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A review by starliqhtly
How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price
4.0
reading and going through the exercises in this book has been really eye-opening and life changing. i was able to also do this along with my girlfriend and having that accountability and someone to discuss the book with made it a lot easier to actually stick with what the author asks you to do.
i finally deleted social media from my phone, which i have been wanting to do for years and years. now that i've done it and the world hasn't ended, i really don't know why it took me so long. i don't really miss them at all and i can always re-download the app or use it in a web browser if i really need something. even though i still have accounts just the act of deleting the apps from my phone has made my usage go way down and has improved my mood a ton.
it's not only social media, though. removing all unnecessary apps from my phone, turning off all notifications except for phone calls, and significantly reducing my screen time has helped me feel so much less anxious and stressed. i'm still struggling in some areas or going back to old habits every once in a while, digital tools really know how to keep you coming back, but having more awareness of how much it affects my life is making it a lot easier to try harder at changing my habits permanently.
one big thing i always struggled with that i really had no idea what was causing it, was feeling like i had no free time, but yet never feeling fulfilled or like i ever accomplished anything. i would see people talk about all the books they've read, shows they've watched, etc and truly not understand how that was possible. it felt like time worked differently for me. but these past few weeks limiting the time on my phone (and computer) changed all of that. i accomplished so many things and felt proud of myself for setting goals, such as this week we're going to finish this book, and actually sticking to that. and for a week or two i actually had a consistent sleep schedule because there was nothing to mindlessly waste time on so i would feel tired pretty early.
i could honestly go on and on about all that i've learned and the different tasks and suggestions this book has, but you'll just have to read it yourself and i truly would recommend it even if you feel like your relationship with your phone is already healthy. only giving this 4 instead of 5 stars because i feel like it could've gone into more detail in the first half, it was super short and surface level. and some of the second part, the 30-day plan, got pretty repetitive at the end. it was the first two-ish weeks + the 24-hour period away from your phone that did the most change for me and everything else just felt like filler.
i finally deleted social media from my phone, which i have been wanting to do for years and years. now that i've done it and the world hasn't ended, i really don't know why it took me so long. i don't really miss them at all and i can always re-download the app or use it in a web browser if i really need something. even though i still have accounts just the act of deleting the apps from my phone has made my usage go way down and has improved my mood a ton.
it's not only social media, though. removing all unnecessary apps from my phone, turning off all notifications except for phone calls, and significantly reducing my screen time has helped me feel so much less anxious and stressed. i'm still struggling in some areas or going back to old habits every once in a while, digital tools really know how to keep you coming back, but having more awareness of how much it affects my life is making it a lot easier to try harder at changing my habits permanently.
one big thing i always struggled with that i really had no idea what was causing it, was feeling like i had no free time, but yet never feeling fulfilled or like i ever accomplished anything. i would see people talk about all the books they've read, shows they've watched, etc and truly not understand how that was possible. it felt like time worked differently for me. but these past few weeks limiting the time on my phone (and computer) changed all of that. i accomplished so many things and felt proud of myself for setting goals, such as this week we're going to finish this book, and actually sticking to that. and for a week or two i actually had a consistent sleep schedule because there was nothing to mindlessly waste time on so i would feel tired pretty early.
i could honestly go on and on about all that i've learned and the different tasks and suggestions this book has, but you'll just have to read it yourself and i truly would recommend it even if you feel like your relationship with your phone is already healthy. only giving this 4 instead of 5 stars because i feel like it could've gone into more detail in the first half, it was super short and surface level. and some of the second part, the 30-day plan, got pretty repetitive at the end. it was the first two-ish weeks + the 24-hour period away from your phone that did the most change for me and everything else just felt like filler.