I waste my time on this laptop instead. 8)
It is still very relevant. As a follow-up, I find myself using the phone less and less. For instance, today I found out that I missed a message from a friend which he sent four days ago. When I go out, there is a solid chance that I will forget or intentionally leave the phone on my desk. Also, it's easier to get into the flow having less distractions around you.
I use an alternative launcher on Android called Action Launcher. It supports configurable focus modes I can use to lock down different groups of at certain times of the day. I just don't bother with going to socials, or hn on my mobile browser I guess it's never become a habit. So it works for me to lock the apps down when I'm working.
In the past I've gone the route of uninstalling social apps. Now, I have them installed but I renamed the shortcuts and prevent them from showing up in any "recently used" list. No place on my home screens so the only way to launch Facebook is to open the app list and search for "garbage", etc.
I use Tasker and plugins for a few things. I use Tasker's native ability to do things like turn on battery saver mode by default when I move away from my home wifi. This naturally puts some limits on how much things can run in the background, and it improves my battery charge throughout the day.
With Tasker I also use plugins like Auto Notification to set up rules to block notifications from all social apps during the main working hours of the day. Doesn't help to have "garbage" showing up in notifications without any effort on my part. It's always interesting to open the Facebook app later in the afternoon and see just how many notifications have piled up that would have tried barging into my working concentration.
I don't want to completely remove these apps from my phone since I use it as a private / social tool in the evenings and weekends.
I need to use it for music and work, for my sanity, and I'd rather not have to fund a completely separate device for that. So, I jump through hoops trying to bend them to my will.
1. Uninstall all apps that are not required. Especially social media apps and email client. Also, signout of things that are not required on phone like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 2. Keep it on silent all the time. 3. Disable notifications. 4. Replace behavior by adding useful apps to help cope up with your anxiety. You can install iBooks or Kindle and read on your phone.
Eventually you will see the behavior shift. This will have you partially reduce phone use and maybe prepare you for more adverse changes like complete phone abandonment.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NgtEfg3vJk [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGY2To_HW98
So, for example, I usually left my phone next to my bed the whole day. At afternoon I pick it up and check messages. In the night I left my phone in the living room (I pick it up the next day). That's it. Some people have complaint that I don't answer "on time" (why should I?).
I usually don't take my phone with me when going out (except if I'm going to hike and the like, in case of emergencies).
Delete the apps you want to avoid.
Work on your self-discipline, which is the real problem here. It will pay dividends.
Why do you want to quit in the first place? Are you finding it difficult to quit because it's inconvenient or because of some behavioral pattern that you want to eliminate? If it's the former, I wouldn't bother with it - you're just making your life harder for no benefit.
In general I think that the benefits of quitting stuff (social media, entertainment, devices etc) are really exaggerated in some circles. Cal Newport's book Digital Minimalism was very popular, there was also the whole concept about dopamine fasting and similar ideas - I really think that we have very little evidence to back those claims and it's become a kind of broscience in which people are sharing what works personally for them as fact, or misattributing effects and relationships and are very susceptible to confirmation bias.