Practical answer
How do I make the change last after the motivation wears off?
The setups that survive are the ones that don't require willpower every morning.
The most common reason a change fails is not conviction. It's a practical gap that goes unsolved for three weeks until carrying the smartphone becomes easier again.
- Solve authentication, navigation, and messaging before you switch, not after.
- Give the smartphone a physical home. A device with no home ends up in a pocket.
- Expect a rough first two weeks. It is not evidence that the setup is wrong.
- Tell a few people what you're doing so the change is visible.
- If something isn't working after a month, change the setup rather than abandoning the idea.
Changing setups isn't failure. A person who moves from a flip phone to an essential apps phone has learned something useful about their own life.