So, Brick has been advertising to me HARD these days. Not sure what Brick-ing is? You can get a sense from reading this article (NY Times gift link), but the headline is that a Brick is a device to block your device. Yes, it has come to that. But listen, I get it. Between Slack messages, Asana notifications, sports apps updates, my Semi Together Teens texting me, a carpool chain, a WhatsApp from Dr. Together, and a book club thread, THERE ARE A LOT OF COMMS HAPPENING. And this doesn’t include the news (I despair), apps (both the fun and un-fun), and the temptation of podcasts, music, YouTube, and Substack (this one gets me the most because I like long-form writing). So basically, we are doomed.
I’m kidding.
I generally do better with positive reinforcement and star chart kind of things, so the gamification of the Forest app, the Hatch for bedtime wind down and no phone by my bed, and hands-on crafty hobbies to pull me away from the screens (should I be learning to NEEDLEPOINT?!) are all working well for me. But there are some people who like a little more brute force toward screen time reduction.
So, if you are trying to reduce screen time, on the “little screens,” in particular, there are lots of methods out there. Here are a few we have seen the Together Universe appreciate:
- The Brick. Reader Jon S in Minneapolis says, “The Brick is the ONLY thing that I have tried that has helped me curb my phone addiction. It works seamlessly with my phone and is user friendly and intuitive!” You can usually get a referral code and, for some, the cost feels worth it!
- Screen Zen and various other apps. Our Together Team member Lauren turned me on to Screen Zen, and she says, “It protects me from myself, and stops me from being sucked into a distraction vortex.” I personally use this one occasionally, and I like the thoughtful psychology built into it. There are other options like Opal, and as usual, there are free and paid versions.
- Dumbing down our devices. This is a new one for me, but I took an older laptop of mine and essentially stripped it down to the barest of essentials. I’m in an essay writing class, and I am a faster typist than hand writer at this point. Having my “typewriter” laptop has been very useful for my creative outputs. In a similar way, one of my kids has put all items on his iPhone in greyscale.
- Creating a Phone Zone: This one has been an interesting household experiment! For a period of time last year, I created (with blue painter’s tape) a cordoned-off area near the charging station in our kitchen. I did this to prevent the Semi-Together teens, AND Dr. Together and me, from keeping phones in our pockets in the house. The idea is that you go stand in the “Phone Zone” and declare your phone intention, to ensure that you have a reason to be on your phone and are not checking just to check. It worked well when the kids were a bit younger, but I’m considering reinstating it!
How about you? Any screen time reduction habits to share? I’m all ears!
