Disconnect to Reconnect: My Plan to Limit Smartphone Time

Eric Poole | Posted: 10/20/2025

I’ve decided this is the year to make a change with my smartphone use. Not a resolution, more of a system reboot. For a while now, I’ve been tempted to go full minimalist and join the “dumb phone movement,” cutting out distractions and living a more mindful lifestyle.

I looked into the Light Phone III and the Punkt MP02, both praised by people chasing digital simplicity. But like many of us, my work life just won’t let me fully escape. When Slack and email live in your pocket, the dumb phone dream stays out of reach.

The Stats That Made Me Stop and Think

According to studies going back to 2016, the average person touches their phone 2,617 times a day. Fast-forward to 2025, and the average American now spends over 5 hours and 16 minutes daily on their phone. That’s almost a third of your waking life, gone to scrolling, tapping, and refreshing.

When I realized that, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. So instead of going cold turkey, I’m taking a different approach.

My Plan: Staying Smart, but Using It Smarter

I’m sticking with a smartphone for now, but with a twist. I’m trading my Sony Xperia for a Motorola Razr, the modern folding kind, not the 2000s flip phone collecting dust in a drawer somewhere.

The Razr has a clamshell design that folds shut to a small external screen, showing just enough info to keep me connected, notifications, time, weather, quick replies, without the temptation to dive into social media every 10 minutes.

I’ll pair it with a smartwatch for lightweight notifications and fitness tracking, and the key experiment is this:

How long can I go without opening the full screen?

If I can train myself to stay on the small outer display for most tasks, maybe I can finally break the habit of opening my phone just to fall into the infinite scroll trap.

Why the Razr?

The folding form factor feels nostalgic but practical. It brings back the physical satisfaction of closing a phone, a natural stopping point. There’s something grounding about that little “snap shut.”

Plus, I found a great deal on a 2024 Motorola Razr at Best Buy for $350 USD, and it’s arriving in two days. Even if this experiment doesn’t stick long-term, it’s worth it just to see if I can reclaim a bit of my attention span.

The Goal: Reclaiming Time and Focus

I don’t expect a flip phone to fix my relationship with technology overnight, but I do want to be more intentional. Less doomscrolling before bed. Fewer wasted minutes bouncing between apps that don’t add value.

Maybe that means spending more time gaming without checking my phone between matches, or actually watching anime without pausing to respond to Discord messages.

It’s not about ditching tech, it’s about taking back control.

What’s Next

Once the Razr arrives, I’ll be documenting the first week and sharing whether this experiment actually makes a difference in daily screen time and focus.

For now, I’m cautiously optimistic. I don’t think I’m ready to fully unplug, but I am ready to unfold less.

We’ll see how it goes and if I can find some peace of mind hiding behind that smaller screen.