I Bricked My Phone

Social media seems to be the biggest time drain in my day-to-day life. With all these apps fighting for our attention, it's easy to understand why it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day. Big tech gave us lazy solutions to complicated problems like screen time limits and app timers. The issue? You can bypass them with a single click. If a digital lock can be broken with one or two clicks, it's not a real boundary; it's simply a suggestion.

This is something I have struggled with for a long time. I went with a dumb phone, but there are features on a smartphone that are genuinely helpful: tap-to-pay, GPS, multifactor authentication, etc. I came right back to my smartphone after a few months and fell back into my same doom-scrolling habits immediately. That is, until I discovered Brick.

Brick is a minimalist anti-tech tool that simply introduces a little bit of friction into your digital life. It’s a physical device - a small magnetic block that you can place anywhere you'd like. I leave mine on my fridge. The Brick device connects to the Brick app, which is where you restrict all your distracting apps. You simply hold down the Brick icon in the phone app, and those apps are locked down - their notifications vanish.  The only way to unlock them is to physically tap your phone against the Brick. If you leave home, that phone remains bricked for the entirety of the day.

My average screen time drops by around 30% on the days my phone is bricked. I am significantly more present and attentive. I find myself being a better worker, a better friend, and investing more time in hobbies when social media becomes unavailable. I've also noticed that even if I am home, that small amount of friction prevents me from walking to the kitchen and unlocking my apps. The delay exposes my impulses for what they are - a craving for cheap dopamine rather than an actual need.

I find that Brick has given me hours of my life back. It delivers what the dumb phone promises, without an extreme compromise, and it will continue to be a pillar of my daily routine.