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Back To Offline

Go touch some grass.

Spend less time on your phone and more time on your life

Back To Offline is a simple guide to cutting down screen time. We try out retreats, apps and gadgets, and only share the ones that actually help.

Retreats

Phone-free places to switch off.

Mindful apps

Software that makes your phone less sticky.

Minimal gadgets

Dumb phones, lockboxes and analog tools.

Self-check

A 2-minute quiz on your screen habits.

Real talk

It's not you. Your phone is built to keep you scrolling.

Most apps are designed by teams whose job is to grab more of your time. Endless feeds, streaks and pings all work on the same part of your brain as a slot machine.

So “just use it less” rarely works. What does work is changing your surroundings, so the phone is harder to reach for without thinking.

Why we started this
  • 4h 25m

    Screen time a day

    For the average adult. Over a lifetime that adds up to about 11 waking years.

  • 80+

    Unlocks a day

    Most happen on autopilot, breaking your focus every 12 to 15 minutes.

  • 5 sec

    Pause that helps

    A short wait before an app opens stops over 40% of impulse scrolls.

Places where your phone stays in a box

Retreats with phone lockers, quiet hours and no Wi-Fi in the rooms. We check every one before it goes on the list.

See all retreats

Apps that want you to close them

Blockers, calmer home screens and little pauses before you open the apps that eat your day.

Browse all apps

Gadgets that keep the phone at arm's length

Basic phones, timed lockboxes and old-school alarm clocks. Things we've used and would buy again.

See all gadgets

2-minute quiz

How hooked are you, honestly?

Ten quick questions about your mornings, bored moments and bedtime scrolling. You get a plain-English result and a few next steps.

psst, only 2 minutes. Nothing leaves your browser, no sign-up.

Take the quizOther free tools

Question 1 of 3

Your quick read

Pretty balanced

Your phone mostly waits its turn. The full quiz has 10 questions and real next steps.

Full quiz

Question 3 of 3

Try it

How often does your phone end up in bed with you?

Question 2 of 3

Try it

Waiting in a queue with nothing to do, you…

Question 1 of 3

Try it

How soon after waking do you check your phone?

From the blog

Short guides and honest notes on living with less screen time.

Read all posts

Why you can trust what we recommend

We're a small team that tries this stuff ourselves. These are the rules we don't bend.

How we pick what goes on the site

  • No paid spots

    Nobody can pay to be listed or ranked higher.

  • Checked by hand

    Every retreat, app and gadget is reviewed against the same standards.

  • Same price for you

    We may earn a small commission, but it never adds to what you pay.

  • No tracking

    No third-party tracking pixels. Quizzes run in your browser.

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Simple tips for less screen time. Nothing more.

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