How ‘blocking’ Your Phone Can Improve Your Concentration
You know the feeling. You sit down to do something important, and after a few minutes, your hand reaches for your phone. Maybe it vibrated. Maybe it didn’t. Either way, you’re suddenly immersed in Instagram Reels for 20 minutes or scrolling through news feeds you’d rather not read. When you finally look up, your concentration has faded, and you can’t remember what you were doing in the first place.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The average American spends more than six hours a day staring at screens, much of it mindlessly scrolling on their smartphones. I hardly go a day without lamenting my “phone addiction” and dwindling attention span.
If smartphones are the problem, the solution may lie in ditching all the features that make your phone so “smart.” That’s why more and more people are returning to “basic” phones. And no, it’s not just nostalgia for the bulky aesthetics of the early 2000s. People are ditching their iPhones and Androids in favor of simple flip phones and minimalist devices that only do calls and texts to solve our digital noise problem. But the question remains: does switching to a “basic” phone really save your ability to concentrate, or is it just another wellness trend that sounds better in theory than it actually is?
What is a dumb phone?
A “dumb phone” is exactly what it sounds like: a phone that supports only basic communication features. Imagine calls and texts, perhaps a rudimentary camera, but without app stores, social media feeds, or endless rabbit holes of content. These minimalist devices harken back to the pre-smartphone era, when phones had a single primary purpose, rather than the full-fledged entertainment centers we can’t live without today.
While traditional flip phones and feature phones are perfectly acceptable, many are now finding a happy medium by “decluttering” their smartphones—using settings like grayscale mode, deleting apps, and removing colorful icons to make their devices as dull and utilitarian as possible. The goal is to reduce screen time and improve concentration.
But if you’re like me, the idea of giving up your phone seems impossible. How would I live without Maps, TikTok, and Candy Crush? Are these “dumb” phones really that bad for my brain health?
What does science say?
The smartphone problem isn’t just a joke. Research has shown that smartphone notifications, even those you don’t check, impair cognitive performance. Distractions force the brain to work faster at the expense of precision, and after a distraction, it takes a significant amount of time to fully return to the task. A 2017 study published by the University of Chicago Press found that the mere presence of a smartphone can reduce cognitive performance. Researchers call this phenomenon the “brain drain” effect.
Let’s say you switch to a “basic” phone that disables push notifications, endless scrolling, and, essentially, the very presence of a smartphone. Will your focus return?
The answer is yes, say the same researchers who conducted the 2017 study. This year, they published a study of 467 participants aged 18 to 74 who agreed to block the internet on their smartphones for just two weeks. The researchers measured three different measures—well-being, mood, and attention—at the beginning, middle, and end of the study. Ninety-one percent of participants improved their scores in at least one category, primarily “subjective well-being.” Regarding attention, the researchers write that “reducing the constant opportunity for distraction allows people to practice focusing on one activity or stimulus at a time and increases the relative reward of focusing on activities other than their phone.” This points to a pattern all too familiar to smartphone users: the cycle of instant gratification.
In the same vein, according to Dr. Sean DuBravac , author of “Digital Destiny: How the New Data Age Will Transform the Way We Work, Love, and Connect,” switching to a regular phone is “really just a clever behavior design trick.” DuBravac says, “You’re not changing your brain; you’re changing the environment so your brain can do what it does best: focus.”
Not everyone needs to completely switch to a new routine, and for some, it’s simply impractical. Dr. Nidhi Gupta , a digital wellbeing expert who gave a TEDx talk on the topic, argues that switching to a regular phone alone may not improve concentration, but lifestyle changes will. She notes that if you ditch your smartphone but keep a smartwatch, tablet, or laptop handy, distractions will simply move on. “The brain will continue to seek dopamine on any available screen.” Again, it’s important to break the cycle of instant gratification.
Brick your smartphone instead
Gupta suggests a middle ground: “downgrade” your smartphone’s functionality so it functions like a regular phone while still retaining useful features like navigation, ridesharing, and FaceTime. She recommends turning on grayscale mode (“It’s amazing how boring a phone becomes when it looks like an old newspaper”), deleting time-consuming apps, disabling unnecessary notifications, and physically stepping away from your phone while focused on something.
I spoke with three young adults in their early twenties from Brooklyn who were struggling with concentration problems and, as they described it, phone addiction. Two of them decided to completely turn off their smartphones rather than switch to regular phones.
Sam Schaefer, 28, found that removing app colors and logos made a huge difference. “It immediately significantly reduced my screen time, but most importantly, it actually stopped me from mindlessly clicking,” he says. “The black screen with the letters really discouraged me from mindlessly clicking.”
Isa Leon, 26, had similar results. “Like everyone else, I’m addicted to bright colors and notifications, but now everything looks the same. When I have to take a moment to read the name of an app, I can think about what I’m doing instead of following the dopamine rush.” Her screen time has now been reduced by two hours. “It shows how mindlessly I was scrolling.”
Michael Gebhardt, 31, a professional photographer and videographer, tried using a regular phone but was forced to revert to it. “Unfortunately, I need a smartphone to quickly respond to clients, and it determines whether we confirm a gig or not.” For him, the middle path proved to be the best option.
Bottom line
Experts and users agree: limiting your smartphone’s features can significantly improve concentration. Whether you’re using a fully “smart” phone, bricking your existing device, or simply turning off notifications and using “Do Not Disturb” mode, science shows that reducing distractions leads to sharper focus, improved memory, and reduced stress.
Science confirms this, but it’s not necessarily an all-or-nothing approach. You just need to be more mindful of when and how you use it. Whether it’s buying a flip phone, turning on grayscale mode, or simply putting your smartphone out of sight during work hours, the goal is the same: to distract yourself from the endless digital noise.