Anyone else the same?
I am also at the point where I leave my phone at home when I go out if I can avoid it. The only times I bring it is if I'm going someplace unfamiliar or if I'm specifically trying to coordinate with someone, and they wouldn't be able to reach me otherwise (such as text someone else that I'm with).
I still find myself scrolling on Twitter longer than I wish I would, but usually after about 5 mins of scrolling, I encounter some bugginess that snaps me out of the loop and helps me question whether or not I really want to be spending my time on the site.
What’s funny is that the bugginess is intentional to try to make you download the app, but it has the opposite effect for me.
Now I just glance at my wrist, decide if I'm going to respond or not (or just reply with "Yes" from my watch), which limits how much I get stuck on my phone. I wish I had self-control to not have to "hack" around it, but alas I don't.
Personally I have some issues with limiting YouTube consumption, but not on the phone, because I don't have YouTube on my phone and using it in the browser sucks. When I've attempted to seek out advise on reducing screen time everything seems to focus on the phone, but the phone isn't an issue for me, because the UI is absolutely terrible for pretty much any activity you could ever imagine. The small screen, touch interface and gestures are enough to keep my phone pretty faraway. I use it for calls and messaging.
It still amazes me that people are willing to do pretty much anything on their phones. So while I have looked into trying to dumb down my iPhone, it didn't seem like it was worth my time.
Direct messaging: WhatsApp is installed and in use, but I disabled notification sounds. Work email is only on my work laptop, personal email is on my phone with notifications off.
That leaves iMessage and Signal with notifications on. I use the former with my wife and the latter with my closest friends. But I still mute my phone during focus work.
I dropped those apps about 8 years ago, but started to do most of my _reading_ on my phone - when I pick up my phone and habitually open something now, it's a book of some sort. It's a good idea to have something to replace habits with, if possible.
If it's really necessary to check Facebook from a phone, then https://mbasic.facebook.com is sufficient.
Everything else can eat shit.
All the other apps, especially chat apps (including family if it's not urgent) are muted, and the mute slider is nailed down so it can't move accidentally.
That should solve 90% of the problem. Even doomscrolling if you ask me, because if the doomscroll app doesn't notify you, you'll forget about it. At first rarely, but more and more often in time.
The "Personal" focus allows call and message notifications only from a set list of contacts and apps which are mostly OS-level (alarms, calendar, etc) and the chat app I use to talk to my wife and a couple important friends.
The "Work" focus allows call and message notifications from anyone, and the above app list plus some work-related apps (e.g., Slack).
From time to time if I'm waiting on a notification (e.g., the teleheath app to start an appointment) I'll just turn focus mode off and deal with the firehose until I see the one I need.
Doing it this way I can have the apps available so I can easily use the service/product _when I want to_, but it's never forcing itself in front of my face.
I really don't know how people use their phones otherwise. There's so. much. noise.