Limits always felt like a test I could fail. An intention feels different: "Today I'd like 8 hours away from my phone." No alarm when I miss it. Just a gentle note at the start and end of the day.

I turned that into an app, Presence (I'm the developer). It fills a ring as your phone rests, shows the rhythm of your day, and keeps everything on your iPhone.

For anyone practicing mindful tech use: do you set intentions like this? What wording works for you?

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/presence-time-off-your-phone/id6819310731

Hey everyone, I develop SloMo, a 100% free app for iPhone and Android that helps you put limits on distracting apps.

I originally build this for myself cause I keep getting distracted while working or just waiting for AI response while coding but existing options all have subscriptions or payment so I built a 100% free and offline version.

You can block apps for a set time, schedule recurring rules around your day, or unlock them by completing a walk or exercises like squats and push-ups. You can also track your screen time and progress, and share your progress if you want.

The idea is to give you different ways to manage your phone use, whether you need uninterrupted time to focus or a little pause before opening social media again.

There’s no account required, and the core features work offline. If you use the exercise option, you can count reps with the camera or manually.

I’d love to hear from people who have tried cutting back on scrolling: what do screen-time apps get wrong for you? Are they too easy to ignore, too complicated to set up, or missing something you need?

If you want to try SloMo:

• iPhone: App Store
• Android: Google Play
• Website: slomo.jhayr.com

And if you do try it, tell me what would make you keep using it—or what would make you uninstall it. I’m still improving it, and honest feedback would really help. Thanks!

Saving an article can feel like taking control of the feed: I do not have to read this now; I can return later. But a saved list can gradually become another inbox, full of things we feel we should have read.

I think there is a useful distinction between a collection and a commitment. A collection offers possibilities. A commitment has a reason to be done. Clicking “save” because something looked interesting does not necessarily create the second.

One small experiment: choose one saved item because it answers a question you actually have today. Put the rest in an archive rather than keeping them in a queue that implies an obligation. Keep genuinely required reading separate, with its purpose or deadline attached.

This is not an argument against collecting resources. A large archive can be useful. The question is whether your system helps you find something when you need it, or keeps reminding you of everything you have not consumed.

I’m Francesc Grau, author of Reclaim Your Mind. This reflection connects with the book’s theme of making room for our own thinking amid digital overload. For context, my book’s website is https://reclaimyourmindbook.com/en/ — I’m sharing my own work.

How do you handle saved articles and videos? Do you actually return to them, periodically clear them, or treat the list as a searchable archive rather than homework?

This is what I want ideally:

• read the news from my preferred sources all in one place
• no algorithms thinking they know what I want, no trending topics, nothing trying to keep me hooked or glued to my screen
• simple chronological feed, newest to oldest
• no ads, if possible
• and ideally free 😂

Any suggestions?

Every social network seems to compete for the same thing: our attention.

More notifications.
More reactions.
More comments.
More reasons to come back.

That made me wonder: what happens if you remove almost everything?

No profiles.
No followers.
No likes.
No comments.
No feeds.
No algorithms deciding what you should see.

Imagine a place where the only interaction is saying "good morning."

Not to your friends.
Not to your followers.
Just to the world.

That's the experiment I've been building.
It's called OhayoWorld. It shows the sunrise moving across Earth in real time. When the morning reaches your city, you can send a simple "Ohayo" ("good morning" in Japanese). Your greeting appears anonymously on the globe for a short time before fading away.

No one knows who you are.
No one can reply.
No one can argue.
No one can become popular.

It's simply a quiet reminder that, somewhere on Earth, millions of people are beginning a new day alongside you.

https://www.ohayoworld.com/

Hi!

I need your help with something. I am trying to make my digital devices simpler so I can focus on what's important and not get distracted by things I do not need. I am having a time figuring out what to do so I would really appreciate your advice.

I have a Xiaomi smartphone that's about six or seven years old. It does not work well anymore. It freezes a lot. The battery does not last very long. I think it will stop working in a year or so. So I need to start thinking about getting an one. I was thinking about fixing my smartphone maybe getting a new battery. I am not sure if that is worth it.
My other options are buying a used smartphone. Getting a dumb phone. The thing is, I need to be able to do a things with my phone. I need to be able to scan QR codes use Google Maps and use my banking and authentication apps. Most dumb phones are not very good at these things. At the time I want to spend less time on YouTube and other apps that distract me. I also want my phone to have a battery life.
So I am wondering is it better to keep using a smartphone and find an app that limits my access to apps? I have not found an app that works well yet. If you know of any apps or setups that work well please let me know.

I also have a computer that's a few years old. It works fine for what I need to do so I do not think I need to get an one.

I bought a tablet a while back because I wanted to be able to read PDF files.. I hardly ever use it. If I need to do something I use my computer.. Reading on the tablet is uncomfortable, for me because of the screen light. I tried to make it more comfortable. It did not work. So I think I should get rid of the tablet and get an e-reader instead. If I do that which one would you recommend? I want one that can handle PDF files well. I do not need any special features.

I listen to music a lot. Sometimes I listen to music I have downloaded. Sometimes I use Spotify.. I do not really like the free version of Spotify and I do not think the paid version is worth it. So my options are to listen to music on my phone or buy a music player.

