I spend way too much time staring at screens. When I wake up, I reach for my phone first. In addition to the eight hours a day I spend typing away at my computer, my phone is always there, tempting me to open it and scroll through Instagram rather than getting my work done. When I’m unwinding with a TV show in the evening, my phone is there again, pulling my attention away from the screen. And before falling asleep, I’m once again scrolling through TikTok when I could be reading.
I’m not particularly proud of my screen time numbers or my need to be constantly stimulated. I’ve created time limits on my most distracting apps and set designated downtime schedules. But honestly, it still hasn’t been enough — getting around those limits is as easy as hitting the snooze button.
Ironically, as I tried to lower my screen time, I was targeted with Instagram ads for The Brick, which promises stricter screen time controls to actually curb my phone usage. After testing the Brick for several months, I’m thrilled to say that it helped curb my screen time — cutting it in half — and finally taught me to be bored again.
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