Top 10+ Smartphone Habits That Are Ruining Your Productivity & 10 Tips to Fix Them

Your Productivity Called: It Wants Its Time Back

In this digital era, we're all glued to screens, whether it's our phones, tablets, computers, or TVs. In fact, the average person spends around five hours a day on their phone—half of that time is spent scrolling through social media alone. And while it's hard to completely give up our dependence on these devices, one thing's for sure: they're killing our productivity. Wondering how to get back on track? Here are 10 smartphone habits that are negatively affecting output—and 10 tips to fix them.

1. Endless Scrolling Through Social Media

Whether you're on Instagram or X/Twitter, you can never just scroll through one post. You're always tempted to keep going, see what else is new, what other things you can explore. Mindless social media scrolling is bad enough when we're off the clock, but it's when the habit finds us while we're working that harms our productivity.

2. Replying to Messages as Soon as You Get Them

We're not saying you should leave your friends and family on read, but that doesn't mean you should let incoming text messages continually pull you away from your tasks at hand. As much as you want to respond right away, the cycle will only end up repeating itself.

3. Using Too Many Productivity Apps

Ironically, downloading too many productivity apps may actually hinder your progress. Think about how much time you might spend organizing your tasks and tracking your goals, setting individual due dates and writing out update notes. In the long run, you might even develop over-dependence on these apps than real habits.

4. Constantly Checking Your Notifications

We're curious beings, and that means when our phones light up with a notification, we'll want to check it. But just like text messages, the more you let your attention be swept away whenever your phone pings, the less work you'll end up getting done. Sure, you might tell yourself you'll just check one thing—but then 15 minutes go by and you're still on your phone.

5. Switching from App to App

What's worse than checking up on one notification? Letting your attention be caught by another app right after, and then again. Suddenly, it's not just you checking up on a notification but you going through every single app on your phone to see what's new since you last visited. 

6. Opening TikTok

Yup—TikTok is such a productivity killer, it deserves its own point on this list. Honestly, whether it's TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube shorts, any short-form video app is going to pull your attention away and keep it. The next thing you know, an hour has passed and you're still swiping to see the next clip.

7. Keeping Your Phone Nearby

Just having your phone within reach is a productivity killer. After all, even when you tell yourself that you won't be distracted by it, you'll still likely end up giving in. Honestly, unless you lock your device away or have someone hide it from you until you've finished your work, you'll probably continue reaching for it without even realizing.

8. Mobile Gaming

Having games on your phone is great when you want to unwind, but sometimes, they serve as the perfect distractors and will likely convince you to procrastinate. You might swear to only play one level of Candy Crush, but chances are you'll continue playing until you lose all your lives.

9. Using the Camera

Whether you want to check your face, hair, or outfit, or you want to quickly take a photo of something, you can easily pull up your phone camera to do so. But clicking one picture might lead to more, or you might be suddenly tempted to revisit your gallery or that trip you took a year ago.

10. Blue Light Exposure

It's nothing new that digital screens like laptops and phones can expose us to blue light which can disrupt sleeping patterns. But the longer we stay glued to these screens, the more it can affect our sleep-wake cycles. This, in turn, can deprive us of the quality rest and energy we need to complete our tasks.

But what are some ways to rewrite these bad habits and increase our productivity? Let's explore 10 tips that can boost output.

1. Set Phone Aside for One Day

To slowly ease your smartphone addiction, try choosing one day of the week where you shelve your device away for a full 24 hours. You can start with a few hours at first and work your way up, or cut it cold turkey from the get-go. This will ease up your dependence on it.

2. Turn on Do Not Disturb

If you have a Do Not Disturb mode on your phone, turn it on. This silences all notifications, calls, and other distractions so that you can focus on your work. If you have certain apps or contacts you must stay alerted about, you can set those exceptions.

3. Adopt the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique advises splitting your productivity into blocks so you're not constantly overwhelmed and overworked. To do this, set a timer for 25 minutes where you'll do nothing else but the task at hand. Then, between every 25-minute interval, take a short five-minute break to take a breather. During your break, try to avoid checking your phone by opting to stand, stretch, or look outside instead.

4. Keep Your Phone Somewhere Hard to Reach

If you really can't stop the urge, put your phone somewhere that's hard to reach or will take a lot of effort to retrieve. This way, you'll be less tempted to check it as opposed to when it's easily within arm's length. To take it a step further, you might want to ask someone to hide your device for you so you won't be able to get it at all until you're finished with your work.

5. Log Out of Social Media Apps

After every session, log out. This will make it more bothersome to have to log back in every time to scroll through, and you'll likely be less tempted to check these platforms because you'll need to exert a bit more effort. You might also want your apps to forget your passwords so it's not as easy for you to get back in.

6. Charge Your Phone Elsewhere

Instead of charging your phone near your workspace or bed, charge it away from you, either across the room or in another room altogether. Again, this will put some physical distance between you and your device so that you won't be as tempted to just reach out and grab for it.

7. Start Your Mornings Phone-Free

Do you often start your mornings checking notifications on your phone or scrolling through social media? It's time to fix this habit. Replace your morning time with a different routine, like practicing meditation, reading, or journaling instead.

8. Understand Why You Check Your Phone So Often

Sure, sometimes you check your phone just because you want to and you're curious about what you've missed. But other times, you might be checking because you're procrastinating or because you're trying to escape from a negative feeling, whether stress or something else. Trying to get to the root of your smartphone dependence may allow you to better understand your thoughts, feelings, and triggers, as well as help you develop healthier habits.

9. Establish a "Digital Curfew"

Just as you might do in the morning, you probably also scroll on your phone late into the night. Not letting yourself wind down and constantly exposing yourself to blue light will only worsen your addiction, repeat the cycle, and lead to poor sleeping habits. On top of charging your phone away from your bed, practice good sleep hygiene by shutting off all screens at least an hour before bedtime and doing a relaxing activity instead, like reading.

10. Go on a Walk

If you still can't shake the urge, go on a walk. Instead of using your breaks to check your phone and mindlessly scroll through social media or messages, take yourself away from the thing that keeps distracting you and keeping you from your work. After all, the more you give in and check it, the longer the habit will continue.