completely off line - no work, no emails, no social media. Just me, my cozy hobbies and little family romanticizing our life.
Some Sundays that looks like gardening all morning, drinking coffee on the porch, reading a book in the hammock, crocheting on the couch, exploring a thrift store with my wife, taking Nala for a walk, or doing absolutely nothing without feeling guilty about it.
The activity itself doesn't really matter. What matters is creating space to be present with your own life.
Because I think one of the saddest side effects of constantly scrolling is that we can accidentally become spectators of our own lives. We spend so much time watching other people travel, create, celebrate, decorate, and experience beautiful moments that we forget to create beautiful moments of our own.
So this is your gentle reminder to stop watching everyone else live their life. Go live yours (even if it's just one day a week!).
Now before you get on with the rest of your day, I want to make something really clear: this blog isn't about making your phone the villain. Technology has allowed me to build a business I love, connect with an amazing community, and share my creativity with people all over the world. I am incredibly grateful for that. The goal isn't to throw away your phone and disappear into the woods forever. The goal is to create healthy boundaries so technology supports your life instead of constantly distracting you from it!
And if today's blog resonated with you, don't let it become just another thing you read before picking up your phone again. My 21-Day Slow Living Challenge was created to help you build these habits one small step at a time. Each day includes a simple five-minute practice designed to help you unplug from the constant rush, reconnect with yourself, and create a life that feels a little slower, calmer, and cozier.
I'd love to know in the comments: what phone habit are you ready to change first? Or what cozy hobby are you excited to bring back into your life?
Let's spend a little less time scrolling... and a little more time living. 🌿
See you next month for another cozy blog!
magically,
