Ulysses Pact
Ulysses had his crew lash him to the mast so the Sirens’ song had nothing to grab. You can’t out-willpower your phone in the moment either — so don’t try. Set it up now, clear-headed, so there’s nothing left to give in to later. Here’s what I’ve actually run, ranked by how tightly it ties you to the mast.
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Configuration profile
An allow-list burned into the phone itself — only the apps you chose exist, and nothing else can be installed. Set up once from a Mac; it can’t be swiped away in a weak moment. The strongest pact, and what I run now.
Full step-by-step walkthrough coming here. -
Dumb phone: stripped-down Android
Take a cheap Android, strip it to the studs — no store, no browser, a locked-down launcher. It simply can’t do the thing you’re avoiding, and it’s still yours to fully control.
Notes coming. -
Flip phone
The nuclear option. Calls and texts, and nothing to fall into. Zero willpower required, because there’s simply nothing there.
Notes coming.
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App blockers
One blocker is a speed bump — two taps and you’re past it. The trick is stacking many at once, so the friction of switching them all off outweighs even your strongest craving. One is a speed bump; five layered is a wall.
Which ones hold up, coming. -
Leaving it at home
Genuinely works while you’re out — the phone simply isn’t there to reach for. But the pact expires the moment you walk back through the door, and most people can’t really leave home without it anymore (maps, payments, two-factor codes). A blunt tool for a single outing, not a system.
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Apple Screen Time
Two taps on “Ignore Limit” buys you 15 more minutes, or the whole day. Handing the passcode to a friend feels clever until you remember you can reset it with your Apple ID — which everyone has. It’s a suggestion, not a pact.
Start as high up the list as you can stand. Even an S-tier setup is one afternoon of work — and then it runs itself, forever.