Opal

As previously mentioned, I have been battling a phone addiction for like, 14 years now. I go through periods of strong willpower and then fall off the wagon again.

I’ve tried limits on iOS Screen Time settings, but as soon as I’m drained and seeking distraction, I’ll hit “Ignore Limit” and get back into it. I’ll even delete all the distracting apps off of my phone and then re-install them in one of these moments of weakness.

I got this new screen time app - Opal. I don’t know how they do it, but this app truly blocks your apps for the time period you ask it to. You can’t ignore or skip the blocked periods. It saves me from myself. The subscription is expensive, but I think it is worth the cost for me, considering how much of my time and attention I win back.

As a side note - never pay full price for iOS apps with above-market subscription prices. Reject the prompts to upgrade, and soon enough, they will offer it again at 50, 60 or even 70% off. I did that with this app, and I got offered a half-price subscription. I’m all for paying for the software I use, but some people are taking the piss with their pricing.