Cómo cortar con tu móvil

by Catherine Price

Hemos pasado buenos ratos a su lado, nos ha acompañado a cenas y bodas... Pero ha llegado el momento de decir «querido móvil: ¡tenemos que hablar!»

¿Tu teléfono es lo primero que buscas por las mañanas y lo último que ves antes de ir a dormir? ¿Miras tu móvil con frecuencia solo para verificar y cuarenta y cinco minutos más tarde te preguntas cómo ha pasado todo este tiempo? ¿Dices que quieres desengancharte de tu teléfono, pero no tienes ni idea de por dónde empezar?

El móvil puede ser un arma de doble filo y, si no aprendemos a usarlo, podemos llegar a depender seriamente de él. Sin apenas darnos cuenta, estos dispositivos están cambiando nuestro modus operandi e, incluso, nuestro cerebro: los hábitos, la capacidad de concentración, los patrones de sueño, nuestra memoria y, sobre todo, nuestras relaciones sociales se ven afectadas por el uso continuo del Smartphone. Para poner solución a esta realidad, Catherine Price nos propone:

-Estrategias y trucos para desengancharnos del móvil.

-Un plan de 30 días para dejar de pasar horas y horas frente a él.

-Cómo configurar nuestro teléfono para aprovechar al máximo su potencial.

En este libro descubrirás cómo las aplicaciones están diseñadas para ser adictivas, y aprenderás cómo nos afecta el tiempo que pasamos enganchados. Todos tenemos esta relación amor-odio con el móvil, pero ha llegado el momento de tomar de nuevo el control nuestro tiempo y de nuestra vida.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Development, Technology, Audiobook, Productivity

184 pages

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling bored or anxious? Check your email. Nothing there? Check social media. Not satisfied? Check a different social media account. And then maybe another one. Like a couple posts. Follow some new people. Check to see if those people followed you back. Maybe go look at your email again, just in case.

Sound familiar?

As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to grab it. I’ve known for quite some time that my phone takes too much attention away from my life, but getting to a healthy balance has always been an issue. As soon as I began reading just the first few pages, my eyes were wide and glued. I’m one of those people who usually have my phone in hand right before sleep and it’s the first thing I grab in the morning. Can I live without my smartphone? Hmm…



This book is split into two parts. Part 1 helps you evaluate your phone usage now and how many of us could use a digital detox. The author discusses why our phones are so addicting, the dangers of social media and how it’s depressing us, how our phones are changing our brains and killing our attention spans, memory, sleep, and our lives in general. One statement in the book that really hit me discusses time and how much time we lose because of our smartphones. Not only that, it’s brings attention to how fast time seems to fly while we’re on our smartphones. This is something I’ve noticed. Has anyone else experienced this?

Each chapter shares a quote, Most of which are thought-provoking. Many of the quotes just reiterate things we already know but choose to ignore.

Even more than it is in the advertising business, Facebook is in the surveillance business. Facebook, in fact, is the biggest surveillance-based enterprise in the history of mankind. It knows far, far more about you than the most intrusive government has ever known about its citizens. – John Lanchester.

Part 2 is the 30-day plan which teaches you how to end your dysfunctional relationship with your phone. It’s chock-full of tips and also includes a list of recommended resources to aid you on your journey.

Now, before you get your panties in a bunch, this book ISN’T against smartphones, in fact, it’s written to help us use our phones in a more healthful manner. The author mentions more than once that smartphones are convenient tools, and she teaches us that rather than throw out the good with the bad, just find a healthy balance.

5*****

You can see this review and others @ www.readrantrockandroll.com

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

while this is a book that many of us can benefit from, my experience with it would have been different if i had read it pre-pandemic. i am concerned about my reliance on my phone, but i live alone under quarantine, so my phone is my main connection to the world outside myself. it's more important than ever.

however, i do like the guiding question being asked of the reader: "what do you want to pay attention to?"

the first section of the book is a "wakeup," packed with facts to show us just how harmful our phones can be. and maybe i'm jaded, but none of these things surprise me much. it seems like the same old stuff: we're addicted to dopamine, multitasking is bad, social media makes us depressed, our attention spans are short, etc. i guess it's good to have all this information laid out, but i think many of us are already aware of how our phones can have a big negative impact.

the second section is comprised of a 30-day agenda; each day with a task, challenge, or reflection. some of these are more useful than others.

price is very well-intentioned, but she often crosses the line into mildly-judgy. in the introduction, she says that one of the goals of breaking up with your phone is "prioritizing real-life relationships over those that take place on screens." that is so disrespectful and misunderstanding of the connections that can be made and nurtured via technology!! i don't agree with this sharp distinction between "real life people" and "online people," unless we're just talking about social media distortions. 

which is another thing that bothered me here. price seems to operate under the assumption that all of her readers use their phones and social media similarly to how she describes. at times it feels less about breaking up with your phone, and more about breaking up with social media.

