3 apps for less screen time

Leaving your smartphone out of sight and reach for a few hours: it might not be so easy, but it is well worth doing from time to time. These three apps can help you:

  • There you go again: before you realize what you’ve done, you’ve opened up the news page on your smartphone or clicked on the big blue-and-white F icon on your home screen. The Forest app helps you to avoid interruptions such as these by encouraging your focus via the growth of a tree. Anytime you need to focus, you access the app, plant a tree and it grows. If you leave the app, your tree will die.
  • Install Freedom on your computer, tablet or smartphone, and you can use it to block websites and apps of your choice for a specific amount of time.
  • The Quality Time app provides insight into how much time you spend on your phone and what you do on it.
  • With the ‘Screen Time’ option in your iPhone’s Settings, you can see, for example, how often you pick up your phone and what kind of apps you use the most. You also have the option to schedule time away from the screen via ‘Downtime’ and turn off notifications at specific times. Click here for more information.

Translation Julia Gorodecky  Illustration Jennifer Orkin Lewis