How to Distance Yourself from Your Phone

You can take meaningful steps to reduce the pull of your smartphone once you understand how easy it is for habits to form around constant checking.

Many people explore how to distance themselves from their phone because they want more focus, more calm, and more time for the parts of life that feel fulfilling. Small changes help you create some breathing room as you build a healthier relationship with your device.

When these habits feel natural, and you want more space in your life, the ideas below offer solid ways to make progress.

How to Distance Yourself from Your Phone: Daily Habits that Create More Freedom

Replace Your Smartwatch with a Regular Watch

Smartwatches act like extensions of your phone, and their constant alerts pull your attention. Switching to a regular watch gives you a simple way to check the time without a steady stream of prompts.

Other wellness tools (heart-rate straps or stand-alone trackers) can support your health without constant digital interruptions. This small swap brings structure back to your day and keeps your phone from dominating your movements.

Take Vacations in Places with Little Cell Phone Coverage

Trips with limited reception give you a natural break from constant checking. Low-coverage destinations help you set clear boundaries with work, communicate expectations before you leave, and step back from any pressure to stay reachable.

Unplugged environments help you rediscover simple activities that recharge your mind and body and bring more presence to the experiences that matter most to you.

Commit to Never Using Your Phone While Doing Something Else

Multitasking with your smartphone pulls your attention in too many directions. You can create healthier patterns when you give your full focus to your phone only when you choose to use it.

Avoid pairing your phone with TV, movies, or computer work. Keeping your attention on one activity at a time makes your phone feel less like a constant companion and more like an intentional tool.

Keep Your Phone in Airplane Mode for a Set Period Each Day

Once checking your phone feels less urgent, airplane mode becomes a powerful tool. Set blocks of time where calls, notifications, and messages cannot reach you. Over time, airplane mode can become your default, and checking your phone becomes something you decide, not something you react to.

Replace Phone Functions with the Original Objects

Smartphones absorbed dozens of tools that once lived outside your pocket. Creating distance becomes easier when you bring some of these tools back into your routine. Use an alarm clock instead of your alarm app. Use paper maps, printed directions, or a GPS device for travel. Pick up a camera for photos.

Grab your old iPod or MP3 player for music. These small swaps help you break patterns tied to convenience and reconnect with routines that feel calmer and more grounded.

Buy a “Dumb” Cellphone for Periodic or Regular Use

A basic phone that only calls and texts can be a useful reset. Using a simple device gives you the basics without the endless scroll. This option helps you build healthier habits, especially during weekends, vacations, or high-focus periods.

Some people eventually use a basic phone most of the time and keep a smartphone only for essential functions. A few even transition to landlines for daily life. You can choose what level of separation fits your lifestyle and comfort.

Expanding Your Digital Boundaries One Step at a Time

Creating distance from your smartphone is about moving toward a life that feels fuller and more intentional. You can make small choices that create significant gains in focus, emotional balance, sleep quality, and daily presence.

As we guide clients at Symmetry Counseling, we see that healthier digital habits often grow alongside healthier emotional patterns. We help individuals explore habits, boundaries, and routines that support overall well-being through our individual counseling services.​​

Clients who face attention challenges often benefit from tools and strategies that support focus and structure. Hence, we also offer specialized support through our ADD/ADHD counseling for ages 10 through adulthood.

A Grounded Way to Make Progress

You can create a healthier relationship with your phone by taking gradual, steady steps that honor your time and attention. Our team at Symmetry Counseling supports people who want to build better habits, understand their patterns, and move toward a more balanced daily life.

We offer in-person and online counseling for ages 10 and up, with flexible scheduling and insurance-friendly options.

Schedule an appointment today to start building healthier digital habits with guided support.