I have already explained how I make the browser a central workspace. More broadly, for most intellectual tasks, particularly in service-based jobs, nothing yet beats a computer: its screen, keyboard, mouse, and windowing system provide a much more comfortable environment for writing, comparing information, or working with documents.
Yet the smartphone occupies a considerable place in our daily lives. Some people do not even own a computer and do everything from their phones. We therefore often hear that a modern smartphone has become a computer. Technically, that is true: it allows us to communicate, create documents, access complex services, and even perform certain tasks once reserved for desktop machines.
But that definition does not quite work for me. A smartphone is not merely a small computer. Its form factor, the ways we use it, and the apps designed for it make it a different kind of object, with obvious strengths but also drawbacks that are particularly troublesome when we are trying to stay focused.
Why the smartphone remains a poor workstation
The most visible problem is the hardware. A smartphone screen remains much smaller than a computer screen. You can write a long text, edit a spreadsheet, or compare several documents on it, but these operations generally require more steps and provide less visibility.
The touchscreen keyboard creates the same limitation. It is excellent for replying to a short message, but less pleasant for producing or editing long-form content. In my opinion, nothing yet truly replaces a keyboard and mouse for tasks that demand precision, many shortcuts, or several windows open side by side.
Yet these hardware limitations are not the most important ones. What bothers me most is the software ecosystem built around the smartphone. It relies heavily on three mechanisms: constant notifications, infinite scrolling, and immediate access to social media. TikTok, Instagram, and many other services are designed to prompt frequent, prolonged use. The phone goes everywhere with us, so a moment of boredom and an almost automatic gesture are all it takes to become absorbed in a feed.
Mobile operating systems have improved. Both Android and iOS now make it easier to categorize notifications, limit screen time, and create focus modes. Despite these efforts, the default settings often remain too permissive. As soon as an app receives permission to send notifications, it can quickly turn secondary information into a constant demand for attention.
This is not to claim that no serious work can be done on a phone. For some people, it is the only device available, and the way they use it may be very different from mine. My observation is simply this: when I have a choice, the computer remains my primary environment, and the smartphone benefits from having a more limited role.
Install fewer apps
My first rule is to avoid installing an app as a reflex. In many cases, the mobile version of a website does the job perfectly well. Another app takes up space, requires updates, sometimes adds an account or setting to manage, and often seeks permission to send notifications.
So I start by trying the website in the browser. If the experience is decent and I only need the service occasionally, that is enough. I install the app when it provides a genuine function: offline use, smoother navigation, access to one of the phone’s sensors, or a service that the web version does not offer properly.
This principle is not about seeking a perfectly empty phone. It is about slightly increasing the cost of accessing secondary services. An app visible on the home screen invites you to open it; a website that you have to deliberately access through the browser is less likely to come to mind.
Some mobile websites have nevertheless become very unpleasant to use because of ads, windows covering the content, and repeated requests to install their app. In that case, I recommend a browser with a built-in ad blocker. I have personally used Brave for several years, and it meets this need well. The goal is not to advocate for one browser in particular, but to get a readable page without enduring a stream of intrusive elements.
Disable almost all notifications
For the apps that remain installed, I reduce notifications to the bare minimum. I prefer to start from the assumption that an app cannot interrupt me, then re-enable only those alerts whose absence would cause a real problem.
A useful notification should signal something that deserves my attention now. An important message from someone close to me may meet that standard. A promotion, the release of a new video, or a reminder that an app has not been opened for three days does not.
Even with messaging apps, not every conversation requires the same level of availability. Very active groups can be muted, while a few important contacts retain the right to make the phone ring. This hierarchy prevents a genuinely urgent alert from being buried among inconsequential demands.
My phone therefore stays on silent at all times. I only make exceptions for numbers that may need to reach me in an emergency: my partner, a school, or a healthcare professional, for example. This setup reverses the usual logic. Each app no longer decides when it can interrupt my day; I define the few situations that justify it in advance.
