Guides

Less scrolling.
More of your day.

Practical guides to blocking distractions and planning your day on iPhone. Looking for how itself works? See the app guides.

How-tos

9 guides
Blocking

How to block apps during work hours on iPhone

Three ways to keep Instagram, TikTok and YouTube shut from 9 to 5: two built into iOS, and one that doesn't ask for willpower.

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Sleep

How to stop doomscrolling at night

Why it's so hard to put the phone down in bed, and a setup that makes the scroll end on its own at the time you choose.

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Planning

How to time block your day on iPhone

Time blocking turns a to-do list into a plan you can actually follow. Here's how to do it on iPhone in a few minutes a day.

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Blocking

How to block Instagram and TikTok without deleting them

Deleting apps works until you reinstall them. Here's how to keep them, but only when you choose.

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Screen Time

Why iPhone Screen Time limits don't work, and what does

If App Limits never stop you, it's not a bug: "Ignore Limit" is built in. Here's why, and how to set limits you'll actually keep.

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Planning

How to plan tomorrow the night before

Five minutes in the evening means you wake up knowing exactly what to do first. Here's the routine.

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Focus

How to do Pomodoro on iPhone with apps blocked

A timer alone doesn't stop you picking up the phone. Here's how to make each focus round lock the apps that break it, and the breaks unlock them.

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Screen Time

Screen Time Downtime vs an app blocker

Downtime is free and built into every iPhone. So why do so many people still need an app blocker? Here's what each one really does.

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Planning

How to plan your day in 5 minutes

Planning doesn't need an hour and a fancy system. Five minutes, three decisions and a timeline get you a day you can actually follow.

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Who it's for

3 setups
Students

How to study without your phone distracting you during exams

You need your phone for flashcards, timetables and group chats. You don't need TikTok at 15:00 on a revision day. Here's how to keep one without the other.

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Remote work

How to focus when working from home

At home, nobody sees you scroll. That's the freedom, and the problem. Here's a setup that gives your workday edges and keeps your phone out of it.

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ADHD

Planning your day with ADHD on iPhone

Lists get long and forgotten. Time slips by. Here's a planning setup that many people with ADHD find easier to stick to: visual, timed and low-effort.

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Compare

5 apps
Compare

ARCO vs Opal

Both block distracting apps on iPhone with schedules and focus sessions. The difference is what's around the blocking: Opal is a dedicated blocker, ARCO is a day planner that blocks.

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ARCO vs one sec

one sec slows you down before an app opens. ARCO plans your day and shuts apps when it counts. Two different ideas about how to use your phone less.

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ARCO vs Brick

Brick makes you physically walk to a device to unblock your phone. ARCO plans your day and blocks on a schedule. Here's when each one wins.

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ARCO vs Apple Screen Time

Screen Time is free and already on your iPhone. ARCO is built on Apple's Screen Time framework too. Here's what the built-in does well, and where it falls short.

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Compare

ARCO vs Structured

Both put your day on a visual timeline. Structured is a beautiful planner across all your Apple devices. ARCO plans your day and also shuts the apps that would wreck it.

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