I have been working through getting away from my smart phone for a while now. Never courageous enough to revert to a flip phone brick. I see that as more of a hinderance than an enrichment.
There is a comfortable medium somewhere between full-blown nomophobia (‘the fear of being without a phone’) and a luddite. I hope to find that utopia.
While this has been a constant battle since the release of Clash of Clans – the first phone game I obsessed with in 2012 – I have more recently stepped up my pursuits. Starting with some basic app deletions and screen time notifications, they slowed the ooze for a short time.
I then toyed with having a lock box for certain hours of the day, but found the nomophobia too strong. The different phone locking apps I tried never worked for me. With ease, I could click out of them or get distracted by other shiny objects on my way to click them.
I was on the brink of giving up and letting the slime suck me under.
Then last fall I came across a little gadget that seemed to make a meaningful dent.
The Brick (getbrick.app). A 1.5″ x 1.5″ plastic square encasing an RFID chip capable of communicating with your phone. When you tap your phone to it, your phone turns into a flip phone brick, without the flip.
I single-handedly attribute it to improving my productivity. In a weird way now, if I forget to ‘brick’, I have built a mental speed bump that helps me abstain from reaching for my phone. I almost forget about my phone at times now. Hard to explain, but it is true.
All this to say, I am now looking to use the tool to further beat back my demons. The way the Brick darkens your apps when it is bricked, is a visual reminder that your phone is full of distractions. So, using those visual cues, I have now started to reorganize my phone home screen. The goal is to classify (and adjust over time) all the apps on my phone, from necessary to disruptive.
My home screen will house the basic functionality that I need from the phone in all situations (phone, text, camera, etc.). On progressive screens swiping to the right, I will move towards the more disruptive. Another level of friction between me glancing at my bank account or pulling up Reddit.
Overtime, I hope this will give me the courage to begin to remove apps completely.
Wish me luck.