As a person with a career online and a vested interest in people “engaging with my content” online, I should not be telling you about this. But as a person who has lived in a state of near-constant, self-imposed dysregulation who knows that I am not the only person who has struggled to resist the siren song of modern technology.
For as long as I’ve had a phone, I’ve been addicted to it. Even when my cell phone plan came with a limited number of minutes text messages that I had to ration, even when my corporate-issued Blackberry was mostly just “urgent” emails about shampoo press releases, even when that first iPhone was pretty much just a bad camera and Words with Friends, even when Instagram was chronological and you could (and did!) reach the end of a scroll.
I cannot resist the dopamine, the cortisol, the numbing, it has all been irresistible. Screentime limits could not curb it. Deleting the apps entirely only did so much. I needed something different, and I found it on a scroll.
A year ago, after several targeted ads (oh, the irony!) I bought myself the Brick.
The concept is almost silly in its simplicity: you tap your phone to this little device, and it locks you out of the apps you have pre-selected. Pick up your phone and search for that app and nothing appears. Try to click a link someone texts you and you get this:
This means that if you really want to see that TikTok, you have to stand up, go to your Brick, tap your phone to it, and confirm that you want to unlock. And that, for me, is what has worked.
It’s the friction between the desire - I want to get on TikTok - and the access.
Getting up, walking into the kitchen, grabbing the Brick and tapping my phone gives me time to think about how important it really is for me to lose this kind of streak and potentially lose myself in a scroll.
Instead of waking up and reaching for my phone to scroll, I wake up and journal, practice my Italian, and read.
Instead of reaching for my phone to scroll in moments of boredom, I open Libby and read a book instead.
Instead of losing hours to my phone, I lose hours to little projects like this:
The more I Brick, the less I reach for my phone even when it’s not bricked.
My goal isn’t to not use social media (it’s a part of my job, and I truly love 99% of the interactions and relationships I’ve built there) but to build new neural pathways and stop letting an algorithm control my thoughts and emotions.
So far, so good.
BRICK FAQS
Couldn’t I just do this with screentime limits? Maybe? I couldn’t. Screentime apps were not a prison strong enough to hold me!
Don’t you have any self-control? Obviously not, thank you for noticing.
But that’s how I stay informed! Okay, I’m not telling you what to do. I know that for me there is a fine line between information and overwhelm, and taking action in the real world has felt more efficacious than making sure I see every worldwide horror unfold before my eyes.
How many Bricks would a family need? One. ONE. I personally have two, and keep one at the studio, but a Brick works with unlimited iOS and android phones and tablets.
Is there a subscription? Nope! And bless them for that, because honestly every company that is seeking constant recurring revenue for devices should go right to heck.
What apps do you block? Do you use the schedules? There are so many settings, help! Keep it simple; I don’t use the schedules because they seemed annoying to me. I have three settings:
My NUCLEAR setting blocks TikTok, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.
My WORK setting blocks TikTok, Instagram and Threads (not even an app I use but I found myself gravitating towards it when it was the only one available). This still lets me use YouTube to listen to ambient noise as a I work.
My HOME setting blocks TikTok, Instagram and email so I’m not tempted to work while I’m home with the kids. I haven’t used this one much lately because if it’s on NUCLEAR I truly just forget to even reach for my phone.
This post is not sponsored; I bought this product with my own money and asked them for an affiliate link/discount code (NORA autoapplies if you click my links) which means I get a small % of purchases made using my link or code without costing you anything.