Mental health

Paul Leonardi, author, on how to avoid smartphone exhaustion: “Our phones are like tractor beams”

Leonardi explains the psychology behind smartphone addiction and offers realistic ways to reduce screen time.

Alina Rudya/Bell Collective

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Feb 3rd, 2026 19:47 EST

There is little doubt that smartphones have made our lives easier in a number of ways. It has never been simpler to keep in touch with friends and family, track our finances with a tap of the screen, and getting lost, or even having to ask for directions, is now a thing of the past.

But the novelty of the smartphone, which came into widespread use in the early 2010s, has worn off for many people.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you have lost hours of your life to mindless scrolling or doomscrolling, the addictive, passive consumption of often negative social media content with no real purpose.

You may also have experienced eye strain or vision problems, neck, shoulder, or back pain, or disrupted sleep, all of which excessive screen time has been proven to cause.

The downside of always being connected

Whatever your situation, most people have come to the realization that spending too much time staring at a smartphone is bad news. The problem is figuring out how to stop, especially when many of us are hooked on the dopamine hits that come from likes, notifications, and an endless stream of new content.

Luckily, Paul Leonardi, a professor of technology management and the author of “Digital Exhaustion: Simple Rules for Reclaiming Your Life,” has a few practical rules that can help ease our dependence on our phones.

Put some distance between you and your phone

It sounds obvious, but if your phone is not within reach, you are far less likely to waste time on it. If you tend to doomscroll before going to sleep, leave your device on the other side of the room. If you cannot stop checking your phone during lunch or dinner, put it in another part of the house for the duration of the meal.

“Our phones are like tractor beams,” Leonardi tells CNBC. “They’re designed to pull us in.

“Just that little bit of separation is enough for us to be intentional and say, ‘Do I really want to walk over to the kitchen and grab my phone?’ and then you can answer, ‘No,’ rather than just mindlessly reaching for it."

Pick up your phone for a reason

Every time you reach for your smartphone, pause and think about why you are doing it. In many cases, the reason is simple, sending a message to someone or reading one you have just received.

“When you’re done with that message, you’ve created a choice point,” Leonardi explained. “Do I stop because that’s all I said I was going to do, or do I check TikTok or do I browse some playlists on Spotify?”

If you choose the latter, “at least you’re making the choice to do it,” rather than mindlessly giving in to the habit.

Replace scrolling with something engaging

Mindless scrolling is most tempting when you have time to kill. One way to limit it is by taking up a new hobby that actually holds your attention. According to Leonardi, this can work even if your new activity involves using your phone or another piece of technology.

“What we really want to be doing is finding those kinds of activities where we can challenge ourselves, where we are invested in them. Then we don’t do a lot of the things that lead to our exhaustion.”