Screenshot: Jake Peterson
When you unlock your iPhone or Android, you want quick access to essential functions, like your phone or messages apps, while limiting the number of distractions that can pull you in. Take some time, then, to simplify your home screen, keeping only the apps you think you’d need with any given phone pickup.
If you want to take things to the extreme, you could keep only your Phone and Messages apps on the home screen, allowing you to admire your wallpaper in between calls and texts. Of course, there are plenty of useful apps that won’t keep you unnecessarily engaged, and would be perfectly safe if not ideal to keep on your home screen. Your camera and navigation apps are a given, but certain utilities, like your notes or wallet app, might also be helpful. A web browser could be a convenient option as well, but if you know you’ll sign into Facebook mobile the first chance you get, perhaps keep your browser off to the side.
Speaking of which, relying on your app launcher (or App Library on iOS) for the rest of your apps is a great way to limit their use. It makes choosing an app more deliberate, rather than an instinctual tap upon unlocking the device.
If you have an iPhone, and you don’t want to spend time removing apps from your home screen, you can hide existing home screen pages to quickly put things in focus.
