š§±
This is long because itās the one thing I bought off an IG ad that has actually been life changing. For years I wanted a dumb phone to fight my phone slash online shopping addiction, but I didnāt wanna lose maps and a good camera and the iMessage āechoā effect. This does that. My Brick lives on my fridge, and once I tap my phone to it, any app I havenāt whitelisted is blocked. And you can block anything. Even the calculator! Which it deservesā¦after I blocked the obvious ones like IG and shopping, I realized how addicted I was to *information itself*
Occasionally, Iād need to Google something of import, butĀ Ā mostly, I used it to scratch my gnawing, itchy brain. Iād habitually fact-check conversations as I had them, to look up interior photos of the restaurant Iād soon be going to, to search, for the hundredth time, whether fish can feel pain.Ā So anyway I blocked Chrome and Safari and it was nuts. I canāt really get stuck in my bed in a phone hole because the phone fun dries up real fast. I have to just.. get up? Read a book? Incredible. When I do unbrick, usually because I need to do promo for my book, I feel feral and off leash, I turn into a zombie ipad kid, and itās sobering but makes me glad I have something to stop it. Itās nice being able to purchase a personal quality that you lack.Ā Ā
Sep 30, 2024
Comments (2)
Make an account to reply.
this is great and im so happy for you! i had an issue where i made my morning routine include a 30 minute scroll-sesh before i get out of bed. ive literally made myself get up at 5:30 before school instead of 6:00 previously because i wanted that distraction in the morning, since thats when my anxiety would start to develop. recently, ive forced myself to get out of bed indefinitely, without any sort of distraction from my phone, and realised how much i can actually do in the mornings.
today i kept my phone on charge in my bedroom and only just realised now that i havent touched it. how cool is that.
Related Recs
š§±
I caved to the ads and got a Brick to help me curb my social media usage. So far (itās been about a week) so good. While my overall screen time hasnāt taken a huge hit, I can already tell this thing is going to help! Itās brought my attention to how frequently I compulsively reach for my phone, and works to block me from apps while Iām working (blows the Apple screen time function out of the water). Something about having to physically get up and go tap my phone against it to unlock REALLY works for me (read: Iām lazy).
Iāve already been reading a lot more in the past year and Iām hoping this will help me add writing to my roster of activities. Iād like to train myself to pick up a book, notebook, or project instead of my phone as much as possible.
Anyway, if you've been thinking about getting one of these, I recommend it :)
Jan 31, 2025
i have been on a journey to untangle my tasks from my iPhone.
i'd be out in the world someplace, pull out my phone for something as menial as checking the time, or as well intentioned as capturing the moment in a pic, and immediately get sucked into texts and instagramā¢ļø and all the virtual things happening in this tiny lil demon light box.
the goal: pull my phone out of my bag ONLY for phone things. that's texting, calling, and apps that can't be replaced
the solutions so far:
š°ļø i started with a watch (shoutout Casio) and i wear it every day. once I broke the habit of checking my phone for the time, I felt legitimately freed from something Major
š· I bought a small digital camera to leave in my bag. the pics look better and I donāt get distracted by the virtual world when I'm trying to capture something in the now
š I bought a kindle. It fits in my jacket pocket (literally) and gives me something to do when I'm on the train or waiting for an appointment that isn't scrolling
I just realized so much of the time I spent on my phone was not intentional. It was a thing I was doing in between Other intentional moments. my screen time is still several hours a day (donāt get me wrong) but I think my brain has healed at least 3%.
welcoming other ideas as wellš”
Sep 24, 2024
I've been rocking the flip phone since March - went through a few different models till I landed on this utilitarian workhorse; the Sonim XP3800. This thing feels like it can stop a bullet. The battery lasts for 3 days. Service is 5 bucks a month.
remixed my brain:
-got lost a few times (feels amazing + found my way back)
-bought an iPod mini (eBay, refurb 256gb)Ā
-forgot about 1 million people that I didn't need to remember
-missed brat summer entirely (found out in late September, loved the album)
-learned how to wait and do nothing
-minimized unnecessary / instantaneous communication
-started taking photos with real cameras again
-started reading again
-stopped impulsively buying instagram shirts
-phone can be turned off during the charging cycle (not possible with iPhone)
-regained control over the flow of information into my brain
-restored my relationship with the computer as an appliance bound to one physical location
Am I a better person for this? Probably not. Is this all of this a bit loaded and pretentious and boomer esque? Definitely. But it feels good to know that I have the freedom to say no to smart phone tech that has been foisted on us as an essential to living for the sake of convenience - convenience which has a cost. I could go on and on and on about this but I would highly recommend that everyone gives this a shot for while even if it's just an experiment. You will be surprised by how you feel after a few weeks. Ā
Dec 11, 2024
Top Recs from @arbys_rising
I donāt like having lots of pill bottles displayed on my bathroom shelf or nightstand. My pharmacy doesnāt even use the iconic orange ones, and besides, it all feels a bit too Girl Interrupted for a woman of 33.
To find a pill box that could hold multiple bottleās worth of pillsāthat also wasnāt ugly and plasticāI had to find boxes not meant for pills. Ebay has tons ofc, and all you need to do is get the measurements and find a velvet jewelry organizer insert thatāll fit. There are a billion.
Sep 30, 2024
š
A mastery of physics. A shape that serves exactly one purpose. Itās singular like a ringing crystal glass. Itās stubborn like a key. The arguments for and against a shoehorn are exactly the same: itāll make each day just a little easier. It offers a frictionless on ramp to the rest of the world. You don't need to gnash your heel into your shoe, you don't need to pause and sit and lace and unlace. You can just slide into the shoe and out the front door before you even have time to think.
Sep 30, 2024
I actually think the Skims nipple bra was genius, but Iām here to tell you that you donāt need it. I got these during a slightly manic phase, though not in the service of sexual pleasure or counterculture. It was fashion. My nipples never showed through shirts and frankly, I felt like I was missing an accessory. Now, they always stand at attention. Itās great.
Sep 30, 2024