Pt. 2 of Brain Fried By My Phone

I’m very privileged and grateful to be able to visit my girlfriend’s parents on the Gold Coast in Australia. I vowed to be present on the coast this Christmas. I released this hold to stay true to a content calendar, strategy and consistent output. I let videos go un-posted and I packed a book that Sarah bought me. Lucky for me, she knows me well and it wasn’t just any old book.

It was a book called ‘Stolen Focus’ by Johann Hari and I think it’s the first book I have ever read cover to cover. In that book, I learned that the shame I was experiencing (from not being present in 2024) was a shared experience for many, particularly the author. Hari is a writer and journalist who has been very vocal about how we are in the midst of an attention crisis that’s blocking us from leaning back into the things that really matter. 

Factors such as the addictive nature of our phones and devices, our polluted environments, our poor diets, our lack of time outdoors, lack of connectivity, and more create a perfect storm for our attention spans to be ruined both inside and outside of work. Hari’s words were meaningful to me because they reminded me that there were incredibly powerful forces that were steering me off-course, and whilst I had agency to resist and repel, it’s no wonder we’re all getting collectively cooked. Back in 2021 (at the time of writing), he proposed that collective activism is our antidote; demanding that governments take action, banding together to resist the forces that are expertly designed to grab us and suck us in. Whilst that feels almost like a fantasy in light of recent events, it’s pretty epic to imagine us all coming together and demanding change; maybe it will happen.

In the meantime, I’ve been using an app called Freedom (that Hari recommends) which has been locking me out of short-form content apps; seemingly the only Apps that I’m truly weary of and most definitely not the only ones I should be weary of. When I click on said app, I get a green screen and a reminder from Freedom telling me I am free. I can get back into the app but I have to go through the extra steps to get back in, and that’s where I rise above and resist. I’ve been using it for months and it’s been pretty helpful. Hari goes a step further with a device called a ‘Ksafe’, that you lock your phone in - I haven’t tried it, though. I’ve also rid myself of a news widget, which means I’m no longer getting served the headlines about problems I can’t fix. Less bad news and doomscrolling at the start of the day is definitely helping me kick off the day with a lighter, more positive narrative.

Christmas Day was the first day in distant memory I haven’t been on the apps (or my phone). I read my entire book over the break and I was so present, happier than I have been, and my training sessions were enjoyable and enriching. Mind you, I also crashed my bike, but I dealt with that pretty well to be honest… it was all good and I was just grateful to be alive. Even in spite of such a shock to the system, everything has already started to feel lighter and less pressurised over the last few months.

Anyway, if you’re like me and you’ve felt like you have to be productive every minute of every day, read the book, download the app, call your Mum (or that person for you) - and finally - reply to this email if you ended up spending more time outside, with your loved ones, or just being present after doing so. I’d love to debrief!

 It’s never easy but we can always rise above.