Designate a charging station at the entry point of your home

Place a charger by the front door and make it your phone’s default resting place when you arrive home.

Why it works

Physical proximity to a phone is a reliable predictor of automatic checking behavior — not because of notifications but because the object itself is a cue. Research has shown that the mere presence of a smartphone on a desk reduces available cognitive capacity, even when the phone is face-down and silent. A charging station at the door creates a physical home for the phone outside the rooms where attention should be focused.

How to do it

1. Install a small charging station or hook near the front door — or a dedicated basket in the entryway.
2. Make it the last thing you do on arrival: keys go on the hook, phone goes on the charger.
3. Keep the charger permanently there so the station never disappears.
4. If you live with others, invite them to adopt the station — shared norms are stronger than solo willpower.

Evidence

Ward et al. (2017) showed that the mere presence of a smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity; removing the phone from the room compounds the effect of turning it face-down or silent alone. (observational)

The Ward et al. study measured lab-based cognitive tasks, not real-world home behavior. Generalization to home checking habits is plausible but not directly tested.

Sources

• Ward, Duke, Gneezy & Bos (2017), "Brain drain: the mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research

Common mistake

Placing the charging station in a convenient but not principled location — a bedside table, the kitchen counter — that keeps the phone within habitual reach.