How the planner builds your plan
The planner cuts the same share of your remaining screen time each week, rather than the same number of minutes. Going from 5 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes over 8 weeks means trimming about 8% a week.
In minutes, that makes the first cuts the biggest and the last ones the smallest. Early on there is usually idle time to remove, like autoplay, feed refreshes and checks with no reason behind them. The minutes left near your goal tend to be messages, maps and work, which are harder to give up.
Each weekly limit is rounded to the nearest 5 minutes so it is easy to enter into App Limits or a blocking schedule. The final week always lands exactly on your goal.
| Week | Daily limit | Cut from the week before |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 4h 35m | 25m |
| Week 2 | 4h 10m | 25m |
| Week 3 | 3h 50m | 20m |
| Week 4 | 3h 30m | 20m |
| Week 5 | 3h 15m | 15m |
| Week 6 | 3h | 15m |
| Week 7 | 2h 45m | 15m |
| Week 8 | 2h 30m | 15m |
How much to cut each week
The planner rates every plan by the share of time it removes each week. These bands are the planner's own rules of thumb, not clinical thresholds.
| Pace | Weekly cut | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Gentle | Up to 10% | Small enough that most weeks feel close to normal. |
| Steady | 10% to 20% | Noticeable, with room to adjust before the next step. |
| Steep | Over 20% | The planner suggests the shortest timeframe that brings the cut under 20%. |
As a reference point, halving your screen time stays under 20% a week when you give it 4 weeks or more.
How to set a realistic screen time goal
Start from your real average, not your worst day. On iPhone, open Settings > Screen Time > See All App & Website Activity, choose Week and use the daily average. If Share Across Devices is on, pick your iPhone so an iPad or Mac does not inflate the number. Our guide to checking Screen Time on iPhone explains where each number comes from.
Then subtract what you actually need: calls, directions, work apps, payments. A goal that ignores those breaks on the first busy day. The time left over is the part a plan can realistically shrink.
For a sense of what a sensible target looks like, read how much screen time is too much for adults and compare it with current adult averages. Both work better as context than as a finish line. To see what your current number costs first, try the other free screen time tools, like the Phone Distraction Cost Calculator.
Make each week's limit stick
A plan only works if something enforces it. iPhone has two built-in options: App Limits, which cap time in chosen apps or categories, and Downtime, which restricts apps during set hours. Update the limit at the start of each new week.
Both share the same weak spot: Ignore Limit sits right on the block screen when the passcode is your own. If that is where your plan breaks, see how to stop ignoring Screen Time limits.
Fella takes a stricter approach. It blocks the apps you pick during sessions you start yourself or schedule with a routine, and each session allows one 5-minute emergency unlock. Point your routines at the hours where your plan needs the most help, such as mornings or late evenings. See how Fella works.
If you miss a week
Repeat the week instead of starting over. One missed limit does not undo the weeks before it, and a restart throws away progress you already made.
If you miss two weeks in a row, the step is probably too big. Enter your current average as the new starting point, keep the same goal and choose a longer timeframe. The planner rebuilds the remaining steps from where you really are.
Screen time reduction plan FAQs
This planner treats a weekly cut of up to 20% of your remaining screen time as manageable and flags anything steeper. In minutes, the cuts are largest at the start and shrink as you get closer to your goal.
Cutting everything at once can work for a single app you are ready to delete. Total phone time is different because some of it is necessary, so a gradual plan gives you time to replace habits and adjust limits before the next step.
It depends on the size of the cut. Halving your daily screen time stays under a 20% weekly cut over 4 weeks or more. Going from 8 hours to 1 hour needs 10 weeks or more to stay at that pace.
Screen Time records activity in apps and websites on the device, including work apps, maps and messaging. That is why your goal should leave room for the phone use you actually need.
No. The plan is calculated in your browser. The times you enter are not saved or sent anywhere, and reloading the page resets them.
Yes. Fella blocks the apps you choose during sessions you start or schedule with a routine, and each session allows one 5-minute emergency unlock. Use your plan to decide when those sessions should run and how long they should last.