(and btw, i don't think the "break up" phrasing is always useful or accurate to what the book is actually trying to accomplish for its readers, but oh well)

with all that said, this book does still have some valuable guidance. price says "our goal isn't abstinence, it's consciousness." if you want to become more mindful and deliberate about your use of technology, this will provide you with some tools to help. my advice would be to take the author's recommendations with a grain of salt, and only adopt the ideas that work well for your life.

here are some of the things i find useful:

‣ ask yourself what you like about your phone and what you dislike about your phone, and what an ideal relationship with your phone would look like.

‣ when find yourself picking up your phone, ask: what for? why now? what else (can you do instead)? i find this very helpful because i want to be deliberate about my phone use, and only pick it up when i have an actual reason to do so.

‣ try some basic meditation: stop & breathe & be.

‣ practice building your attention span. each day, try to spend a chunk of time focusing on one thing while your phone is in another room. some activities i do are reading (of course), yoga, taking a luxurious bath/shower, taking a "music bath" and focusing on the sound of each instrument, and spending quality time with my tarot cards.

‣ notice the situations in which you use your phone to kill a few idle moments, and practice using this time to be still.

there are also some things that i plan to try post-pandemic (when my life is a little less isolated), such as charging your phone in a room other than the bedroom, being more aware of phubbing, and maybe taking a technology fast.

if you want the opportunity to evaluate which of your phone habits are healthy and which are not, this book is a good start!! just take the tools that are applicable to your life, and don't worry about following the rest.

[Suhaib · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most helpful tips:

1- Delete all social media apps from your smartphone. Use social media only from the browser.
2- Cut your notifications to minimum. Allow them only for calls, texts, and messaging apps.
3- Phast: take scheduled breaks from your phone. Turn it off completely for a specified period of time.

I did tip number 1 back in March 2017 for a number of apps, and it was awesome. Since then, I've only opened Facebook and other social media from the browser, whenever I wanted to.

Recommended.

[María · Rating 4 out of 5]

La verdad es que esperaba encontrarme con un libro superfluo y sin ningún tipo de utilidad. Está claro que me equivoqué. Catherine Price es una escritora y divulgadora científica que sabe hacer muy bien su trabajo, no por nada ha sido premiada en repetidas ocasiones y ha aparecido en medios importantes. Es un libro lleno de herramientas, recursos, bibliografía, referencias y notas. ¡Genial! Si crees que pasas demasiado tiempo con el móvil, este es tu libro.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I put the suspense thrillers down for a moment and picked up a book on a topic that I feel many of us need to consider. One of my resolutions this year is to do less—especially when it comes to things that offer negative contributions to my life. One of those things is, you guessed it, screen time. Truth be told, our wireless devices have been linked not only to mental health problems, but physical as well. Given this fact, a personal growth book such as this is something of great value to our society’s needs.

‪How to Break Up with Your Phone starts off with an open letter to, well, your phone, and it is all too real. While humorous, the honest truth in every word will ring true to every person that picks this up. You many not think you need to break up with your phone, or that your interactions with your phone are not problematic enough to warrant picking up a book such as this one. However, I am here to tell you… you are absolutely wrong!

‪We all, to some degree, have a dependency on our devices. And while some may have a higher dependency than others, every single one of us would benefit from a digital detox. Every page was an eye opener as Catherine calls you out on behavior you probably were not even aware you were doing. Not to say that she does so in a way that will make you feel down on yourself, but more like a caring friend who is guiding you towards a better way. The best way to project this is to share with you a quote from the book:‪

“THE POINT OF BREAKING UP WITH OUR PHONES ISN’T TO DEPRIVE OURSELVES OF THE BENEFITS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY. IT’S TO SET BOUNDARIES SO THAT WE CAN ENJOY THE GOOD PARTS OF OUR PHONES WHILE ALSO PROTECTING OURSELVES FROM THE BAD.”

‪This is not a book that's purpose is to direct you to keep your phone farther than an arm’s length away, but sheds light on valuable information as to why we are so captivated by our phones, apps and social media. It is filled with information such as why psychologically we feel the need to constantly check our phones and how social media and apps are created to feed on these impulses. All very insightful and interesting stuff that will have you questioning quite a lot and asking yourself questions about your own psychological behavior.

Catherine not only researched this topic well, offering more than just reasoning why we all need to stop letting our devices control us—and how they are—but she also used a group of individuals to assist her in formulating the 30-day plan to break up with your phone. These people are of different social backgrounds and all have one common goal—placing a divide between themselves and their devices.

‪ This is a quick read at just 165 pages (if you do not include the pages that make up the epilogue, recommended resources, etc.) Everyone should read this book—it is the true wake-up call we all need. I found it to be very informative and, so far, the 30-day plan sounds quite enlightening.

Many thanks to Catherine Price and Ten Speed Press for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has legitimately changed my life.

