I consider myself fortunate to have seen the evolution of modern cell phones. I remember asking for my grandma's Nokia in the backseat so that I could play Snake. I could have never guessed how much more of my life would be spent staring at a screen over the following decades.
It seems to be an open secret that these modern miracles have turned into drastic drains on our time. We joke about endlessly scrolling our nights away, but the dark truth is we're not sure if we can stop. These pocket demons have become so effective at grabbing our attention.
This drain on our awareness has become so apparent that even Apple has taken steps to curb the addictiveness of their own products. While features like Screen Time and Mindfulness breaks are a step in the right direction, I found them insufficient. It was too easy to mindlessly click past their good intentions.
Going Back to Kansas
Then I learned that you could alter your screen's color palate. While this is technically an Accessibility feature, Apple has made it really simple to alter.
The benefits of converting my screen to black-and-white were immediate and drastic. You don't realize just how beautiful and pleasurable even mundane interactions are with your phone until you cut off its beauty at the knees.
It's as close to switching back to a "dumb phone" as I've found. It has become noticeably easier to put my phone down after completing a task. While far from a panacea, it's been a huge step in the right direction. Technology being a wonderful servant, but a horrible master; I want to enjoy this device, but on my terms.
How to Implement
Control Center (swipe down from top-right of your screen) > Press and hold to "Add a Control" > Accessibility Shortcuts
From there, choose "Color Filters" and select the granularity of the grayscale you'd like to implement. I went to 100%.
There are simpler ways to toggle your phone's color, such as triple-clicking the lock button, but I've appreciated the slightest amount of friction that the Control Center shortcut has provided. It's provided me the briefest of moments to consider if I truly want to unleash the beast that is a modern smartphone.
Returning to Oz
An additional benefit of having my phone intentionally neutered is that, when you do return to full color, you'll notice just how addicting these devices can be.
After clicking that shortcut, I can literally feel the dopamine rushing through my brain. My lock screen has never looked more beautiful. Messages are suddenly the most awe-inspiring shade of blue. These are the same colors that I was mindlessly hard-lining into my psyche 2+ hours every day. No wonder we can't look away.
This trick is far from a silver (gray?) bullet, but in the never-ending battle for our attention, I hope it can serve as another tool in your arsenal.