Screen time and focus
You don't need willpower so much as better settings. These tools are already on your phone.
Measure first
Screen Time (iPhone, in Settings) and Digital Wellbeing (Android, in Settings) show how long you use each app and how many times you pick up the phone. Look at a full week before changing anything.
Cut notifications
Each notification is an invitation to pick up the phone. Keep them for people and things that really need you: calls, messages from family, calendar reminders. Turn the rest off, or use the summary option to receive them in one batch a couple of times a day.
App limits
Set a daily limit for the apps that eat your time. When the limit is reached, the app's icon greys out. You can ignore it, but the pause is often enough.
Focus modes
Focus (iPhone) and modes such as Work or Bedtime (Android) silence chosen apps and people on a schedule or at a location. Set one for working hours and one for the evening.
Small tricks that work
- Move social media apps off the home screen into a folder.
- Turn on grayscale in the evening (Accessibility settings or Bedtime mode). A grey screen is much less tempting.
- Charge the phone outside the bedroom and use a cheap alarm clock.
- Sign out of an app's website on the phone, so a quick look becomes a deliberate choice.
Children's phones
Family Link (Android) and Screen Time with Family Sharing (iPhone) let parents set limits, approve app downloads and see time spent. They work best agreed with the child, not imposed in secret.