I like to think I have decent self-control when it comes to my phone. I turn off most notifications, I don’t keep Instagram on my home screen, and I’ve even gone through phases of uninstalling apps altogether. Still, I regularly find myself mindlessly checking Reddit or YouTube “just for a minute” and somehow losing an entire hour I was supposed to spend working.
I didn’t want to install another third-party productivity app or try a digital detox I couldn’t stick to. Instead, I turned to something already built into my Android phone: Focus Mode. The Digital Wellbeing feature is supposed to help you pause distracting apps and reclaim your time. For one week, I used Focus Mode during my work hours and any time I wanted to avoid distractions. I wanted to know if it would help me get more done and train me out of my compulsive doomscrolling habits.
How does Focus Mode help reduce distractions?
The in-built Digital Wellbeing tool
Focus Mode is part of Android’s Digital Wellbeing toolkit. It lets you select distracting apps and temporarily turn them off. When Focus Mode is on, those apps get grayed out, and you can’t open them. They won’t send you notifications either unless you manually turn off Focus Mode or remove the app from your blocked list. If you try to open a blocked app, you will receive a gentle reminder indicating that it’s paused. You can override it, but the idea is that a little barrier will stop you long enough to reconsider opening it.
Setting the ground rules first
I analyzed apps that were my productivity kryptonite
Before diving in, I opened my app drawer and took a hard look at what usually pulls me away from work. I ended up blocking YouTube, Reddit, WhatsApp, and X. I left Slack, TickTick, Obsidian, and Google Calendar untouched since I needed them for work.
Focus Mode would be on from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and again from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. That gave me two deep work blocks per day, with a lunch break in between to check messages or scroll guilt-free. I also added Focus Mode to my Quick Settings for easy access.
Focus mode helped reduce my doomscrolling
I got more work done without distractions
Initially, I found myself trying to open X or YouTube without thinking. But every time, Focus Mode stopped me. The app icons were gray, and the taps did nothing. By mid-week, I still reached for my phone occasionally, but instead of opening social media apps, I would open Obsidian and jot down a thought or glance at my task list. Another major shift was that I began checking email only on my computer. Without Gmail accessible on my phone, it did not tempt me to peek during every idle moment.
Saturday was the first day I did not schedule Focus Mode. I woke up, reached for my phone, and instantly fell back into mindlessly scrolling Reddit, YouTube, and X. It reminded me how easy it is to slide back into default behaviors when the guardrails are off. Later that day, I manually turned on Focus Mode while reading a book. Just that one toggle helped me stay off my phone for the entire afternoon.
Focus Mode helped reshape how I interacted with my phone during work hours. Without the usual distractions, I naturally gravitated toward tasks that served my goals. The numbers backed it up. My Digital Wellbeing stats showed that I had spent much less time on social apps compared to the previous week.
The limitations of Focus Mode
The Digital Wellbeing tool isn’t perfect
Focus Mode isn’t foolproof. It doesn’t block websites, so you can still waste time in Chrome if you’re determined. And it only works for apps you’ve manually selected. So, if you forget to block something like your browser, it becomes an easy escape hatch.
Another drawback is that you can turn it off at any time. There’s no need for a password or delay; just a tap, and it’s off. However, you still require some willpower to resist turning it off to check something.
If you want stricter controls, you can always combine Focus Mode with other tools such as AppBlock, Digital Detox, or ActionDash. But for me, Focus Mode on its own was enough to nudge me away from distracting apps.
A simple change helped me rethink my phone habits
Using Focus Mode for a week didn’t magically make me more productive. But it did help me break the autopilot habit of constant phone checking. It made me aware of how often I reach for my phone out of boredom, anxiety, or habit.
But if you’re tired of wasting time on your phone due to endless alerts and messages, you can customize your Android notifications to reduce distractions. Another trick to spending less time on your phone is to organize the home screen.
