Shared on 1/15/2026
What surprised you most?
I was surprised by the amount of daily pickups! To me, 50 felt like a lot as I was filling in the form but turns out, it was more than double that in reality.
What does this help you understand about your relationship with your phone?
This helps me understand that I go to my phone like a crutch. When there is a slow moment in the day or if I'm bored, I'm very likely to pick up my phone. Even if there is no reason to do so.
How does phone use impact your daily life?
I think my phone usage makes me distracted. I use my phone to get advice, find recipes, learn about what's going on around the world or with people I know, but all of that causes information overload and I can easily lose track of what I was doing in the first place.
Most significant opportunity cost?
The opportunity to be more present and to allow myself to be bored. I think I could potentially get so much inspiration from being bored (I'm a very creative person) but I just never allow myself the time to do that because my phone is always pulling me in. Also, the opportunity to be more present in the moment instead of always internally calibrating what was or what's to come.
One change you will try over the next week
Over the next week, I will try to not pick up my phone as much. I don't want to say that I will avoid picking up my phone at all because that's not realistic but I want to be more mindful about reaching for my phone when there is no reason to do so. I will try to actively ask myself if there is a specific thing that I need on my phone and only pick it up to accomplish that task.