Does that sound dramatic? Sure. But the impact that my phone (and technology in general) came to a scary head a few months ago, and made me realize that I needed to step back in a major way. This book is a practical guide to making the switch to a less digitally-obsessed life, filled with tips, steps, and tons of information about the impact that the internet and smart phones are designed to have on us (spoiler alert: it's menacing). I loved it, I want to give it to everyone, and I feel a kind of lightness and freedom from so much heaviness that I haven't felt in years. Five stars, easily.

[فادي · Rating 3 out of 5]

ميزة الكتاب أمرين:
1- كونه تجربة شخصية للمؤلفة ( فلم يكن تنظيراً بقدر ما هو عرض شخصي )
2- فيه خطوات عملية مفيدة
الكتاب ينقسم إلى قسمين رئيسيين؛ الأول نظري تحكي فيه المؤلفة عن الآثار المدمرة للإدمان وإدمان الشبكات بشكل خاص ( الجوال )
والقسم الثاني خطوات عملية في 30 يوم.
جرّبت بعض النصائح وكانت مفيدة فعلاً.

[لميس محمد · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب مفيد جداً جداً و به أفكار و مقترحات مهمه لابد الإطلاع عليها لأهميتها، و يجاوب على أسئله قد لا نكون قد فكرنا أن نطرحها على أنفسنا.
الكتاب واقعي جداً يصف ما نواجهه في حياتنا فعلاً.

و من أهم أفكار الكتاب و أبرزها فكرة أن الأجهزه الذكيه صُنعت لكي ندمن عليها.
و هذا فعلاً ما نلاحظه من خلال قضاء معظم أوقاتنا على تلك الهواتف الذكيه، و تفقد هواتفنا في كل حال من أحوالنا.

يطرح الكتاب أسئله و يجيب عليها في آنٍ واحد و أبرز الأسئله ، مثل:
مالذي يدفعك لتفقد هاتفك في ساعةٍ واحده عدة مرات و في اليوم أكثر من مره؟ الملل؟إنتظار شيء ما أو توقع خبر مفرح أو أمر طارئ؟أو خوف من أن يفوتك شيء؟
و ماهو شعورك بعد تفقد هاتفك؟سعاده؟أم ضيق؟أم حزن؟
طرحت هذه الأسئله على نفسي مراراً و كانت الإجابه: تفقدي لهاتفي كثيراً سببه الملل و إنتظار أي شيء.
لكن إطلاقاً لم يكُن الجواب لأمر مهم للأمانه إلاّ فيما ندر.

سلبيات الكتاب التطويل و الممطاله و تكرار بعض النقاط و بديهية بعض الحلول ، مما يدفع لكثير من الملل و هذا ما واجهني تحديداً ، لذلك أستغرقت في قراءته أكثر من أسبوع رغم كون الكتاب قصير جداً ، وأيضاً تركت بعض النقاط لعدم أهميتها و تكرار أفكارها أكثر من مره.
لكن الكتاب على رغم كمية الملل و بعض السقطات فيه إلا أنه يستحق القراءه و تجربه مميزه و مفيده و شخصيًا أفادني كثيراً و جعل الوقت الذي أقضيه في الأنستغرام و الواتس آب و القودريدز يتقلص جداً.
و شعرت بالراحه و السعاده لهذا الإنجاز.
لذلك نصحت أمي و أختي لقراءة بعض مقتطفات من الكتاب للأستفاده منه.
و سأنصح الجميع به.

التقييم:3/5

[Hanin Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I ended up listening to the audiobook in two days. I really enjoyed it. Though the informations aren’t new to me, because I know what I suppose to do, to reduce my phone usage DAH, but still it’s different when you listen to it from other people, and with all these terrifying statistics. I was like Uoha!
I don’t need to follow the tips in the book, but it’s a good one to remind me that I don’t need my phone and I can live without it. CALL ME WERIDO BUT I DID THIS BEFORE AND I SURVIVED.
One month ago, I decided to delete all the social media, and to contact with my close friends via SMS and some unpopular apps instead. I was happy cause I ended up reading four big books, losing weight, eating healthier food, finishing up my articles.
I realized that even when you’re not active on SM and you're just viewing other people posts and stories it is just a big waste of time.
My tip: Take a sec every moment you hold your phone, and tell yourself I can do something else instead. I don’t need this. I’m strong enough to control myself to achieve more in my life.
About the alarm clock thing, I may get one to avoid setting up my phone alarm.
Plane air mode here we go.

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In the first experiment, volunteers received a mild electric shock, and then were asked whether the experience was unpleasant enough that they would pay to avoid being shocked again.The researchers took the forty-two people who’d said that they would pay to avoid another shock and left them alone in undecorated rooms, without access to the internet or any other form of distraction, and instructed them to entertain themselves with their thoughts for fifteen minutes. They also told the participants that, if they wanted, they could press a button and receive another electric shock, as in, the same shock they’d just said they’d pay to not have repeated. You’d think that no one would have taken them up on the offer, right? Wrong. Out of the forty-two participants, eighteen chose to give themselves a shock during the fifteen-minute experiment. Eighteen. (And not just once. In what is undoubtedly my favorite detail of the study, one outlier shocked himself 190 times.)"

