Template
Run a bounded mobile-internet block when constant phone connectivity is the suspected problem
Sometimes the cleaner experiment is to remove the pipe, not negotiate with every tap.
When it fits
- Your smartphone feels like the main source of fragmented attention, but deleting individual apps has not clarified the effect.
When to avoid it
- The RCT tested a specific two-week intervention; some jobs, accessibility needs and safety contexts require mobile data.
A template to use
Trial length: [period]. Calls/texts: [kept]. Mobile internet: [blocked]. Essential exceptions: [exceptions]. Outcomes: [attention/well-being/use].
Why it matters
The 2025 randomized trial blocked mobile internet on smartphones for two weeks while preserving calls, texts and desktop internet. Participants improved on sustained attention and several well-being outcomes. Use that design as a bounded experiment when feasible: remove mobile internet access, preserve essential communication and observe what changes.
An example
For one or two weeks, use the phone for calls, SMS, camera and offline tools while doing intentional web access on a computer.
Check your result
The experiment changes constant mobile internet availability rather than merely asking for more self-control.
Keep this limit in mind
- The RCT tested a specific two-week intervention; some jobs, accessibility needs and safety contexts require mobile data.
Connected ideas
Useful withBatch low-urgency notifications into predictable windows
Evidence and sources
A 2025 randomized crossover trial found two weeks of blocking mobile internet on smartphones improved sustained attention, subjective well-being and mental-health measures.
The RCT tested a specific two-week intervention; some jobs, accessibility needs and safety contexts require mobile data.
Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being · See source record