Notes on phone use, attention, and what it took to build a thing opinionated enough to actually push back against the design of modern phones.
The obvious comparison. An honest breakdown of where the $59 NFC tile wins, where the free Android app wins, and why they're not really competing.
Hour by hour through the first 24 hours. The reach, the workarounds, the boredom, the moment around day-two morning when something shifts.
The hard part isn't deciding to use your phone less — it's the gap it leaves. Twenty concrete, low-effort things to do in 5 minutes instead of scrolling.
The design rationale behind the cap. Why one fixed number works where customizable budgets fail, and what changes if you raise or lower it.
Rule of thumb: if it has a feed, it doesn't go in your six. Plus the awkward cases — WhatsApp, your work app, the bank that nags.
The research on urge surfing, why 20 minutes is the magic number, and why the trick isn't willpower — it's just outlasting the wave.
Make a phone-reduction tool nice to use and you've already lost. The case against beautiful minimalism, gamified streaks, and "wellbeing dashboards."
Sleep. Attention. Baseline mood. The people you live with. The research on what cutting your phone use does, week by week.
Screen-time apps tell you the damage but don't stop it. Focus modes are easy to disable. Gamified streaks become the goal. Willpower works for ten minutes. The story behind Thirty.