Phone Addict Musings
Hi, my name is Katie and I’m addicted to my phone 👋😵💫
I’ve been circling the drain of social media addiction for as far back as I can remember. I’m lucky I grew up in the 90s. Yes, I enjoyed AOL chat rooms, and I loved learning on Wikipedia in its early days. Indeed, I turned in a lot of homework my senior year thanks to it. But back then, even if I spent hours online, I couldn’t take the computer with me out into the world. I could still connect with friends, avoid being found by my parents, and then you know actually log off. It was a timeee!
Unfortunately, as smartphones have advanced, so too has my phone addiction. And I know it’s not just me because I have eyes that work. You can’t wait in line at CVS, go out to dinner, or walk through a city park without seeing almost everyone with their eyes downcast into a little glowing screen. I’m not different. I’m here admitting the problem ok lol.
I’m half present in conversations with loved ones. I dissociate on my phone after work instead of getting home earlier. I ruin my sleep by being on screens too late. Beyond that, there’s this constant pressure to overshare every waking moment of our lives in real time as it unfolds.
It’s also necessary evil for owning my own business. I genuinely don’t think it’s possible for a small business to exist today without social media in some form. I do enjoy creating at times. Discovering my brand and refining what it means to me. Writing emails and designing them for clients. Posting content that sparks connection with new and old friends really is special to me, and I don’t want to discount that.
But myself (and a lot of my close friends) feel like we have lost the plot here. Social media strategy now tells you not to measure success by likes, but by views. Most people are too busy endlessly doom scrolling to stop and like anything anyway. We’re like the Buddhist parable of the hungry ghosts. We are constantly consuming, scrolling and scrolling, but never satisfied. It’s never enough. The craving just seems to continue without any relief😞
I’ve tried almost everything you can imagine and welp, some things you probably can’t. Screen time limits that I blow right past. A literal lockbox ( I had mixed results). Last year, in my most desperado attempt, I paid for an AI bot app that locked me out of my phone… and I had to beg and rationalize why it should let me back in. I wish I were kidding. Sadly, the bot eventually learned how addicted I am and started letting me on pretty easily. OOPS.
For over a year, I kept seeing ads for Brick aka a small grey square with glowing reviews claiming it cured phone addiction. I was pretty skeptical. But I kept scrolling and another year went by. And the ads kept coming lol. The last few years, my friend Sami and I do a social media break for about nine days at Christmas time. Each year it gets more enjoyable and restorative. It’s surprisingly easy to acclimate to time off social media, the hard part for me is fitting it back into my life. And no surprise to me, the first day back on this year, I hit almost eight hours of phone time without hesitation. I felt so depressed and hopeless that day. So yes, I finally ordered the fucking little grey box.
I’m oh so happy to report: after almost one week of use, it actually feels like a small glimmer of hope in my hellscape relationship with social media. And with that long and rambling ride… let me give you the deets you probably wanted to hear😂
The Brick is about $65 with shipping. It’s a small, magnetic grey device that fits right in the palm of your hand. You download the app, pair it with the Brick, and that’s it, even multiple family members can even use a single Brick, which is pretty cool!
Once it’s set up, you can lock yourself out of as many apps or browsers I believe as you want while still allowing access to phone calls, text messages, and emails. Which is something I could not do with an actual lockbox. To activate Brick mode, you simply tap the Brick to your phone, and boom: you’re locked out babyyyyyyy!
You can also set different modes. For example, I have a night mode that automatically locks my phone from 10pm–7am. I’ve even heard of people leaving the Brick in their car at night so they physically can’t unlock their phone without going outside. Unhinged but I get it, and I may try if needed.
The first day I got it, I locked myself out of all social media. Including Pinterest and Goodreads gasp which means I am truly trying over here, while still allowing calls, texts, and emails. Then I left the Brick at home and spent eight full hours out in world with zero ability to scroll. It was pure magic! I’ve only had it for about a week, so maybe there are issues I haven’t uncovered. But so far, it’s been incredible to feel my attention span coming back. I’m more present with my family and I’m sleeping better than my perimenopausal ass has in months.
It’s easy to blame yourself for phone addiction, but there are literal billions of dollars being spent every year to keep us addicted and glued to our screens. This little device has given me just enough friction to create distance from my phone and that sure ain’t nothing! I’m gaining time, presence, and pieces of my life back. We will see if it continues to work for me. I will report back the good, the bad, and the ugly witches! You know I try to keep it real with y’all!
I’m genuinely grateful to this company! If you’re interested in trying one, I do have an affiliate link that gets you 10% off your order. Love your faces!
See you in the real world! Regulated and thriving, I hope, babyyyyy 😂
-Katie