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I have had a long running addiction to my phone for honestly most of my life. It's a very hard thing to break away from when it's a very normalized part of society. There has never been a day where I haven't used it and I know there will always be something I unfortunately need it for. Though I wish It didn't consume all my time.
I've bought this card that essentially bricks my phone during the day so I can only use necessities like maps or work related things. And, for the first time ever, I realized how absent from my own life I was actually being.
Everything I do on my phone is so second nature majority of the time and there was almost always no real reason I was on my phone. I needed to be more intentional.
I moved away from spotify more and more and now if I am using my phone I am using NTS radio and bandcamp (and Nina Protocol!) but mostly to avoid distractions I use an mp3 player. I know sometimes with that there's something you *really* want to listen to but don't have access to it on the player, but I think that thought process is what contribute to my phone addiction.
My phone gives me unlimited access to desire making me seek it out more instead of being happy with what I already have. Sometimes less is really more.
I've bought this card that essentially bricks my phone during the day so I can only use necessities like maps or work related things. And, for the first time ever, I realized how absent from my own life I was actually being.
Everything I do on my phone is so second nature majority of the time and there was almost always no real reason I was on my phone. I needed to be more intentional.
I moved away from spotify more and more and now if I am using my phone I am using NTS radio and bandcamp (and Nina Protocol!) but mostly to avoid distractions I use an mp3 player. I know sometimes with that there's something you *really* want to listen to but don't have access to it on the player, but I think that thought process is what contribute to my phone addiction.
My phone gives me unlimited access to desire making me seek it out more instead of being happy with what I already have. Sometimes less is really more.
1d ago
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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 instagram™️ 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: 🕰️ 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 📷 I bought a small digital camera to leave in my bag. the pics look better and I don’t get distracted by the virtual world when I'm trying to capture something in the now 📚 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 (don’t get me wrong) but I think my brain has healed at least 3%.
welcoming other ideas as wellđź’ˇ
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 instagram™️ 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: 🕰️ 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 📷 I bought a small digital camera to leave in my bag. the pics look better and I don’t get distracted by the virtual world when I'm trying to capture something in the now 📚 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 (don’t get me wrong) but I think my brain has healed at least 3%.
welcoming other ideas as wellđź’ˇ
Rec
📵two weeks ago my iPhone decided she would no longer turn on, and as the broke young adult I am I said fuck it what if I went off the grid? Mind you I have been ADDICTED to short-form content and social media for years. I tried the time limits thingy but like any addict I just completely ignored it.
there was a withdrawal period, sure, but my god. I have so many thoughts. So many ideas. So much more patience. I have read more, created more art, and spent some of the best times with my friends. I have sent letters and receive emails. We are not meant to be reached 24/7. I am intentional with my news intake, and I am even more informed because I make an active decision to read and watch the news when my nervous system is regulated and with all this free time I have the space to process what I am consuming.
I truly do not see myself ever going back. With no google maps to rely on I am experiencing my surroundings - paying attention to the small stuff. I live in a fucking beautiful place. I am surrounded by beautiful people. I have an interesting mind capable of beautiful thoughts.
mom was right!!! it is the damn phone!!!!
there was a withdrawal period, sure, but my god. I have so many thoughts. So many ideas. So much more patience. I have read more, created more art, and spent some of the best times with my friends. I have sent letters and receive emails. We are not meant to be reached 24/7. I am intentional with my news intake, and I am even more informed because I make an active decision to read and watch the news when my nervous system is regulated and with all this free time I have the space to process what I am consuming.
I truly do not see myself ever going back. With no google maps to rely on I am experiencing my surroundings - paying attention to the small stuff. I live in a fucking beautiful place. I am surrounded by beautiful people. I have an interesting mind capable of beautiful thoughts.
mom was right!!! it is the damn phone!!!!
Jun 15, 2025
Rec
This is long because it’s 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 didn’t wanna lose maps and a good camera and the iMessage “echo” effect. This does that. My Brick lives on my fridge, and once I tap my phone to it, any app I haven’t whitelisted is blocked. And you can block anything. Even the calculator! Which it deserves…after I blocked the obvious ones like IG and shopping, I realized how addicted I was to *information itself*
Occasionally, I’d need to Google something of import, but  mostly, I used it to scratch my gnawing, itchy brain. I’d habitually fact-check conversations as I had them, to look up interior photos of the restaurant I’d soon be going to, to search, for the hundredth time, whether fish can feel pain. So anyway I blocked Chrome and Safari and it was nuts. I can’t 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 it’s sobering but makes me glad I have something to stop it. It’s nice being able to purchase a personal quality that you lack. Â
Occasionally, I’d need to Google something of import, but  mostly, I used it to scratch my gnawing, itchy brain. I’d habitually fact-check conversations as I had them, to look up interior photos of the restaurant I’d soon be going to, to search, for the hundredth time, whether fish can feel pain. So anyway I blocked Chrome and Safari and it was nuts. I can’t 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 it’s sobering but makes me glad I have something to stop it. It’s nice being able to purchase a personal quality that you lack. Â
Sep 30, 2024
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It's so easy to overlook what is currently in your life especially if you are so used to it. Routine, patterns, and familiarity make things feel so boring yet it provides structure to what would be chaos without. But this structure sometimes overshadows what you have. I have worked the same job most of my adult life, but throughout this time I have moved locations twice. I left the last two places because I felt I outgrew them and I wasn't getting what I needed out of it. I have a lot of trouble adapting to change and the biggest reason is because the good things I had at these times were brought back to my attention because they were no longer in my routine. I know that each time theres a dramatic change in my life, it's more often than not for the better, but I can still miss things from times that were not exactly optimal for me. I wear a ring at all times that says "this too shall pass", this has always been a constant reminder to me that the good, the bad, and the inbetween will never be permanent. Love what you have while yo have it.
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Not sure what kind of camera your looking for but I have used this for a couple of years and personally I think it represents scenery amazingly for an affordable digital camera. I have some photos I took on this camera to show you too!