According to some studies, the average person touches their phone 2,617 times every day. And, on average, we now spend an average of 5 hours and 16 minutes per day on our phones.
When I was young, our phones were just a tool for communication with others, but those days are long gone. They are now an almost essential device to get through our days. Even more, when you think about it, they have become the screen and lens through which we experience life. We scroll, text, shop, track, plan, capture, play, and navigate every day—all from a device we carry in our pocket.
With a device that has become so powerful in our lives, it is important that we are intentional in how we structure it and use it. Not just in terms of the amount of time we spend on it (although that is incredibly important), but how we use it. Are we setting up our phones, and the apps we download for it, in a way that improves our life or detracts from it?
Are the apps on your phone helping you live an intentional life focused on the things that matter most—or distracting you from it?
Distraction is everywhere these days. But unlike many of life’s interruptions, the apps on our phone are entirely within our control. Every single one is something we chose to download, chose to keep—and chose where to place on our screen.
Some apps are helpful, no doubt. They serve a clear purpose—whether it’s finding directions, tracking habits, locating information quickly, learning a new skill, focusing on a hobby, improving productivity, capturing family memories, or connecting with others. These tools can absolutely improve our lives and drive an intentional life.
But not all apps serve us.
Some only consume our time and attention. They distract us from people and relationships. They steal our focus and dash our productivity. They compel shopping and poor financial decisions. Some stir up stress in our lives.
There are some apps on our phones that do not motivate us to live our best lives. They offer the illusion of a better life while simultaneously pulling us further from the people and purposes that matter most.
I encourage you to look at the apps on your phone in a new way today. Ask yourself about each one, “Is this app helping me live the life I want and achieve the dream I have for my life?”
Because if it’s not, it’s distracting you from it. And the power to decide how your phone is going to serve you is in our hands today—literally.
How to Use Your Phone More Intentionally
Here are five simple but helpful ways to make sure the apps on your phone are contributing to a more meaningful life rather than keeping you from it:
1. Take Inventory
Begin by taking a look at how much time you spend on each app on your phone. Don’t just guess, but actually look. Here’s where to check on an Apple phone and here’s where to check on an Android phone.
Decide, right then and there, whether each app (starting with the most used) is one that is helping you live a more intentional life or keeping you from it.
2. Remove One App That Doesn’t Align with Your Values
It’s okay to start small. Just choose one app (the higher up your time-used list, the better) that consistently wastes time, distracts you, adds stress, or leads to unhealthy habits.
Just one. Delete it—and pay attention to what happens next in your life. If you like who you are becoming after the change, consider finding another… and then another.
3. Make Your Home Screen an Encouraging Place
Your home screen receives more of your brain’s attention than anywhere on the phone. It is the first thing you see when you turn on your phone and has the potential to immediately encourage intentionality or distraction. Build it strategically. Fill it with the apps that reflect your desires and values: a calendar, a reading app, a journal, a health app, a shortcut to Becoming Minimalist…
And move time-wasting, distracting apps—like social media, games, or shopping platforms—to your second or third screen.
4. Do a Little Research on Apps that Support Your Goals
Just like there are many time-wasting and distraction-filled apps on the market, there are also many, many wonderful apps and tools available for you to use to improve your life. I encourage you to not just delete time-wasting apps and leave a void, but fill your digital space with tools that help you in life.
Whether you’re trying to exercise more, eat better, read more, write better, spend less, save more, focus more, grow in your faith, learn more, expand a hobby, build a habit, or declutter your home—there is likely an app that can help.
Sometimes all it takes is thinking to yourself, “I wonder if there’s an app that will help me….” and then googling to see if any options pop up. If you find one that might help, put it on your home screen (see Step #3) to encourage your progress.
5. Review Your App Choices Regularly
Apps seem to come and go pretty quickly in our affections and in our attentions. Removing one time-wasting app doesn’t mean we don’t default to another. Or trying out a habit-building app this week doesn’t mean we’ll still use it next week.
Set a regular reminder to review your apps. Quarterly, at least. Maybe even more often at first. You can decide—just know creating a phone set-up that serves you isn’t a one-time decision. Take some time to ask questions like: What’s serving you well? What’s becoming a distraction? What’s no longer needed?
