Recap of Week 1 of the Phone Breakup Challenge
And an updated version of the accompanying workbook
Friends:
Thank you to everyone who has been actively participating in the February Phone Breakup Challenge and our paid subscriber group support chat. It has been wonderful to read your comments and questions—and to see you reacting to and supporting each other. What a NICE use of the internet!
As a reminder, the February Phone Breakup Challenge is your opportunity to do the four-week plan in the revised edition of How to Break Up With Your Phone with other people. Over the course of the month, I’m sending out weekly newsletters featuring advice and suggestions based on that week of the plan.
As an extra layer of support, paid subscribers have access to a private group chat on Substack where I share daily assignments, and we get to interact with and support each other—and hold each other (gently) accountable. It’s not too late to join us (or recruit friends)!
And also, thank you to everyone who has bought the book and has recommended it to friends and shared it on their social media accounts. Publishing (and publicizing) a book takes a village, and I truly appreciate your support.
Announcing an Updated Workbook
Over the years, many people have requested a workbook for How to Break Up With Your Phone — so I created a printable PDF workbook (delivered as a digital download) designed to be used alongside the book. I’m happy to say that it’s now fully revised and updated to reflect the changes in the new edition. It’s certainly possible to go through the plan without the workbook, but if you think it’d be helpful, here you go.
Paid subscribers get a 50% discount! (Keep reading past the paywall for the code.)
Housekeeping and Logistics:
If you have additional questions about the challenge, I’ve put together an FAQ here.
It’s also come to my attention that Amazon’s algorithm has been prioritizing the old version of the book in its search results. (Thanks, Amazon! Super helpful!) If you are ordering a copy of the book, please make sure it is the updated and revised edition. The updated edition has a red notification bubble on the cover that says, “Revised and Updated,” and a quote from Jon Haidt. (If you end up with the old version, please contact Amazon directly; I have no control over this. It is very frustrating.)
Oh, hi. I’m revised.
Lastly:
Paid subscribers: I’m including a day-by-day recap below of what we’ve done so far (i.e. the daily exercises from the paid subscriber chat), in case it’s useful to see it all in one place.
Everyone: Here’s a link back to this Monday’s kickoff newsletter, if you want to review it. I’ll send you your next weekly overview on Monday the 10th. For now, I suggest experimenting with deleting one of your most problematic apps (the news, anyone?) and leaving it off your phone till Monday.
To scrolling less and living more,
Week 1 Recap:
Day 1: Baseline and Goal-Setting
Welcome to Day 1 of the Feb Phone Breakup Challenge! This week we’re going to focus on establishing a baseline and setting goals. Let’s start by figuring out where you are RIGHT NOW. Please take a minute to look at your phone’s screen time settings and figure out how much time, on average, you’re spending on your phone each day. (If you don’t know how to do this, do an internet search for your phone’s model and “screen time.“) Drop your answers into the chat. Commiserate with each other. For more info on today’s assignment, check out pp. 100-102 of How to Break Up With Your Phone.