Earn your scroll time.
Healthy Stuff First blocks time wasting apps until you've done the stuff that's good for you, to help you live your life, instead of avoiding it on your phone.
You can only use Instagram after you have gone for a walk.
Why habits, not timers
Let's be honest: screen time limits don't really work. It's too easy to tap "+5 minutes" and carry on (and then again, and again, and...). You could delete the apps outright, but that's hard to do with the ones you actually like!
The apps themselves aren't really the problem. Using them in moderation, and using them to avoid the things you should be doing, is.
So instead of waking up and reaching straight for your phone, your apps stay blocked until you have done the habits you chose — go for a walk, brush your teeth, get some exercise, whatever you decide.
And if, after a long and exhausting day, you find yourself doomscrolling on the couch, you will run out of time and need to do something again. Maybe that's replying to the message you've been putting off. Maybe it's just getting up for a glass of water. (And who knows — you might not head back to your phone 😉.)
Because if you have time to finish that video, you have time to do something good for you. First.
How it works
Three simple steps:
- 1
Pick habits worth doing
Go for a walk. Stretch. Some real, focussed work. That thing you've been putting off. Each habit earns you however many minutes you decide it's worth.
- 2
Pick the addictive apps
Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or the websites you lose afternoons to. They stay blocked until you finish enough habits to unlock them. (And then get blocked again if you doomscroll a bit too long.)
- 3
Hold a habit down to complete it
Ten full seconds, to give you time to reconsider if you weren't tooottallly honest 😇
Treat the cause, not the symptom
Most phone (over)use happens when we avoid difficult things. (When we avoid our feelings.) So, let's deal with those 💪 you got this.
Take the challenge head on! (Do a task you've been putting off: earn 20m)
Or put your phone away for a few minutes and experience the real world without distractions (no phone/laptop for 10 mins: earn 10m).
Before, and after
What relationship do you want with your phone?
A brief scroll for a quick dopamine hit turns into a long doomscroll session. An hour later, you feel bad for procrastinating again 🫣
You tackle the challenge in front of you head on, with your reward waiting for you afterwards 🦸
Non-stop mental stimulation all day long, until you're wiped out by the evening
A few digital snacks here and there, earned after doing the things that actually make you feel good 🤗
Why bother
The apps you are trying to use less are not neutral. Auto-play, infinite scroll and perfectly-timed notifications are the work of teams paid to keep you there, and they are better at their job than any of us are at resisting it. Awful! 😱
We do things a lil differently around here:
No streaks
If you don't use this app, it's working. I want you to be free of addiction!
No account needed
Sign in only if you want the same budget on several devices. Otherwise, stay offline ☕.
No ads, no trackers
The free tier is a no-strings-attached gift. Paying allows you to block more apps (and allows me to pay my rent).
No notifications, no addiction mechanisms
(Ok, there's a 1 minute warning before you run out of time, but that's it! Promise!)
Other people, saying it better
Not convinced? Want some other perspectives on phone addiction and overuse, or just prefer video? The videos below are a good place to start. Watch them to get inspired to make a change 💪 Change usually starts when you get mad about the problem. (Mad about being addicted to your phone! 😠👊💥📱)
Coming to Android and iOS
The store listings are not live yet. Both are being prepared, and this page will link straight to 'em the day they go up. If you want a note when that happens, send me an email and I'll write back.
- Google Play Coming soon
- Apple App Store Coming soon