Reclaim Your Mind: Seven Strategies to Enjoy Tech Mindfully

by Jay Vidyarthi

In our ever-connected world, inner peace isn’t about rejecting technology—it’s about having a better relationship with it. You need boundaries, but that doesn’t mean you should feel guilty every time you pull out your phone. Reclaim Your Mind offers a middle way: a balanced, mindful approach to everyday tech.

With relatable anecdotes and short, easy-to-follow exercises in every chapter, Reclaim Your Mind provides seven key strategies to help you use technology wisely. You’ll learn to develop awareness of your tech use, design your digital and physical environments to focus your attention, reject false urgency, and opt in to better tech that fosters authenticity and fun. Backed by scientific research and the author’s own experiences as a lifelong meditator and an influential designer of technologies for well-being, Reclaim Your Mind helps you rekindle a positive relationship with TV, social media, games, news, email, and even AI. With Jay Vidyarthi’s tools and insights, you’ll learn to stand up for your freedom of attention and relish the convenience, connection, and—yes—joy that technology can offer without getting stuck on apps designed to exploit you. You’ll improve your relationship with technology and ultimately, with yourself.

Genres: Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2025

Reviews

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Reclaim Your Mind caught my eye on Netgalley and I was excited to read this one. I am glad I did as I really liked this book. The focus of this book is on how to enjoy tech mindfully. I really liked the encouraging tone of this book and the focus on what you can do to improve your relationship with tech. I also appreciated he seemed to genuinely like tech and didn't advocate for stepping away of it altogether, but instead setting boundaries and interacting with it in a way that works for you.

I love what tech has brought to my life even though I also struggle with parts of it and I thought this book captured those two sides well. I also liked how simple and applicable a lot of the advice was. It also was fun to see some of the strategies I used myself in the book, like making it harder access to apps/ sites that kept capturing my attention.

This book had a lot of good ideas and tips. It also gave me more understanding and language for why I struggle with some things like certain games or social media and also ideas for how to handle things better. And I felt this understanding was very valuable. It isn't a very long read and I liked how it's split up in sections making it easy to pick up and read a bit.

A few things I want to mention is that the focus is mostly on phones and apps. Probably because of how phones are one of the easiest ways to grab your attention no matter were you are. There isn't as much about computer or laptops, although a lot of advice is easily transferable to those. I also felt the author seemed to value voice or video connecting over text. While for me personally text is such an important medium in which I communicate with people online through direct messages, comments, emails and blogging. Then again I am neurodivergent which does change things, which he does mention, although he doesn't go into detail about that.

To summarize: This was a great book focused on enjoying tech mindfully. I liked the positive encouraging tone and the focus on what you can do to improve your relationship with tech. I also appreciated how the author clearly loved tech and didn't advocate for reducing or stopping your use altogether. I liked the variety of strategies and tips the book had and how it gave me additional insight and language for my struggles with tech as well as what I like about it. The focus of this book is on phones and apps, but a lot of the strategies can be easily adapted for other medium. I also thought his opinion of text seemed a bit low compared to other modes of communication and as a neurodivergent person one of the things I love about tech is how I can communicate using text. I can definitely recommend this book!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Jay Vidyarthi, Still Ape Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a chance to read an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I struggle a lot - particularly these days - with doomscrolling through news and social media feeds, to the point that it crowds out activities that bring me joy or strengthen me. But I’ve also made important friendships and had valuable experiences online. Jay Vidyarthi gets both sides of this issue.

This book doesn’t minimize the way that tech is designed to take ruthless control of your attention or the downsides to tech overuse, but it also is clearheaded about the ubiquity of tech in modern life and the genuine enjoyment it can bring. You won’t be scolded for being attached to your phone here, but you will be encouraged to turn mindful attention on your technology use - to figure out when it’s serving you and when you’re serving it. Experiential activities are included to help guide a more mindful approach to tech.

I came away from this book wanting to implement more of its strategies moving forward. I do wish he’d said more about how tech affects different types of brains - there’s an aside about his arguments and techniques maybe not applying to people who are neurodivergent, and I wish he had fleshed that out more. Some parts of the early book feel repetitive. But overall this is a worthwhile read. I can see myself recommending it to my clients.

[David Murphy-Longhini]

A Great Perspective From A Nuanced Friend In Your Corner

I come to you as someone who didn’t think he had more to learn in this space, but I was wrong. I’ve used Screentime for years. I was a beta user of Freedom and other apps that helped me navigate the space. I’ve been mostly off social media and consistently ensure I spend time more meaningfully online.

But Jay manages to go significantly beyond what I’ve seen before. He navigates the conversation about technology in a human and mindful way. Without shame or explosive rhetoric he advocates a “middle way” without it feeling like a failure. His beautiful stories about how he’d gotten addicted to tech and then rebelled against it mirrored my story. His way of taking techniques of meditation I’ve practiced my whole life and beautifully describing how to use them in reference to these daily distractors was well done.

