How do I actually cut my screen time?

The order that works is: measure first, then set a single target, then add friction. Most people start backwards — they impose a strict rule and abandon it a few days later. A target set without measuring won't hold, because if you don't know where you started you can't tell whether the target is realistic. The single biggest win usually comes from turning off notifications and moving short-video apps off your home screen; neither is a ban, they just break the automatic tap.

The short answer

The order that works: measure first, set one target, then add friction. Most people start backwards — a strict rule first, abandoned a few days later.

1. Measure first

A target set without knowing your baseline doesn’t hold. “One hour a day” is meaningless if you’re at four; it’s too easy if you’re at one and a half.

But watch what you measure. Duration is a misleading metric. Forty minutes on one vlog and forty minutes swiping 120 Reels report identically. As habits they’re not the same thing.

The better measure is how many videos you scrolled — it shows how many times your attention was reset. We covered how to see that number separately.

Spend a few days measuring and changing nothing. That alone tends to bring the number down; measured behaviour shifts.

2. Set one target

Don’t set several rules. “No phone in the morning, none at meals, under an hour total” is three rules, and when one breaks all three go with it.

Pick one number. A target 20-30% below your current average is realistic. Halving it sounds better and gets abandoned within a week.

Think of the target as a line rather than a ban: cross it and there’s no punishment, just notice.

3. Add friction

These are the highest-return steps, because they put no load on willpower:

Turn off notifications. Every notification from a short-video app is an invitation to a session you didn’t start.
Move the app off your home screen. Not delete — move. Having to search for it breaks the thoughtless tap.
Log out, don’t save the password. If you use it on the web, signing in each time is friction enough.
Greyscale. Drastic, but it works: colourful thumbnails stop pulling at you.

4. Create an endpoint

What the infinite feed removed is the feeling of having finished. You have to put it back:

Before opening, say “this many videos” or “until this time”.
Set a timer — your phone’s own timer is fine.
Use a physical limit: scroll standing up, stop when you sit down.

What doesn’t work

Honestly:

Deleting the app. It lasts about three days, then goes back on — usually with heavier use.
Hard blockers. They collapse because the off switch is yours — detail here.
“No scrolling at all this week.” A zero target doesn’t survive being broken once. A reduction target is far more durable.

How long until it shows?

A realistic expectation: two weeks of measuring, four weeks of decline. The number doesn’t fall in a straight line; there will be bad days, and that’s normal. Watch the weekly average, not the daily count.

A line trending down week over week means far more than one perfect day.

Silverback covers the first two steps in one place: it counts the videos you scroll, you set your own daily goal, and when you pass it the gorilla punches the screen. It blocks nothing — we explained why we block nothing separately.