Let’s be honest: we’re all in a messy situationship with our phones. We know it’s unhealthy. We know we should probably see other hobbies. And yet… there we are, doom-scrolling in the dark like raccoons with Wi-Fi.
So this year, instead of becoming a “new you,” maybe you just try becoming a slightly less screen-obsessed version of yourself. Enter: app-stinence—the art of putting the phone down before your loved ones stage an intervention.
1. Dinner Without the Digital Third Wheel
We all insist we won’t look at our phones at dinner, and then someone’s fork moves and suddenly we’re checking a text or photographing the entrée like we’re headlining Bon Appétit. Try going cold turkey for thirty minutes. You’ll remember what your food tastes like—and possibly rediscover the personalities of the people sitting beside you.
2. Kids Deserve More Than Your Half-Attention
Children know when you’re only sort of listening. They feel it. And they will absolutely respond with a 19-minute monologue on dinosaurs or Minecraft lore as punishment. Practicing app-stinence here means giving them your full face for sixty seconds at a time. Eyes up. Phone down. They remember that.
3. Stop Tucking Yourself Into Bed With Bad News
Most of us climb into bed and immediately scroll ourselves into an anxiety spiral. Shockingly, this does not lead to peaceful sleep. Try banning your phone from the pillow zone or cut yourself off thirty minutes before lights out. Your nervous system will notice the difference.
4. Micro-Moments of Sanity
You don’t have to become a sandalwood-scented monk. Just try a few tiny shifts:
• Stand in line without grabbing your phone.
• Take a short walk with no headphones.
• Let yourself be bored for five seconds without seeking stimulation.
These little moments add up quickly.
5. Replace Reflex With Ritual
Phones thrive on automatic behavior—reach, tap, scroll. Break the reflex by replacing it with something intentional: a morning stretch, a book by the bed, a family phone basket, or one weekly no-tech night. Ritual beats willpower every time.
At the end of the day, app-stinence isn’t punishment—it’s protection. It’s the conversation you hear, the bedtime story you don’t rush, the meal where no one’s screen lights up their face. The apps will survive without you. The moments, however, won’t.