How to Break Up with Your Phone summary

If there’s one type of scientific experiment ever-present in the popular imagination, then it’s the ones in which rats have their behavior manipulated in some way. Traditionally, the rats are given food or electric shocks to encourage, or discourage, certain behaviors and tendencies.

Such experiments rely on the presence of a certain hormone in the brain called dopamine. And you guessed it: humans react to it, too. But how does it work?

Distraction is commonly thought of as something negative. But in reality, distraction is an entirely natural phenomenon. In fact, distraction was key to survival in early human history. Back then, we had to be highly attuned to our surroundings. After all, a predator could be lurking in the undergrowth, and so we needed to be ready to run.

However, that’s not the whole truth. Our inclination to being distracted also comes down to neurobiology. For starters, the act of concentrating is hard work for the brain.

Memory makes us who we are. That’s why the onset of illnesses like Alzheimer’s among older people is so feared. But issues with memory affect younger generations too. Just think of how difficult it can be as a student to memorize facts and figures for tests.

It won’t come as a surprise to learn that phones are a contributing cause of this. Phones can do real damage to your short-term memory.

Social media is one of the great innovations of the digital age. There are many practical benefits to its existence, but its effects on individuals’ emotional states can be tremendous.

It is not unusual to be flung between feeling happy, anxious, interested, disgusted and lonely within just a few minutes on social media. Needless to say, all that turbulence wreaks havoc on rest and relaxation.

Let’s be clear. Deciding you want to spend a little less time with your phone is not about making a moral judgment. There’s no need to fundamentally change your view on your phone. However, a trial run breakup is a good place to start. It will help you decide whether your phone habits are unhealthy, and how you can improve your interactions with your phone.

There’s no need to panic. You can have a little break from your phone, and you’ll always be able to go back to your old habits if it’s not for you.

Without a doubt, some of the most addictive elements on your phone are social media apps. Much like junk food, it’s hard to stop consuming social media once you’ve started.

But deleting them really isn’t that hard to do. Simply delete the app from your phone. Certainly, some message will pop up to ask questions and cast doubt on your intentions. Perhaps it’ll warn you that data will be permanently deleted. Just ignore it. In the digital age, that data can be recovered. It’ll be sitting in the internet cloud, ready to be downloaded to your phone if you ever come back.

One of the classic symptoms of breaking up with your phone is called “Fear of Missing Out,” or FOMO for short.

In order to avoid FOMO, it’s very important to know what you’re going to fill your time with in advance of your breakup. Otherwise you’ll just reach for your phone when you get bored.

So far we’ve got to grips with the issues involved with phone usage, and how you can benefit from a break. But abstract reasoning will only get you so far. You have to break habits, and that challenge should not be underestimated. So in this and the next blink we’ll look at a 30-day plan that’ll help you unplug from your phone. Let’s get started.

Over the first two days you should use an app to track how often you’re on your phone. You’ll probably find it’s more often than you think. This step, therefore, is all about increasing your awareness.

The first two weeks of the 30-day plan were all about the phone. Weeks three and four are about you. On days 15 and 16 you should try to practice some basic mindfulness. Whenever you find yourself reaching for your phone, tell yourself to stop, breathe and just be. Listen to your breath. Then ask yourself whether looking at your phone is really that important. This process will strengthen your behavioral awareness and give you a simple tool to stop you unnecessarily checking your phone.

On days 17 and 18, try some concentration exercises. This could be as simple as repeating the two times table as long as you can or listening to a piece of music with your full concentration. If you work on your ability to focus, you’ll improve your resistance to being distracted by your phone.