u/Amidseas

I struggled with a phone addiction for *years*. I've went through every single motivation or digital detox plan there is but nothing clicked

It wasn't until I combined a couple of them with a system I made up that it finally worked. It's only three steps that cost nothing

Steps:

1. This method \*only\* works if you just woke up from a long nap or had sleep. I got it from a military habit rewiring tip. Your brain is somewhat reset after sleep so you're able to resist the urges better. \*avoid\* anything addictive: social media apps, games etc. No matter how brief. You're allowed to check your emails and texts but absolutely no talking to someone who can keep you texting for hours

2. Now that you're up and haven’t engaged in any addictions, set up a count-down timer. Set the timer to 15 minutes. Make sure to hide the bar that shows the timer as it's counting down because if you keep looking at it, I guarantee you time will slow down to a crawl

3. Start with something light. If there is a topic or problem you don't understand how to solve look up a video explaining it or read from your textbook. As you're doing this when you hit that frustration point (fun withdrawal) and feel like going back to your usual habits \*then\* look at the timer. Your reward system will register whatever amount of time passed as a happy point. This creates a loop that motivates you to go back to reading again until the timer runs out

Side tips:

Once this habit sets down try toubling it to 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours ... etc. I made to 3 hours thanks to this system, 6 when I had exams close by. The trick is to not always stick to a big goal. If you do 3 hours one day the next has to be half 1 hr and 30 min to avoid burn out

\*absolutely no screentime breaks in between each hour\* despite this new system being rewarding it's still not defeating the joy of gaming, scrolling etc so \*never ever\* try rewarding yourself half way through or you will likely go back to square one.

Focus tf out on practice questions/past papers because they prepare you best for exams. Also eat magnesium rich food if you struggle with concentration

Once the time is up you will be able to enjoy your usual fun activities with less guilt attached