One day last year, I decided to stop. I had no particular reason other than I wanted to see if I could. So one day I did it. I turned my phone off, put it in the closet, and left for work without it. No big deal right? There wouldn’t be phantom reaches for a phone that wasn’t there during the course of the day right? There wouldn’t be a feeling that I was missing out on something BIG happening (what the author refers to as FOMO, or the feeling of missing out) right? There wouldn’t be furtive glances toward the closet with thoughts of just a taste, one sweet, sweet taste right?
I survived a self imposed 24 hours without using my phone and came out the other end feeling strangely liberated. I didn’t go in thinking I’d give up my phone entirely and still didn’t intend to after my return from the information wilderness. What happened instead was a better awareness of how I interact with my phone and how as the author Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes:

“The difference between technology and slavery is that slaves are fully aware that they are not free.”

I was free, or at least more so than before.
This is what Catherine Price writes about in “How To Break Up With Your Phone”. Contrary to the title, it isn’t about leaving your phone for good. Much like my own experience, it’s about gaining control and more importantly, mindfulness about your interaction with it.
Broken into two sections, she gives an informative but brief history of the tech industry and how your phone was designed to addict you. There are lots of fun nuggets here like one of the creators of Facebook talking about how the program will not display “likes” as they are received but rather parse them out according to an algorithm that determines when you are about to leave the app, in order to get you to stay. That’s some manipulative shit.
She also briefly delves into the brain chemistry of repeated phone use and how it creates neurological patterns that are difficult to break.
In the second half of the book she provides some nice tips to reduce/gain more control of your screen time.
Some of my favorites include:

-If you must use your phone when with friends or family, ask them permission to do so beforehand. This can seem as she writes:
"Pretty forced and manipulative (because, in the beginning, it will be forced and manipulative). But once you get in the habit of keeping your phone off the table, you may begin to ask permission out of a genuine desire to not be rude."

-Take a picture of your friends if they are using their phones around you and send them a text saying “I miss you!”

-Switch your phone from color to grayscale (the color red, which most phone app notifications are in, fires an impulse to your brain that something needs your urgent attention)

Finally she offers a 30 day, step by step “detox” program. At no point is she dogmatic that all steps myst be taken or that this should be anything but voluntary. If you enjoy being on your phone for hours a day, go crazy.
It’s not about sticking our heads in the sand and ignoring one of the most important (and yes, useful) innovations of humankind. Rather it’s about reclaiming some sanity and slowness in our daily lives.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some tips are useful and I will definitely try to implement them in my life, but I feel like this book was written from quite a privileged point of view. Let me explain: dividing relationships into "real life" ones and "virtual" ones, of course with the intention to say that the latter are less significant or real is quite frankly hurtful, especially for marginalized people who struggle to find acceptance where they live: whether it's family, school or workplace. Not even mentioning long-distance relationships or friendships. Secondly, the notion that everyone can follow all those steps and not need their phone is quite the neurotypical and ableist perspective.

Inb4 I understand very well that a book like that can't encompass everyone's experience and there will be some simplifications to make it apply to the wider audience and there's nothing wrong with that! I just felt like the language the author used was sometimes condescending and patronizing, not taking neurodivergencies or marginalization into account.

[Yara Yu]

اجد أني أمر بنفس المراحل عند قراءة أي كتاب تنمية بشرية أو تطوير الذات : في البداية يبدأ حماسي عند الاعجاب بعنوان الكتاب وفكرته ثم أبدا في قراءته وأشعر بالاعجاب في أول صفحاته ثم يأتي الملل .. أحاول استعادة حماسي بقراءة المزيد من الصفحات ولكن الملل يزيد .. اتوقف عن القراءة ولا أستطع اكماله أو تقييم الكتاب حتي ثم اعلن لنفسي في النهاية: نعم فشلت مرة أخري في قراءة كتاب آخر في هذا النوع من الأدب

[سماح عطية · Rating 3 out of 5]

أقترح مشاهدة مقطع الفيديو التالي لـ عمر ذيبان بالتوازي مع قراءة الكتاب؛
من أسرار وسائل التواصل الإجتماعي !!

علاقتي بهاتفي ليست بتلك القوة التي أخشاها أو تقلقني؛
ولكن قراءاتي الإلكترونية أغلبها على الكمبيوتر لذا فعلاقتي به تحتاج لإعادة ضبط؛
إذ صرت أفكّر بالعودة للكتب الورقية رأفة ورحمة بعيناي.