There is no doubt our phones are powerful tools in our lives. In fact, most of you are reading this article on a phone right now. Let’s work hard to craft them into tools that help us live better, not more distracted.
Thanks for showing me how to track my time on my phone. Wow! It’s Tuesday at about 6 pm. Ive been at work all day. I stopped for a few groceries on the way home and then went outside to do yard work. But somehow in that time I’ve already been on my phone over 2 hours! What?!! This is a wake-up call for sure. New goals are being set tonight! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and wisdom.
This article is absolutely mind blowing,more grace to your elbow.
This is a great article and timely too as I’ve been thinking lately about all of the time that’s wasted on the phone! Appreciate you Joshua Becker!
Your timing on this blog is impeccable, as are most. I was on vacation last week for the first time in over a year without our RV and realized how far I’ve gotten from minimalism. I’ve just returned home and created a plan to “ruthlessly eliminate” unnecessary items before we start our work travel season the end of this month. As always, thanks for your gentle reminders and insights.
I’ve honestly never thought to ‘delete’ several unknown, not needed apps from my phone. But now I’ll do just that. Today I received a confirmation for a doctor appointment this week. I am asked to download their app so I can do an early check in. That really irks me that everyone wants you to download their apps nowadays. I’m thinking the business gets some type of kickback and yes it’s a marketing tool to entice you. Not going to happen. As Joshua shares, ‘if it’s not serving a valued purpose then ignore/delete.’
I wonder how useful all these apps are now. For the most part, the information can all be found on the internet. And then you mostly overlook the negative aspects of all the apps we use daily and don’t really need. You are tracked at every step you take during the day and bombarded with annoying advertisements you don’t need. For me, this was a reason to remove from my smartphone all apps that offer no added value whatsoever. And keep so much more time for things that do matter.
I’ve been mulling over switching back to a flip phone. The iPhone has many good benefits, but gets way too much use. In order to scale back, make it less visually stimulating, I moved most of the apps to the search option, have the screen in grayscale, and enlarged the apps so I have to actually pay attention to the icon better. It may seem backwards, but it’s helped me with memory and focus, because I don’t automatically click an app. I have to pay attention, then decide if it’s worth it.
Good idea Amy. My screen has accumulated many folders with even more apps within each folder. At first it was useful, all in its place. Now it’s just junk apps that I only use once or twice. Instead I bookmark frequent visited sites. Doesn’t take up much memory either. And not as tempting to downloaded apps.
I don’t have any that aren’t required and never have. When the OS updates and adds junk, I immediately uninstall it. I also have an Android that’s a few generations old, because I really only have a smartphone because I have to for work. I kept my old flip phone until the charging port failed.
One thing I find helpful in reducing unintentional app clicking is removing the icon from the screen entirely. If I really want to use a specific app, I can swipe all the way to the system try on the right and select it from the library of every app on my phone. That way, I’m not tempted by the little red bubbles beckoning me to open and see what the notifications are about. This also helps curb driving distractions as it’s harder to get into an attention sink hole if I need to really give it my attention to find it.
All my notifications are silenced including phone ringer. No exceptions. If my phone vibrates it’s a call, not a text, voicemail or email. Especially not a Gawd Awful social media alert! Only have IG and sometimes I want to delete it too. LOL. Next step, switching to library search instead of homescreen.
I already do a purge of apps on a regular basis. Mainly because I don’t use them.
Joshua, as with everything you write and recommend, this “downsizing your phone’s apps” makes perfect sense. But it’s not easy! I’ve moved the folder with all my news apps off the home screen. I was starting to check the latest news and headlines multiple times every day – and depressing myself in the process. Now I’m going to move my Facebook app icon over to a second or even a third screen so it doesn’t “suck me in” so easily. Thank you for everything you do to help us become more minimal!
Morning!
If possible, I don’t download the app. I use the website if available. It means a few more taps to get where I’m going, but those few taps sometimes are more trouble than they’re worth. Then I know it may be time to let that feature go.