The best things I've done this week that didn't involve looking at my phone
Discussing my raging phone addiction (ironically featuring a really useful app)
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to overcome what is clearly an out of control addiction to my phone. One of the things that I feel most sure of is that one day I’m going to be 85 (if I’m lucky enough to make it that far) and I’m going to look back and feel absolutely appalled by how much of my life I wasted mindlessly scrolling. Why was I so obsessed with soaking up the minutiae of other people’s lives, I know I’ll wonder, instead of my living my own?
The other thing I’m sure I’ll wonder (because I’m already wondering it) is how on earth I managed to function/work/have friends/eat/exercise/do so much while also spending upwards of six hours a day, sometimes, scrolling and scrolling and scrolling? And I’ll also wonder: how much more could I have achieved if I hadn’t wasted that time? All the books I didn’t read and mountains I didn’t climb and words I didn’t write?
I don’t think I’m unique in this predicament, by the way. To a greater or lesser degree I think most of us are probably a bit addicted. Phones are literally designed to be addictive, after all.
I’ve tried imposing limits using Apple Screen Time but it’s too easy to override. Just one more minute, just 15 more minutes, just an extra day. I’ve tried turning my phone to black and white to make it less inviting, but I just end up reverting back to colour.
A few weeks ago I went to Scotland with some friends and kept announcing that I was ‘having a digital detox’ aka leaving my phone in the car or the hotel room while we went for walks or to the pub. It really did feel like out of sight, out of mind (although I was always desperate to see what I’d missed when we got back which was, invariably, nothing). I try to do this as often as I can but I don’t love being out by myself without any means of contact.