The Hit List - Dumb as a Brick

Photo by Kerin Gedge on Unsplash

If you’ve been in my orbit for a while, you’ve heard me kvetch about phones and social media. I’m no Luddite, but I’m one of those people who despise being attached to my cellphone. Don’t get me wrong: when I first got one of these mini computers in my paws, I was thrilled! Suddenly, my kids could reach me when they needed something, and I could check Facebook and see what was happening with so-and-so! Oh, and I can run my business from anywhere in the world! Woo hoo!

Sigh. The good old days when I was naive.

I’ve since soured on being so reachable. My phone is an intrusion on my life, mindset, peace, and time. Over the past few years, I’ve reduced my phone and social media time by a lot. I have a “cut and run” strategy for the socials, which keeps me blissfully out of the loop of this or that drama. My phone is set up so only my children, husband, bestie, and publisher can access me. Everyone else? Nah.

Even so, I found myself craving even less access. I thought about buying a dumb phone. Much time was spent on researching (I love to research, by the way). But I knew this would be one more expense, and frankly, my cell was useful for some shit.

Enter Brick. It’s a gadget that turns your phone into a dumb phone when you want to unplug but still be reachable to a select group of people. My kids and I recently purchased these square doodads so we can “brick” for long stretches of time. Results? Finally, the uninterrupted time I need to focus on what Cal Newport calls “Deep Work.”

Sure, I could just turn this sucker off or get a dumb phone. But again: I need to be reachable by the very few, and I do use the phone for some tasks. Plus, I like a good tech gadget.

Now my phone is selectively stupid. Bricked. Serenity now!

(Do you have a Brick? If so, what do you think?)

Theresa

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