The Optimal iPhone Settings and Best Apps for Productivity, Focus, and Health
Configure Your iPhone to Work for You, Not Against You
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The iPhone could be an incredible tool, but most people use their phone as a life-shortening distraction device.
However, if you take the time to follow the steps in this article you will be more productive, more focused, and — I’m not joking at all — live longer.
Practically every iPhone setup decision has tradeoffs. I will give you optimal defaults and then trust you to make an adult decision about whether that default is right for you.
In addition, because this is a long post, I’ve written it in a way to make it easier to skim. Here’s how to read the post:
- Level 1 — Casual. Read the headlines — figure out the details yourself. Most of this isn’t rocket science.
- Level 2 — Tutorial. Read the steps underneath the headline. I’ve spelled out every step so that you can save your brain power for something else.
- Level 3 — Productivity Nerd. Below the tutorial steps, I’ve included discussion of the behavior design implications. This is for true productivity nerds, i.e. the readers of Better Humans.
As a bonus, because I know you got excited when you saw this was a seventy minute read, I’ve gone all out on getting pedantic about productivity and even included three appendixes to give an overview of the behavior design principles, to break out the potential financial budget for implementing this advice, and then a real-world example from my own phone.
Also, for convenience, here is a clickable table of contents. (The links below work if you’re reading in a browser, but not if you’re reading in the app.)
Optimize First for Single Tasking
#1. Turn OFF (almost) all notifications
#2. Hide social media slot machines
#3. Hide messaging slot machines
#4. Disable app review requests
#5. Turn on Do Not Disturb
#6. Be strategic about your wallpaper
#7. Turn off Raise to Wake
#8. Add the Screen Time widget
#9. Add Content Restrictions
#10. (Optional) Use Restrictions to turn off Safari
#11. Organize your Apps and Folders alphabeticallySwitch to Google Cloud to Work…
