How to Build Your Own Daily Screen Time Reflection App

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A few exciting announcements before we jump in…

1) Last week’s Kanso Unplugged Social was our biggest yet, with 50 people in one room, all phones checked at the door. Shout out to the crew at Last Call for making sure we all felt great the next morning.

If you attended (or are just curious), you can check out some photos of the event here.

2) We’re back at it on Tuesday May 20th, in Tribeca, for another Kanso NYC phone-free social experience. All proceeds go to Sprout Society, a nonprofit focused on combating the loneliness epidemic. Grab your tickets here.

3) The next Kanso Reset45 cohort is kicking off on June 17th. If you’re interested in learning more, reply to this email or book a time to chat here.

One of my favorite parts about running Kanso is hearing people’s stories about how they’re actively trying to cut down on screen time and be more present.

Almost everyone I talk to admits their relationship with tech could be better, but the amount of effort they put into changing their habits is highly variable.

What’s consistent though, is that most have tried something before and struggled to stick with it. This makes sense.

Willpower alone isn’t reliable. When you're tired, stressed, or overwhelmed, your brain will always default to the path of least resistance, and our devices (and nearly every social media app) are designed to be exactly that. They're frictionless. Instant. Rewarding.

So even with the best intentions, it’s easy to slide back into deep-rooted patterns if there's nothing in place to catch you.

The best way I’ve found to change that is through building real habit-changing systems into your life over long time horizons and anchoring them on relentless, consistent accountability.

For some people, this accountability is as simple as telling a friend what they’re doing and asking them to sporadically check in. For others, it’s joining a group of others working toward a similar goal or working with a 1:1 coach. Some people go as far as pledging money to a cause they don’t support if they miss their goals.

There’s no single right way to do it.

The key is making your intention visible and your commitment personal, so it’s not just a private thought you can quietly walk away from.

Recently, I’ve been nerding out on using iOS automations to create simple systems that prompt reflection and make it easier to stick to your screen time goals.

Not perfectly, but consistently.

If you’re just getting started, here are two practical tips I share with clients and friends who want to build real systems into their day-to-day. It takes five minutes to set up and helps you stay mindful without relying solely on willpower.

Now onto the new stuff…

Shortcut 1: Scheduled Nudge to Yourself/Accountability Buddy

The first automation is dead simple. Every day at 6 PM, your phone will send you (or a friend) a message with something along the lines of: “What’s your screen time today?” 

From there, you can open your screen time settings, take a screenshot of your stats, and send them to your coach, friend, log them yourself, etc.

I use this with multiple clients and it works well. You don’t want to be the one who keeps dodging the question. That quiet pressure makes a difference.

How to set it up:

1. Open the Shortcuts app

2. Go to the Automation tab → tap + → Create Personal Automation

3. Choose Time of Day (e.g., 6:00 PM) → repeat Weekly or Daily

4. Add Action: Send Message

   • Message: “What’s your screen time today?”

   • Recipient: Yourself or your accountability buddy

5. Tap Next → Turn off Ask Before Running → Done

Shortcut 2: Daily Screen Time Check-In & Reflection

This one is a bit more complex, but oh so worth it.

Every night, your phone asks you about your screen time progress and logs your answer either in your Notes app or as a text to an accountability buddy (or both).

You can also customize the check-in prompt & options to fit whatever makes the most sense for you.

Some people like to keep it simple with Good, Average, Bad.

Others set it up based on total screen time—Under 2 hours, 2–4 hours, Over 4.

You can even get more specific and tie it to the app you’re trying to cut back on. Something like: Did I stay under 1 hour on Instagram today? Yes or no.

After you choose, the shortcut gives you the option to elaborate, either by typing a quick note or using voice input.

So if something felt off, or you crushed it that day, you can capture a little context while it’s fresh.

That way, you’re not just logging numbers. You’re logging how it felt. Which is usually the part that matters most.

I think of it like journaling for people who hate journaling. A way to track patterns and gently call yourself out when things start to slip. It takes that vague feeling of “I’ve been on my phone too much” and turns it into something you can actually see and learn from.

That said, the whole point is to customize it into something that you’re genuinely excited to use. That’s the only way this will stick.

Here’s a video of the full workflow and a walkthrough of how to build it yourself.

Step 1: Create the Automation

1. Open the Shortcuts app

2. Tap the Automation tab

3. Tap the + icon and select “Create Personal Automation”

4. Choose “Time of Day” and set your desired time (for example, 9:00 PM), then set it to repeat daily

5. Tap “Next”

Step 2: Add the Prompt

1. Add the “Choose from Menu” action. In the prompt field, type the question you want to be asked—something like “How do you feel about your screen time today?”
   

2. Then add three menu options: Good, Meh, and Bad. You can customize these to fit your own goals—for example, by screen time ranges, specific app usage, or anything else you want to track.
   

3. For each option, do the following inside its branch:

   • Add a “Text” action and type in the same label that matches the option (for example, “Good”)
     

   • Add a “Set Variable” action and name the variable ScreenTimeStatus. Set its value to the “Text” action you just created

     

Step 3: Add Reflection and Logging

1. After the menu branches (outside of them), add an “Ask for Input” action
   

   • Prompt: “Want to reflect on this more?”

   • Input type: Text

     • When adding your note, you can also use dictation to speak it instead of typing.
       

       

       this is what this will look like

       
       

2. Add the “Current Date” action
   

3. Add another “Text” action and type the following, then use the variable selector to insert each of those fields dynamically.

[Current Date]  
Status: [ScreenTimeStatus]  
Note: [Input from reflection]

It should look like this:

4. Add either:

• “Append to Note” (select or create a note called “Screen Time Log”), or

• “Send Message” (to yourself or a friend), using the text you just created

(or both)

The final result will look something like this:

or

Step 4: Finalize

1. Tap “Next”

2. Turn off “Ask Before Running”

3. Tap “Done”

Boom!!Just like that, you’ve built a lightweight screen time reflection tool, baked right into your iPhone. No extra apps or subscriptions.

Just two intentional systems that run daily and help you stay a little more mindful about your progress.

If you're on Android and want to set up something similar, shoot me a message. Happy to work on putting together a version tailored for you too.

Curious to hear how this lands with y’all. If you try it out, let me know if it helps or if you tweak it in any interesting ways.

My Businesses & Social Links

If you’re looking to improve your digital wellness, here are a few places to start:

Kanso Experiences - Unforgettable phone-free social experiences for ambitious people who are tired of the feed and hungry for real relationships.

Kanso Reset45 Cohorts - A cohort-based bootcamp to reprogram your tech habits in 45 days. If you’re interested in joining our next cohort starting June 17th, reply to this email.

Kanso 1:1 Digital Wellness Accountability Coaching -High-touch, personalized support with daily accountability.

The Digital Reset Journal - The first journal designed to help you build a healthier relationship with tech

Digital Detox Tools - A free directory of 100+ digital wellness tools to integrate into all areas of your life.

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That’s all for this week. Now stop scrolling, and go do something great.

— Randy