I live in the EU so I can only get devices and apps that're available here. So what would you do? Which devices would you keep, replace or get rid of?

Thank you!

I've tried everything. Screen Time on iOS, Opal, habit trackers.

They all have the same flaw — when you fail, nothing really happens. The app resets. You "try again tomorrow." There's no actual cost to breaking your own rules.

I'm starting to think the whole category is built around making you feel like you're making progress without demanding anything from you.

Has anyone found something that actually holds them accountable? Or built their own system around it?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how most communication tools are designed to erase waiting: instant send, instant reply, instant pressure.

So we made a small web experiment called Moon Post Service: you write someone a message, but it only opens when the moon rises for them.

Basically, we made the moon a postman.

It’s not meant to make communication faster or more efficient. It’s the opposite — a little bit of intentional friction. The message exists, but it waits. No push notification urgency, no demand to respond immediately, just a delayed moment tied to something outside the phone.

It’s free and web-based, no app download needed:
https://www.moonpostservice.com

I’d love to hear what this community thinks about using delay as a design choice — can friction make digital communication feel calmer?

Ever open TikTok or Reels "for a few minutes" and look up an hour later wondering where the time went?

I'm a grad student researching exactly that, specifically how the design of short-form media platforms affects our ability to stop scrolling when we actually want to. I'm looking for people to have a casual one-on-one Zoom conversation about their experience.

You qualify if you:

• Are between 25 and 40 years old
• Use TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts at least 1 hour a day
• Have noticed yourself scrolling longer than you intended

The interview is about 45 to 60 minutes over Zoom. No compensation, just a genuine conversation about something most of us deal with.

Interested? Fill out this short screener (5 min): https://forms.gle/f2E5L1BKJtwYTcEaA

Hey y'all!

Sooo... I recently finished creating a digital 30-day mindfulness & self-reflection wellness journal where every page includes an actual activity — not filler pages. 🫶🏻

The goal is basically: help with anxiety, overwhelm, self-esteem, and emotional grounding. Less pressure >> more self-connection

It includes guided prompts, calming exercises, mood tracking, reflection activities, coloring pages, and mindfulness exercises designed to help you reconnect with yourself little by little.

It’s digital/printable and costs $9 USD, and honestly every purchase helps me a lot financially right now while I’m in school.

Honestly really nervous posting this because I made it myself while balancing college, but I’m proud of it!

If anyone wants to see more pages or is interested, feel free to comment or DM me ♡

Journaling to me isn't about editing or second-guessing what to write. Having yesterday's entry staring you in the face, begging to be touched up, isn't the experience I want.

I wanted to mimic the feel of writing in a physical book, which is write-once. So I made a simple app that always has a blank page, and previous entries are immutably locked forever. Next time you visit, it's blank again.

I would love to hear what other people think. It's free, there's no AI, no streaks, no folders. Sign-in is Google or GitHub SSO, so your entries persist across devices.

https://jornal.ink

I’ve been quietly following and learning from this subreddit for a long time. Many of the posts here around compulsive scrolling, relapses, boredom, accountability, and “knowing better but still scrolling” deeply resonated with me.

As an experiment, I’ve built a small AI coaching app called Digital Reset that focuses specifically on helping people reflect on why they overuse screens, notice patterns, and make small daily adjustments,..not blocking apps or shaming behavior. It’s designed more like a coach than a productivity tool.

I’m offering an 80% community-only discount because this is genuinely an experiment, and I’d love raw, honest feedback from people who are actually struggling with screen use (what works, what feels useless, what feels off).

If you’re curious and want to try it:
👉 https://studio.com/rijul/digitalreset?c=lYoqIYrd

No expectations, no obligation...even critical feedback is welcome.

Thanks to this community for shaping much of my thinking around intentional tech use.

Heya! I know that this is a big ask (and please let me know if this is out of place), but I need some help in building a product that could help people use their phones less 😄 If you can imagine doing an interview remotely, please read on!

I'm a part of a small team in Finland building a cozy game / tool that's designed to help you change your digital habits and reduce the time you spend on your phone. We've been working on this for a few months now, and early feedback from potential users would be absolutely essential for us to know if we're on the right track!

We don't have any funding yet, so I can't offer you gift cards or something concrete for your time. But, if you could consider spending an hour talking with me about digital habits and telling your opinions about our prototype, you would receive my eternal gratitude, and hopefully an interesting experience for you too! 🙌❤️

If this is something you could consider, please comment anything, and I'll send you more details via dm so that you can make an informed decision 😄

Thank you for the consideration, and hope you all have the best days ahead! ☀️

(this is NOT a promotion, my goal is to help other's. If you want to escape it, you can..) <3

I gamified Thoreau’s "deliberate living" philosophy and adapted for the digital age. The goal is to subtract one modern commodity every week to find out what we can/cannot live without.

I call it an anti-app because, among other reasons, it is designed to be used ~1m/week. In fact, most of the challenges actively require you to stop using apps.

Every Sunday, a new challenge unlocks: news blackout, candlelight evenings, silent commutes, notifications nuke, greyscale screens. If you fail the week, you donate to a relevant charity. If you succeed, you reclaim your focus, clarity, and innate abilities. Win-win.

waldenweek.com