[☆Dani☆ ☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me realize a lot about my phone usage! I am thankful I read this book because this was important knowledge not only for me but for my children in this electronic age we live in! I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To find this review and others please visit touchmyspinebookreviews.com

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi, eindelijk af van die telefoonverslaving!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn iPhone

[Hanan Kamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

~ رسالة مفتوحة إلى هاتفي ~
عزيزي الهاتف
ما زلت أتذكر أول مرة التقينا فيها ، كنت جهازًا جديدًا باهظ الثمن مُتاحًا فقط عن طريق شركة المحمول ، وكنت شخصًا أستطيع سرد أرقام هواتف أقرب أصدقائي من الذاكرة . عندما طُرحت في الأسواق ، أعترف أن شاشتك اللمسية أثارت انتباهي .إلا أنني كنت أكثر انشغالاً بمحاولة كتابة رسالة نصية على هاتفي القابل للطي من أن أبدأ شيئًا جديدًا .
ثم حملتك في يدي ، وبدأت الأمور تسير بسرعة ، لم يكن قد مضى وقت طويل حتى كنا نفعل كل شيء معًا : نذهب في تمشيات ونتناول الغذاء مع الأصدقاء ، ونذهب في عطلات ، بدت رغبتك في الدخول معي إلا الحمام أمراً غريبًا في البداية ؛ لكنها اليوم مجرد لحظة كانت خاصة في السابق وصرنا نشاركها معًا .
إننا لا نفترق الآن ، أنت وأنا . أنت آخر شيء ألمسه قبل الذهاب للفراش وأول شيء أمد يدي له في الصباح . تتذكر مواعيد الأطباء ، وقوائم تسوقي ، وعيد زواجي . توفر صورًا متحركة ورموزاً احتفالية أستطيع ارسابها للأصدقاء في أعياد ميلادعم ، حتى يدور بخلدهم " أووه بالونات متحركة !" بدلاً من أن ينجرح شعورهم لأنني أرسل رسالة نصية بدلاً من الاتصال ، أنت تسهّل تفسير استراتيجياتي في التجنب على أنها مراعاة للمشاعر ، وأنا ممتنة لهذا .
أيها الهاتف ، أنت مذهل . وأنا أعني هذا حرفياً : فأنت لا تتيح لي فقط أن أسافر عبر الزمان والمكان ، وإنما يذهلني عدد الليالب التي سهرت فيها لثلاث ساعات بعد موعد نومي محدقة في شاشتك ، لا يسعني حصر المرات التي ذهبنا للفراش معاً وكان علي أن أقرص نفسي لأرى إن كنت أحبم ؛وصدقني ، أريد أن أحلم ، لأننا منذ التقينا يبدو وأن شيئاً يعبث بنومي
بفضلك لا أحتاج أبداً لحمل هم أن أكون وحيدة وفي أي وقت أكون قلقة أو منزعجة تقدم لعبة أو شريط أخبار أو فيديو لباندا واسع الانتشار ليشتتني عن مشاعري . وماذا عن الملل ؟ منذ بضعة أعوام فقط ، كنت في أحيان كثيرة لا أجد لنفسي سبيلاً آخر لتمضية الوقت غير أن أستغرق في حلم يقظة أو ربما أفكر
آما الان ،فلا يمكنني حتى أن أتذكر آخر مرة شعرت فيها بالملل ، ومن ناحية أخرى ، لا يمكنني تذكر الكثير من الأشياء
أياً كان . قصدي مما سبق هو أنني أشعر بأني لا أستطيع العيش من دونك
ولذلك يصعب عليا للغاية أن أخبرك بأننا
يجب أن نقطع علاقتنا ببعضنا البعض ❤

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I told my phone "I love you, but I'm not in love with you."

[Luke Kono · Rating 3 out of 5]

✒︎3 stars

I'm not entirely sure what to think of this book.... Normally, I'd probably have never thought to pick up this book, but I'm planning on making a YouTube video reading through a certain set of books and this was one of them.

I personally would not say I'm anywhere near addicted to my phone as some people are (not being judgy, just making a statement.) In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that I have to use social media a decent amount for my job, I probably would rarely use my phone. I've honestly never had an average screen time more than 5 hours (even though a lot of that is mostly from inactive use, like leaving a YouTube video on in the background.) I say all this to say that I mostly don't have a bad relationship with my phone... but it's definitely not good. My phone is the first thing I touch in the morning, the last thing I use when I go to bed. I find myself reaching for it whenever I'm feeling just a little antsy or bored. Most importantly, I find that my relationship with the internet as a whole is extremely unhealthy due to my obsessive tendencies. While I would have never opted to read this book on my own time, I still got some useful insights from it.

"The problem isn't smartphones themselves. The problem is our relationships with them."

The first half of the the book outlines why phones are bad for our mental health. The second half is a 30-day plan to "break up" with your phone. I found that some of the insights that Price had were really useful for me, such as the questions she had us ask ourselves to evaluate the relationships we have with our phones. I finally ended up making some changes that I'd intended on making with my phone after reading this book. On the other hand, some of the info was not very new. I know that me spending a lot of time obsessively googling stuff is not good. I know that most of my social media use is a waste of time. While the info that Price was suppling was not new to me, I did personally find her input on everything to be helpful, and while I did not strictly follow the 30-day outline, again, I did find some of the information outlined helpful. I also appreciated how Price was not strictly anti-phone and made it clear that establishing a healthy relationship with your phone is more important that just cutting yourself off from it completely (which would be extremely unrealistic.)

