The Escape Kit.
Zero cost. Zero bloat. Just your freedom.
System Overrides
BUILT-INYou don't need to buy a "dumb phone." Re-program the one you have:
- Grayscale Mode: Strip the "candy coating" from your apps. If it's not colorful, your brain stops craving the hit.
Your brain calms down when the colors disappear.
- App Limits: Use your phone's native 'Screen Time' (iOS) or 'Digital Wellbeing' (Android) to hard-cap social media at 30 mins/day.
- The "Digital Sunset": Set an automated 'Do Not Disturb' for 9:00 PM. No pings, no light, no ransom.
Analog Alternatives
REAL WORLDThe best way to stop scrolling is to give your hands something better to do:
- Rock Painting: A perfect "flow state" hobby. It requires focus, steady hands, and results in a physical object you can actually touch.
- Physical Reading: Go to your local library. A paper book doesn't have notifications and it doesn't track your eye movement.
- The "Unplugged" Walk: Leave the phone at home. Walk for 20 minutes. Observe the real-world resolution.
The 90-Second Rule
MENTALWhen you feel the "phantom itch" to check your phone:
- Stop.
- Breathe (4 seconds in, 6 seconds out) for 90 seconds.
- Ask: "Am I checking this because I need to, or because I'm bored?"
- Usually, the urge vanishes before the timer does.