Cut Your Screen Time in Half: The 7-Day Digital Reset

Read time: 2 minutes

A proven method to reclaim 7+ hours/week, sharpen your focus, and put your attention back on creating real value.

I just got off a call with a client.

He runs a multi-million dollar business.

Works 60-hour weeks. Can't focus. Can't sleep.

I asked him about this screen time.

He showed me his phone:

38 hours on TikTok & Netflix.

Five full workdays of his life. Gone.

This isn't just his problem.

The average person spends 3 hours daily on their phones.

That's 21 hours every week. 148 workdays per year.

Your phone takes your time in small cuts. Ten minutes here. Twenty there. Before you know it, the day is over.

And it costs more than time:

• Your brain feels foggy in meetings that matter
• You're working harder, business isn't growing
• Everyone else seems to be scaling except you
• You wake up exhausted but grab your phone first
• Kids hear "just 5 more minutes”

Look at your screen time right now.

If it’s over 2 hours a day, there’s at least 7 hours every week you're giving away.

Time you won't get back.

This isn't about productivity hacks. It's about the money you're leaving on the table while your attention bleeds away.

There's a solution.

Not another app. Not another notification setting.

A reset.

The 7-Day Digital Reset

This isn't a detox. Detoxes don't work. You quit for a while, then go right back to old habits.

This is a reset. You'll break patterns, find better activities, and set rules that stick.

Here's how it works.

Step 1: Cut What Doesn't Break Things

Look at every app, site, and platform you use. Ask one question:

"Would removing this harm my work or essential relationships?"

Not "Would I miss it?" or "Is it fun?"

Just: Would it break something important?

If the answer is no, it goes. For 7 days.

Common cuts:

• Social media (personal accounts)
• News sites
• Entertainment apps
• Games
• Video/streaming platforms

Keep:

• Work communication tools
• Essential family contact methods
• Critical business apps

Step 2: Fill The Space With Value (7 Days)

Your hands will feel empty. Good. Fill them with real things:

• Read a book
• Learn an instrument
• Call an old friend
• Take a walking meeting
• Write something
• Plant something
• Build something

The goal: Find joy in doing, not watching.

Step 3: Smart Return

After 7 days, before any tech returns, answer:

1. How does this support my values?
2. Is this the best way to serve that value?
3. What guardrails will prevent misuse?

Example rules:

• Social media only on desktop, not phone
• Email checked 3x daily, not 30x
• Stop watching news completely
• Notifications off for non-urgent apps
• Phone in different room while working

Start Tomorrow

That business owner? He deleted every social app, cleared his phone's entertainment, and cancelled his streaming subscriptions.

Everything non-essential, gone.

He's tired of watching his business potential drain away in ten-minute chunks.

Tired of feeling scattered. Tired of missing opportunities because his attention is somewhere else.

Pick your 7 days. Take a break from non-essential tech. Set expectations with people who need to know.

Then watch what happens when your hands are empty and your mind is clear.

To clear minds and full lives,

Dr Yannick