I think that this was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. I did appreciate some of the content, but for me it wasn't life changing or something that I would go back and re-read over and over again.

✂︎----------

Check me out on other platforms!

✒︎Instagram
✒︎YouTube
✒︎Patreon

[Sleepless Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I read this on my phone, does it count as cheating?

I picked this book up because I've been finding myself turning to my phone way too much while studying. It's not who I used to be and I really feel like it has a negative impact. And genuinely, I'm scared for my generation because truly, phones are amazing and I would never speak against their contribution to society but also, it feels like we're being controlled by these tech masterminds.

Like, I realized a while ago that the reason why I've stayed so long on goodreads has to do with the fact that I feel like this website isn't trying to manipulate me (or, it's doing it so well I can't even recognize it). I feel like Google and Facebook are just terrifying and that it's only a matter of time before there will be a clash between the governments and these huge companies.

In any case, this book is split into two. The first part goes into the negative impact of phones. I'm assuming that most of it won't be very new to you but somehow, when it's all put together in this way, it's fairly startling. The second part is a 30 day plan to break up and rebuild your connection to your phone. As a disclaimer, I don't like 30 day plans and don't intend to use it this way.

However, Price has some really solid suggestions. The writing is really easy to get into and she comes across as the perfect blend of intelligent and casual. It was fun to read this book, despite the sense of impending panic and doom as I think about the fact that in these very moments I am willingly giving away information that I wouldn't give away if you knocked on my door and asked me to. Ahhh.

A lot of this book wasn't very relevant for me. As a Jew, I already take weekly 24 hour breaks from my phone and have to admit that yes, it is great not to be with my phone but also, I think the reunion with my phone once Shabbat ends shows that there's a problem. I've been playing around with trying to study on Shabbat evenings before looking at my phone and it's remarkable how hard that is to do. I'll start writing a paper and my brain will go, "huh, I wonder if my friend answered that long email I sent her and if someone on our whatsapp group has any insights about this paper and if my friend responded to that text".

I definitely agree with Price's point that it's time to reevaluate. I want to make sure that I use my phone time in the right way. Even if I don't spend time on my phone in the mornings and my phone is forever on silent, I still feel like my sense of focus is getting hurt and that I use the internet in a passive escapist way.

If you're looking for a fun and short read about phones, this is a great one! I especially recommend it if you've found yourself wasting 3 hours a day on your phone (or more, as I have realized I do).

Best Tips:
- Ask yourself what's the best thing that could happen if you look at your phone right now. What's the likelihood of that happening? Can that wait until later?
- Every time you check your phone, ask yourself what is your purpose in doing so. This has been super helpful in the last few days. When you find yourself drifting into other places on your phone, you can remind yourself that you opened it for a specific reason and that you will close it when you are done.
- Ask yourself why do you feel the urge to be on your phone right now. Are you anxious? Bored? Nervous? Are other people on their phones? What can you do instead of being on your phone right now?
- I added an app that notifies me after every 5 minutes on Facebook and it's amazing. Like seriously, having that reminder really helps me keep track of time.
- Using an alarm clock is apparently a good idea but ugh, I'm too lazy to go buy one.

Uni Adventures
- It is very likely that I got a higher grade in math than in logics.
- Which is not very surprising when you consider I have an honored tradition of getting terrible grades in philosophy.
- I like to think I'm lowering expectations so I will surprise everyone later.
- Up until today, I've never understood what people mean when they say they stare at an exam and forget everything. And then today, I stared at a question in logics that I absolutely knew how to solve and for a solid 5 minutes could not figure out how to do it and I'm just like, "ah, so that's what it feels like, would not recommend".
- Am I going to write a paper about anarchism and suggest that that will solve the immigration crisis? Absolutely!
- Other people in my year: Go to the TA to fight about their grade. Me: goes to my TA to share a fun anecdote about Canada.
- Gosh, I embarrassed myself so many times yesterday. Like, an impressive amount, even in regards to myself. Really, the only positive thing that I can think of was that there was this woman who was being fairly rude to me and I found the spirit of Jesus and managed to keep my calm and then in the end of the night, she apologized.
- Also, two really lovely old Dutch guys and this gang of really attractive and stylish Germans and these 2 really enthusiastic Spanish speakers and the really warm and friendly Arabic speakers and I literally am in love with every Russian speaker I meet and damn, Israelis are simultaneously the most annoying nationality but also the ones who laugh at my jokes the most.
- Will I get a good grade in Ethics? Will I manage to pass Econ? Next week is very scary.

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, the irony of me reading How To Break Up With Your Phone on an app on my phone whilst I’m struggling to sleep. This book isn’t about completely abandoning technology, but establishing boundaries with it. Not letting it rule us and control our lives. This can be extra hard for those of us, like me, who use it as a crutch for my anxiety and to self soothe. The modern cellphone really does appeal to my ADHD brain especially.
I try to have a Digital Detox before bed most evenings now and read either a physical book or, on my Kindle devices. If I do reach for my phone, I have a variety of reading apps like the Kindle to carry on with those books, this Headway app for non-fiction learning specifically, and Shonen Jump for Manga.

