Clear every app from your homescreen

January, 2020

I really don't like seeing a bunch of app icons whenever I open my phone. They all cry out to tap on them, especially the ones with little pimply notifications. Sometimes I’ll close an app and then unconsciously tap on the next one without even thinking about what I'm trying to do.

To combat this, I tried clearing my home screen. I moved every app to the second screen and removed all the apps from the dock. Now when I open my phone all I see is my wallpaper.

I’ve been experimenting with this for about a year and have been really happy with it. The best part is that when you close an app it slips out of view and you're left with a clear screen. You don't even have the opportunity to unconciously tap another. The empty homescreen also makes you intentionally decide which app you want to use and then search for it, since it's not a tap away. It takes longer to search for an app this way, but I see that as a benefit.

The habit of constantly opening app after app is like when you reach into a bag of potato chips over and over again without questioning what you’re doing. It's the Potato Chip Problem (PCP).