Selling Our Attention

1. Day 8: Say no to notifications: Turn all notifications on your phone off except call and messaging.
2. Day 9: The life-changing magic of tidying app: Tidy your apps based on two criteria: steal your time and improve your daily life.
3. Day 10: Change where you charge.  If you charg...

This action plan should be spread out over the course of 30 days, divided in four weeks:

1. Day 1: Download a tracking app: A tracking app will tell you how many hours you spend on your phone
2. Day 2: Assess your current relationship with your phone.
3. Day 3: Start paying atte...

You’ve probably heard this one before — about how the blue light given off by your phone can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns. Your brain needs to identify the absence of blue light in order to produce the sleep hormone melatonin? And because melatonin is what regulates your sleep cycle and tel...

• Your brain is constantly changing, and your smartphone is accelerating the change. Through thought and practice, we can change the structure and function of our brains.
• When we are using our phones, we are in a state of focused distraction. A state that is particularly good at creati...

Several studies show a relationship between heavy smartphone use and negative effects such as neuroticism, self-esteem, depression, impulsivity, self-identity, empathy, and sleep problems.

Smartphones engage in disruptive behavio...

To hook users on their products, social media apps rely on the power of intermittent reinforcements.

Intermittent reinforcements are variable reinforcements that are always new and surprising.

Smartphones also tap into our fear of missing out (FOMO). ...

Although we’re well aware of the dangers of certain types of tech habits, what could simply checking our phones hurt?

We might not realize it, but each time we compulsively check our phones, we’re programming ourselves to develop a technology addiction, one that can start our innocent and d...

1. Day 15: Stop, breathe and be: When tempted to reach for your phone, stop what you are doing, take a slow breath, and feel what you are experiencing.
2. Day 16: Practice pausing: Practice pausing before you reach out for...

To maximize the amount of time that we spend on our phones, designers manipulate our brain chemistry in ways that create addictive behaviors.

Many of the techniques that they use involve a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is central to motivation, and its release is what makes us excited....

The damage that smartphones do to our brains is reversible. You can improve your concentration, rebuild your attention span and improve your memories.

The first step to taking back your life is to practice mindfulness. Practice paying attention to how your cravings feel emo...

• Studies show that the more we use social media, the less happy we become.
• Humans are terrible at multitasking. Even those who believe that they are great at multitasking are not. Our brains can only process one cognitively demanding task at a time.
• Multitasking is not only ex...