Week 3 of the February Phone Breakup Challenge
Let's get your attention span back!
Friends: Welcome to Week 3 of the February Phone Breakup Challenge. I’m so glad you’re here.
As a reminder, The February Phone Breakup Challenge is your opportunity to do the 30-day plan in How to Break Up With Your Phone with other people (and me!).
The challenge officially began in early February, though you can jump in at any time (the archive of previous newsletters is here). The goal isn’t to dump your smartphone; it’s to create a new relationship with your phone that feels good.
All subscribers (paid and free) receive a weekly newsletter from me featuring advice and suggestions based on that week of the book’s 30-day plan (i.e. what you’re reading right now).
Paid subscribers also have access to a private “phone breakup support group chat” on Substack where I share more detailed daily assignments. The chat is where subscribers interact with each other, ask questions, and share experiences, resources and advice. The conversation is already going strong, and I would love to have you join us!
This Week’s Theme: Rebuilding Our Attention Spans
The first week of the Phone Breakup Challenge was focused on establishing a baseline and setting goals for yourself. The second week was about setting boundaries.
This week, our goal is to start rebuilding our atrophied attention spans.
Meditate with Dan Harris
Meditation is one of the best ways to do so, and so I asked my friend Dan Harris—meditation expert, former Good Morning America host, host of the 10% Happier podcast, and the author of his own excellent Substack—if he’d join me (and you) for a live chat and meditation.
Save the Date: Substack Live with Dan Harris, Tuesday, February 18 from 12-12:30pm ET! ← That’s TOMORROW
I’ll be asking Dan some questions about what meditation is and why it’s so helpful for strengthening our attenion spans, and then Dan will lead us in a short, live meditation.
How to Watch:
All subscribers can watch live via the Substack app or the Substack website. I'll send out an email tomorrow with a direct link when we go live. Paid subscribers will also receive a link to the full recording afterwards.
But I don’t wanna meditate!
That’s fine; you don’t have to. (Though I’ll say that many people are initially skeptical about meditation—Dan was, too!—so I encourage you to tune in tomorrow and give it a five-minute go.)
Regardless, here’s another surprisingly effective way to start to rebuild your attention span:
Read a Book.
More specifically, choose something you want to read (ideally in paper, not on an eBook), put your phone in the other room, and read for ten minutes a day. (Don’t worry if this feels hard at first; it will get easier.)
Pro Tip: As you know, I strongly recommend getting your phone out of your bedroom at night. Well, what a perfect time to rebuild your attention span by reading! Put a book on your bedside table where the phone used to be, and spend ten minutes before bed reading the book instead of scrolling through your phone.
Why this works:
The act of reading requires us to focus on and interpret the words on the page while ignoring everything else. It’s an excellent way to start to rebuild your ability to sustain your concentration. Also, many people tell me that one of the main reasons they want to break up with their phones is so that they can read more books. A double win!
Keep this up, and by the end of our breakup, you may have several books under your belt. That’s what happened to New York Times technology reporter Kevin Roose when I coached him through a phone breakup several years ago (he wrote about his experience in an excellent article that went viral): over the course of just 30 days, he read a ridiculous number of books.
Get Ready for Your Trial Separation
Lastly: this Friday night, I invite you to join me and other readers in the most dramatic (but, in many cases, the most rewarding) experience of this whole challenge: the “Trial Separation” — a chance to go a full 24 hours without your phone.
Everyone finds the idea terrifying, but many people have told me that it’s the part of the challenge that they enjoyed the most.
For more detailed instructions (and accountability and support), become a paid subscriber and come on over to the chat.
Phone Breakups on CBS Mornings
Lastly, on Friday I had the opportunity to join the hosts of CBS Mornings for a special Valentine’s Day segment about phone breakups. Here’s the segment if you’d like to check it out; thank you to everyone who tuned in!
Here’s to scrolling less, living more, and learning how to focus again,
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Good Morning America Segment with Dan Harris
Get the Book:
The February Phone Breakup Challenge traces the steps in the book’s 30-day plan, so for maximum effect, it’s best to have a copy.
Announcing the 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! I’ll put the code into today’s paid subscriber chat (Day 8).
Questions? Issues? Start with the FAQ!
I’ve tried my best to address your most common questions in the FAQ (including how to use the chat feature).
One week ago, I started doing Morning Pages (writing two pages, any subject, with the goal to not stop writing until the pages are full. Julia Cameron developed this practice in The Artist's Way 25 years ago. ) instead of scrolling news when I wake up. I feel infinitely better and recommend it highly. Tom M
Similarly to Kevin and others - I've read three books since I've started this challenge :D I love having the time to sit down and read a book with my dog sitting next to me. So much better than scrolling mindlessly on a phone screen!