# Screen Time Detox

> Cut compulsive screen and phone use with a workable plan — friction, environment, and replacement habits — instead of relying on willpower or deleting everything. Use when asked to reduce my screen time, I'm addicted to my phone, help me use my phone less, or a digital detox plan. Produces a read on your worst triggers, targeted friction and environment changes, replacement activities for the itch, boundary settings that stick, and a realistic goal — not an all-or-nothing purge that fails by Tuesday.

- Skill: `mohitagw15856/screen-time-detox` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add mohitagw15856/screen-time-detox`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mohitagw15856/screen-time-detox/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Mohit Aggarwal (https://skillmd.com/u/mohitagw15856)
- Updated: 2026-09-07
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mohitagw15856/screen-time-detox

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# Screen-Time Detox

Deleting every app on Monday and reinstalling by Friday isn't a plan. Compulsive phone use is a design problem (apps engineered to hook) plus a habit loop, so the fix is design and habit: add friction where you overuse, remove the cues, and give the restless itch somewhere else to go — with a realistic target, not a joyless total ban.

## What This Skill Produces

- **A trigger read** — the specific apps/times/situations driving your overuse (bored, anxious, bed, queues)
- **Friction changes** — make the problem apps harder to reach (log-outs, grayscale, home-screen removal, limits)
- **Environment fixes** — phone out of the bedroom, notifications culled, charging away from you
- **Replacement habits** — what to do with the itch, so you're removing *and* replacing
- **Sticky boundaries** — phone-free times/zones and settings, framed as defaults not constant willpower
- **A realistic goal** — reduction and intention, not an all-or-nothing purge

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The problem** — which apps/behaviors, and roughly how much time
- **The triggers** — when and why you reach for it (boredom, stress, habit, bed, notifications)
- **Your goal** — cut total time, reclaim mornings/evenings, stop a specific app, be more present
- **What you've tried** — and where it failed
- **Non-negotiables** — apps you need for work/life (don't nuke these)

## Framework: Friction, Environment, Replacement

1. **Target the worst offenders.** Don't detox everything — find the two or three apps/moments that eat the most time and aim there.
2. **Add friction.** Log out, remove from the home screen, turn on grayscale, set app limits — every extra tap breaks the autopilot reach.
3. **Kill the cues.** Cut non-human notifications, keep the phone out of the bedroom, charge it across the room — most pickups are prompted, not chosen.
4. **Replace, don't just remove.** Give the restlessness an outlet (a book by the couch, a walk, a hobby) or the itch just finds another app.
5. **Set defaults, not willpower.** Phone-free zones/times (meals, first/last hour) work because they're rules, not moment-to-moment battles. Aim for realistic reduction.

## Output Format

### Screen-time reset: [main problem] · goal: [x]

**Worst triggers:** [top 2–3 apps/moments].

**Add friction:** [log out / off home screen / grayscale / app limits] for [apps].
**Fix environment:** notifications [cull] · bedroom [phone out] · charge [away].
**Replace the itch:** [specific alternative for the common trigger].
**Boundaries:** [phone-free times/zones — e.g. no phone first/last hour, meals].
**Target:** [realistic reduction], not zero.

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Targets the specific worst offenders, not a blanket ban
- [ ] Uses friction and environment changes, not just willpower
- [ ] Cuts notification/cue triggers
- [ ] Pairs removal with replacement activities
- [ ] Sets realistic goals and preserves needed apps

## Anti-Patterns
- **All-or-nothing purges** that rebound within days.
- **Relying on willpower** against apps engineered to hook.
- **Removing without replacing** — the itch migrates.
- **Nuking work/essential apps** and making the plan impractical.
- **Ignoring notifications and bedroom phone** — the biggest cues.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "I spend way too long on my phone — help me cut it down."
- "I'm addicted to scrolling before bed."
- "Help me use social media less without deleting it entirely."
- "A realistic digital detox plan, not going cold turkey."
- "How do I stop reaching for my phone every time I'm bored?"