Everyone can agree that setting up a new phone is a pain.The backup and restore process has considerably improved the experience over the years, but you’re still stuck with signing into a dozen or more apps.Recently, I switched phones and purposely made this process even worse.
I’m glad I did.Treating a new phone like a new hobby The “Just-in-Time” approach As someone who has started his fair share of (too many) new hobbies, I’ve noticed that everyone falls into two camps.Some people immediately dive in headfirst and load up on equipment, tools, materials, or whatever else is needed.
Inevitably, they’ll end up buying things they never use.Alternatively, there are those who take the “Just-in-Time” approach—buy what you need.For example, if they’re setting up a new woodworking shop, they start with a couple of essentials, then buy new tools as the projects demand.
This way, you only surround yourself with things that are actually needed.That’s the approach I take with hobbies, and I decided to treat my new phone the same way.Rather than copying all the apps from my old phone, I skipped over that step completely and started fresh.
When I needed an app, I downloaded it.Related Your Android phone already has a minimal phone built-in More and more people are looking for a break from screens and endless notifications.The good news is you might already have everything you need to build your own “minimalist phone,” and it’s already right there in your pocket.
Posts 11 By Joe Fedewa Don’t let old habits follow you Leave your baggage at the door Why did I intentionally make it more difficult to set up my new phone? If you’re familiar with my writing, you know I’m constantly trying to use my phone less.Sometimes that’s using a special launcher, other times it’s taping my phone shut for a weekend.Starting from scratch with a new phone was another attempt at this same goal.
See, the problem with how much I use my phone isn’t the device itself; it’s what I put on it.When I pull out my phone to fill an empty moment, it’s not to make a call or use the calculator.I’m scrolling Instagram, checking in on Discord servers, and reading Reddit threads.
Apps are the culprit, and many of them have been following me around for years with prominent placement on my home screen.My previous phone had been in my pocket for less than a year, but it was restored from the phone I used before it, and that phone was restored from the phone I used before it, etc., etc.All those generations of backups added up to 239 apps—171 of which were not core apps.
Yikes.I wanted to find out how many of those were necessary and how many were simply distractions.So, for the past week, I’ve been using my new phone and only installing apps when a legitimate need arises.
I must admit it hasn’t been fun.Every so often, I realize I’m missing something, like doorbell notifications or group messages, because I haven’t installed an app yet.But I’ve gotten to a point where I think most of my essentials are in place.
The total number of apps on my new phone is 107—only 42 of which are not core apps.That’s still probably more than I would have expected, but I’m certainly happy with cutting the number down by 75%.The nuclear option is sometimes the best option As anyone who struggles with digital wellbeing will tell you, sometimes, completely removing an app is the only way to truly break a habit.
We build muscle memory that allows us to thoughtlessly unlock our phone and open apps.By that point, you’re already mostly there—bypassing a limit is too tempting.My desire to watch Instagram Reels or read TV show discussion threads on Reddit instead of sleeping didn’t leave with my old phone.
However, now I have a much bigger hurdle to overcome.Opening the Play Store, searching for the app, waiting for it to install, and signing in to my account is infinitely more cumbersome than tapping “Ignore limit” or “Use app for 5 minutes.” It also forces me to think seriously about whether it’s an app that deserves a place in my life.Look, I’m sure the list of apps is going to grow over time, but I have a long way to go before I reach even half the number of apps on my old phone.
It feels good to push a big “Reset” button on my digital library. Related I spent a weekend on my Razr's tiny cover screen—and it changed how I think about phones The rebirth of “flip” phones with foldable displays started with tiny, barely usable external screens.Now, they have beautiful, edge-to-edge screens that can essentially be used as minimalist phones.I decided to put the cover screen on a Moto Razr to the ultimate test.
Posts By Joe Fedewa
Read More