Especially, what’s most important about this book is it encourages you to take your power back. It’s easy to oscillate back and forth in between blaming tech companies for manipulative design and feeling helpless to avoid them. Jay shows us how to use them as a way to empower and understand ourselves. I made a couple changes that will probably save me hours a week and help me reflect on the hours I still spend. Thanks Jay!

[Lauren]

Wow! This book opened my eyes to the many invisible habits I have developed around tech -- and most of them are not that healthy. But I never felt judged or like I was facing some insurmountable challenge. Throughout the book, Jay is like an encouraging partner, gently giving me tools I could try to ease my tech guilt and develop healthier habits.

I found myself nodding along with Jay's personal anecdotes as he described his own relationship with technology, and how it had changed over time. I felt so seen! A lot of his struggles are things I've struggled with too, like that feeling of emptiness after a TV binge session (even when you think it will relax you!), or wanting to check email notifications just one more time before bed and getting sucked in.

The concrete strategies at the end of each chapter were so, so helpful. Each one approached a different aspect of tech, and gave me insight and awareness into how I interact with it, followed by suggestions for improving my tech habits.

This is going to the top of my "Gift List" for lots of loved ones next year!

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine 10 data scientists working every day to make sure you're addicted to Instagram, Reddit, X. That's the world we live in. It's SUPER hard to get your attention back and just focus. And worse, we all feel like it's OUR FAULT.

What this book does best is act like a soothing guide to first make you realize, it's not YOUR fault, and second, it's not even that hard to use tech in a way that improves your life, not keeps you trapped.

The seven strategies are super short and easy to digest. The surprise is the fun in the stories the author tells about people who face these challenges, including himself. You'll really feel yourself nodding along about a problem most of us don't realize we have, or gave up on trying to solve in these tough times.

It's an easy fast read and I think of a tip from it every few days as I put down my phone, and feel good about it.

This is a good one, enjoy and get a sense of space in your mind.

[Angelica Cuany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I read quite a bit of social psychology books, and I am very interested in mindfulness and responsible tech usage. This book fell a little flat to me though. An disproportional amount of time seemed to be spent talking about various retreats that the author has gone on. I also disagreed with his stance that tech is nature. Specifically when he says "when we say we want to 'get out in nature,' what we really mean is that we want to get way from human nature." There is a multitude of research that supports how valuable green spaces are. When people "opt outside" they are opting for green spaces and the psychological benefits they deliver. This argument did not hold water for me. Overall, there were a few things I take away from this book, such as making mindful noticings about how tech makes you feel instead of stringent, meaningless limits, but the book left me wanting more. Thanks Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Krista Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me see some of my bad habits with tech, but also helped me feel less guilty about playing video games with my kid, since it advocates for a balanced relationship with screens. As a parent of a young kid, it can get really daunting to get yet more advice on what we should or shouldn't do, but the mindfulness angle helped me feel more empowered to make good choices around screens for myself and my son. Also, it was fun to read bc of all the personal anecdotes, which helped it feel more relatable.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this has been the most helpful book in explaining how to actually use mindfulness in our daily lives. There are so many books about meditation and mindfulness, but very few that focus on one person's journey into and out of the experience of becoming mindful. This is what the author, Jay, offers up to you in this book. Sure he talks about tech, but this book also takes you on a journey. Through his life, his world, and ultimately, I think helped me understand how tech and my life intersect. And why that's okay.

[J's Book Quest · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Reclaim Your Mind" took me longer to finish than it should have—not because of the book, but because I kept getting distracted by social media, YouTube, and my phone. When I finally got my two brain cells together to focus, I felt so called out—but also comforted. Jay Vidyarthi reassures you that 1) you’re not alone in your tech struggles, and 2) there are real, practical ways to take back control. His personal anecdotes make the book engaging, and the seven strategies are simple yet effective. A quick, insightful read that has already helped me rethink my screen habits.

[Chris F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been working in Digital Wellbeing for the past decade, and there are plenty of good books out there. What Jay brings to the table is an engaging, personal narrative paired with a clear and practical framework for positive behaviour change.

This isn’t a book full of clickbait, quick wins, or superficial tips. It’s about understanding your habits, digging a little deeper, and making meaningful, lasting change.

Highly recommended.

[Aadila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so enjoyable to read, as if the words fell smoothly into my mind. Clear and concise while still maintaining enough detail to paint vivid imagery. The personal touch adds so much power to the practical tips, allowing for a wholesome integration into my daily life. This book is a true gem containing so much wisdom, a very worthwhile investment!

[lynns · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most honest takes out there on how to live intentionally with tech. We may all be cyborgs by default, but there is beauty and adventure in resisting autopilot and choosing how we engage.

I feel so grateful to know Jay—this book is a thoughtful guide on finding balance, filed with deep wisdom.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reclaim Your Mind is a very readable, practical, and actionable guide to being more mindful about technology use. It incorporates basic meditation and mindfulness tips into daily technology usage. The concept of the Attention Economy resonated with me, and I found myself highlighting many quotes—and wanting to figure out how to share them with my kids. It’s a nice reminder that we can all step back and be more purposeful and balanced in all aspects of our lives, not just technology. In this day and age, this should be required reading for all. This is a book I will be referring back to again and again.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.