Whilst this may not contain a vast amount of new information, I agreed with most of the points raised here, even if sometimes they were posed in a bit of a self-righteous way from the author.

3.5 Stars

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually drawn to self-help books and when the rare one catches my eye I can't help but approach it skeptically. But this little book is surprisingly holistic in its approach, balancing practical phone tips and tools with deeper evaluations about what deserves your attention. The style is down to earth, careful not to demonize all smartphone usage, and realistic about what can be expected as you work through your own established goals.

My phone habits have already drastically changed for the better just by uninstalling all social media apps, switching off most notifications, buying a wristwatch, charging my phone in another room overnight, and using an app to monitor my usage. These all seem like rather obvious solutions, but sometimes it takes reading a book to work up the motivation to do it all at once.

I'm a public librarian that teaches tech classes and after reading this I'm contemplating designing smartphone addiction sessions using this book as a starter template.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narodski rečeno, autorka je otkrila rupu na saksiji.
Okej, da. Bez prestanka smo na mobilnim telefonima, možda nam i treba odmor. Ali napisati celu knjigu o tome i davati savete koji se... podrazumevaju? Nisam baš sigurna.
Jedino što Ameri znaju da uzmu ljudima pare, pa umeju da napišu self help knjigu o bilo čemu i to će se prodavati.
Ali ne hejtujem celu ideju o ovome. Ovde zapravo ima kul ideja koje vredi istražiti za razliku od knjige "Digitalni minimalizam" koju sam skoro isto pročitala.
Samo ono što mi je najviše smetalo jesu umetnuti citati drugih ljudi koji su navodno učestvovali u njenom eksperimentu. Zvučali su mi užasno lažno i delovalo mi je kao da ih je napisala jedna te ista osoba, tj. - sama autorka.

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It’s a good short read on how phones change us and a 30-day plan for cutting back on phone use. I plan to try it out and see how it works. The book is sparse which left we wanting a bit more in the first half. Loved the recommendations and suggestions for more tools and reads.

[Olivia | Liv's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this book! I learned so much about myself and didn’t realize why I was feeling certain emotions when using my phone. I learned lots of new tips and tricks on how to stay off my phone and be more engaged with people and things around me that are far more important in life. This was very impactful for me and needless to say, I can’t wait to take more phone fasts in the future!

The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is because it felt repetitive & info-dumpy at the beginning.

[Mark Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

'We feel busy but ineffective. Connected but lonely. The same technology that gives us freedom can also act like a leash'

Ironically, I'm writing all this on my phone.

Price is well-balanced and informative in assessing the extent that our phones negatively impact our lives, and how we can resolve it through direct, specific and intentional techniques.

This is not a book urging us to throw our phones away, more to set boundaries around frequency of usage, and reflecting on why we use it so much. Reducing phone usage provides many significant benefits, yet as is the case across the world, many continue using excessively regardless.
The statistics are alarming. In the UK alone we spend (or lose?) thirty days a year on screentime, significantly affecting attention span, memory and focus.

It's an addiction, which comes as no surprise as the techology is purposefully engineered for us to become dependent in the first place via manipulation of brain chemistry. It comes as no surprise then that the people making these products (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates) restricted their own children's access to much later in life.

Thus, they are well aware that the benefits of phones don't always outweigh the risks. And, like the drug dealer peddling heroin - they follow the old adage of not getting high on their own supply.

The book also provides a useful, tailored diary to follow in alleviating our usage and insight into general mindfulness practices which can be applied to other areas of life.

Worth a read!

[إلهام مزيود · Rating 4 out of 5]

على غير ما توقعت فقد أحببت الكتاب جدا، كنت قد قررت الابتعاد عن هاتفي منذ مدة لعدة أسباب وجدت الكاتبة تشاركني رأيها أو أشاركها الرأي، كل ما ذكرت كانت على صواب فيه.
بعد قطعي لتلك العلاقة المرضية عدت للقراءة بانتظام، تحسن نومي وابتعدت عن مسببات القلق والتوتر وأشياء أخرى كثيرة,
يكفي ما ضاع من الوقت في الحياة الافتراضية

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 years ago I found out I was Jewish and started practicing Sabbath (24-hours without electronics).

I noticed the effect my phone was having on me right away and made more changes, such practicing sabbath everyday at 7/8pm, removing all notifications (except calendar appointments), deleting all of my social media apps off my phone (except for 2 I needed for work, which I hid deep in a folder called "work" and goodreads). This helped tremendously. (How else do you think I read 250 books a year ;) lol)

For years I had anxiety, OCD, bouts of depression, on-going insomnia, stomach issues, and (severe) workaholism. These changes helped more than any therapy, yoga, or anything else I had tried.

