Join the attention resistance with blocks, deletions, and scheduled indulgence

The attention economy needs your eyeballs all day to pay its bills. Mobile apps are engineered to make that happen, from red badges to pull‑to‑refresh. You can flip the script. First, remove social apps from your phone and access them only on a computer. Overnight, you’ll stop filling every micro‑gap with a scroll. One client’s usage fell from 9 hours a week to under 90 minutes with that single move.

Next, install blockers that default to “no.” Freedom, SelfControl, and similar tools make distraction opt‑in. Set up a few narrow windows when specific sites are allowed, then let the software hold the line. Your brain gets to focus without having to wrestle itself every five minutes. You’ll hear the difference in your own head, like a room where the hum finally stops.

Schedule small indulgence blocks so nothing feels forbidden. A 30‑minute evening window for highlights, trailers, or browsing scratches the itch without taking the whole night. Then, upgrade your information diet with Slow Media: a handful of trusted writers, batched reading, and no breaking‑news marathons. I might be wrong, but your mood will lift when you stop riding the outrage roller coaster.

This works because you shift from willpower to environment design. By making distraction inconvenient and quality consumption easy, you reduce decision fatigue and the power of intermittent rewards. You’ll spend less time online without feeling deprived, and the reclaimed attention can finally do something meaningful.

Delete social apps from your phone so you can’t scroll by reflex, then install a blocker and set it to allow only a few sites in short windows. Put small, fixed entertainment blocks on your calendar so you get fun without the spillover. For news, pick two or three great sources and read them in calm batches, not all day. You’re not swearing off the internet, you’re choosing when and how you use it. Try this for seven days and note the difference.