A few weeks ago, I realized how much I pull out my smartphone when I’m momentarily bored. I do it unconsciously, before I even notice what’s happening. Not only that, but I often find myself on the couch in the late evening reading news articles on my phone.

Realizing that I’m wasting a significant chunk of time each day (and not even really enjoying it), I looked for an app to help. I found a free iOS app called Moment that promised to track my daily smartphone use (there’s a similar Android app called Quality Time).

I’ve been using Moment for just a few days, but I’m quite happy with it. All it does is track the amount of time I’m using the phone and deliver a daily report.Moment screenshot

Just knowing that my phone use is being tracked is helping me use it less, and I’m finally reading regularly again (something I haven’t done enough since becoming a parent).

It’s too early to tell if using Moment will influence my long-term behavior, but so far, I’m very happy with it.