When you are at your computer, leave the smartphone aside
When I am at home and sitting at my computer, the smartphone generally duplicates what is already there. My email, messaging apps, and most of my tools are already available on a more comfortable screen. Regularly switching from one to the other adds nothing except another opportunity to get distracted.
In this situation, my phone is mainly used for authentication: approving a sign-in, accessing a banking app, or providing a second security factor. It can stay within reach without playing an active part in my work environment. I do not need to check the same messages on two devices or react to every vibration while making progress on a task.
This rule also has a practical advantage: it creates a simple boundary. If an action can be completed more comfortably from the computer I am already sitting at, I do it on the computer. The smartphone is reserved for what the computer cannot do, or for actions that would otherwise require me to leave the task at hand unnecessarily.
Reserve the smartphone for its strengths
The smartphone becomes much more useful when I am on the go. Its strength is not replacing my workstation, but bringing together several immediately available functions in a compact device.
I can reply to an urgent message, follow directions, check transport times, or show a ticket. The device is also particularly well suited to functions that depend on its form factor and sensors: taking a photo, using GPS, tracking physical activity, or taking a measurement available on certain recent models.
The list obviously varies from person to person. Someone who travels frequently will not have the same needs as someone who always works in the same place. The important idea is to identify the uses for which the phone is genuinely the best tool, instead of automatically reproducing everything we already do elsewhere.
In my system, a good mobile interaction should generally be quick and effective. I open the phone to complete a specific action, then put it away. If a task starts to require long texts, extensive research, or constant switching from one app to another, that is often a sign that it would be better left until I am back at a computer.
What I expect from the hardware
Since the smartphone is primarily my tool for being on the move, battery life matters more to me than its ability to replace a computer. First and foremost, I expect enough battery to last through a normal day, as well as fast charging when I have little time.
A good battery saver mode is also important. Many modern devices, including the Google Pixel phones I use, offer options that noticeably extend battery life when it gets low. These settings are particularly useful while traveling, at precisely the moment when access to directions, a ticket, or a payment method may become essential.
One or more power banks are a useful addition to this setup. They change nothing about the smartphone itself, but provide a simple safety net during a long journey or a day without access to an outlet.
Finally, reliable biometric authentication, through facial recognition or a fingerprint, matters a great deal to me. The phone is increasingly used as a second layer of authentication for sensitive services. Being able to unlock it quickly without sacrificing security is therefore more than a minor convenience.
Add safeguards against infinite scrolling
Personal discipline may be enough, but it is not the only possible answer. Mobile operating systems offer time limits, focus modes, and features that temporarily block certain apps. Specialized tools can go further if the built-in settings are insufficient.
I do not use these mechanisms much because I can generally moderate myself. I nevertheless consider them an excellent option when opening a social network becomes automatic or a few minutes of browsing regularly turn into a long scrolling session. A block is not an admission of failure: it is simply a voluntary constraint placed where it is needed.
I have also seen some people separate uses radically with two phones: one holds distracting apps such as TikTok or Instagram; the other is reserved for work apps, email, and useful messaging. I have not personally tried this setup, and it obviously means managing an additional device. It may nevertheless be relevant for someone who needs a very clear physical boundary.
A lighter approach is to remove distracting apps from the home screen, log out after every use, or only access them in the browser. The main thing is to choose a level of friction that fits the problem. If a gentle limit is enough, there is no need to build a complicated system. If it is bypassed every day, a stronger separation may become reasonable.
In summary
I am not trying to turn my smartphone into a miniature workstation. I prefer to make use of what it does better than a computer: remain available on the go, provide access to GPS, take photos, use certain sensors, and enable a few quick actions.
For everything else, I reduce demands on my attention as much as possible. I install few apps, turn off almost all notifications, and keep the phone on silent. When I am at my computer, it becomes a secondary tool again, particularly for authentication.
The smartphone is neither an enemy to ban nor a device that should be entrusted with your entire organization. It becomes much more useful when assigned a specific function. The less it tries to capture my attention, the better it fulfills its role.