Do not call out of the blue. Text an hour before: "Can I have 15 minutes now or after dinner?"

First 30 min of day — no phone. Everything changes.

Before gifting a foreign colleague, check 3 common cultural pitfalls that could turn it into an insult.

Before a joke or offhand remark about food/fasting/holidays, check the listener's religious considerations.

Delete any app unopened in 30 days — lose apps before they cost you focus.

In every long message you reply to, quote the specific line/question to make the thread readable.

Daily 10 min with zero screens (no phone, computer, smart watch) to restore attention.

Daily 10 min in queue/elevator/wait without opening phone — restore your brain's capacity to be bored.

Flip the rule: notifications off by default, on only during a chosen hour for chosen people.

Enable grayscale mode — colors designed to addict you vanish, phone becomes just a tool.

Disable all red count badges on app icons — they are engineered to trigger OCD reflex.

Instead of checking 80 times daily, set 3 fixed times — outside them, don't look.

Every 3 months, ask per app: "Does it earn its place on my phone?" — delete without hesitation.

Phone home screen: 6 tools only (clock, maps, calculator, camera, messages, alerts).

Explicitly state your expected response times (not instant) in your signature or status, protecting your time and ending "why hasn't he replied" anxiety.