Shortly after the last election, I deleted my personal Facebook account as well. (I was still using the web browser version prior). I didn't like the energy there. I wondered if it was causing me to be even more depressed. (It was). I let go of having 100 superficial friends and made 3 amazingly deep IRL friends instead.

I stopped reading the news (blocking cnn nyt etc from my browser) 7 years ago, which was EPIC, but admittedly slipped around the election. Realizing twitter = news, I retired from that too.

For the last few months, I'd been going back and forth with deleting my "work" folder, which contained an app for email & "work social media". A month ago I realized any time I went on those sites, even for a minute to post, I would end up feeling bad about myself, or angry, or depressed, or otherwise not well. I deleted those apps and decided not to do them for work, even if it meant having to change jobs or lose money. I can get a smaller apartment.

I was also SHOCKED to see I was still using my phone 2-4 hours PER DAY even after all that. Most of it was text messages. A little reference, some directions, some kindle books, some goodreads, some a coloring book app.

This book has helped me with that--I CALL people, use my brain to get around town (even if I sit in traffic oh well more time for audiobooks!), and bought crayons. I also deleted goodreads app last night).

Circling back a bit... a month ago, when I noticed even THINKING about opening instagram changed my mood, I started to wonder if I had PTSD (not addiction) with my phone/social media/the internet. Talking with a few people/experts about it, it seems that I DO have that. I couldn't find a book on that, but found this book and bought it after another friend said it helped her.

*****I've read it THREE TIMES. The research is SHOCKING.***

I'm doing some of the tips she suggests that I hadn't tried already... ANNND this might very well be my very last review ever on Goodreads. I can't say enough good things about breaking up with your phone.

[Sara Dahaabović]

I think we all used Screen time apps and were shocked by the time we spend on our phones.



In this book, Catherine Price gives some advice on how to break with your phone.
1- Disable all the notifications that you don't REALLY care about.
2- Your home screen should only include your most important apps like your email.
3- Before you sleep, put your phone outside your room and always have a book next to your bed instead, also you might want to invest in an alarm clock and that way you don't have the urge to use your phone as soon as you wake up.
4-Delete all your social media apps and use them only from your browser.
5-Use apps like Moment quality time and Flip to control the time you spend on your phone.
6-Spend some time thinking about how you want your relationship to be with your phone, Catherine emphasizes that you don't have to stop using your phone fully, but you should rather control that relationship the way you think is best for you and for your health.
7- On the second day be aware of why you have any urges to use your phone.
8- On the third day, get a journal or a notebook and write down the reasons why you want to use your phone and do that later in the day.
9- On the fourth day, try to leave your phone all day and remind yourself that it is okay and that YOU need this time off.
10- On the 5th day, try not to check your phone at all when you are talking to people.
11- On the 6th day, do one thing at a time! It's a myth that we can use our phone and do something else at the same time.
12- It's now the 7th day, you spent a week! reflect back on what you did and think of what you need to change.

May, 19, 2020.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

1 in 10 Americans look at their phone while having sex? What the hell is going on out there?!

This is a slim book that explores - well, what the title says. I've been interested in the research on how technology and social media is changing our species, so picked this up as part of that ongoing reading project.

A couple of years ago I realized that I did not like how I felt after spending time on social media apps, and deleted much of the stuff that was creating noise in my life. The positive results were almost instantaneous. Much of what this book covers is not really new to me, and I found the first half - the WHY - much more interesting that the second half - the HOW. This is a quick and easy, albeit disturbing, read, and if you have yet to realize just what tech companies are doing to you, your kids, and your communities, this would be a good place to start peeling back the curtains.

[Hizam · Rating 3 out of 5]

انا من احد الاشخاص الذين ينزعجون عندما يتفقد صديقه هاتفه في منتصف المحادثة او عندما يكون مشغول بالهاتف طوال الطريق والمرعب اكثر وهو يقود السيارة وانا بجانبه كراكب ..

لكن من ناحية تعاملي مع هاتفي " وانا أقدّر هاتفي، وأشعر بالامتنان على كل ما يتيح لي القيام به " تم الغاء جميع الاشعارات الا التي تكون مهمه ولها علاقة بالعائلة او العمل وكل نهاية اسبوع على الساعه 12:00 منتصف الليل اقوم بمسح جميع المحادثات الغير مهمه وجميع الرسائل البريد وال SMS وبنفس الوقت انسخ المهم منها واضعه بالملاحظات في حالت احتجت للعودة اليه وعند الخروج من المنزل اتفقد حالة الطريق والازدحامات المرورية لمره واحده فقط واجعل تركيزي الكامل على القيادة .

ورأيي في الكتاب انه من الممكن انه يُبين لك ان لديك ادمان على هاتفك الذكي وهل يحل مشكلة ادمانك على الهاتف لا اعتقد .
والان الى تصفح باقي التطبيقات ومواقع التواصل الاجتماعي قبل ما ابداء في الكتاب الثاني هههه