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4.5-5 hours average which is what I expected. I definitely feel addicted to my phone and the pandemic only aggravated it. I feel like I used to be on social media less and now I’m aimlessly scrolling on apps for hours on end with no real reason, just because it’s SOMETHING to do. While I am able to separate myself when doing a different task like when I’m working or if I’m hanging out with friends and family, if I have down time it’s always on my phone. I do think turning my phone into grayscale was one of the most effective strategies that I might do again when I see myself using my phone too much. It definitely made social media use way less appealing.

I think what feels most addicting is that I rely on my phone for multiple things, like searching for stuff when it pops in my head, shopping, communicating with family, looking up recipes, creating shopping lists, keeping track of my finances, as well as social media use etc.

I think the weekend was the hardest part because I spend so much time vegging out on my phone when I’m not working, so it made me reflect on whether I could be spending my time better and making more of an effort to play more with my kid rather than reinforcing how important screens are in our home. (Lots of guilt there).

I think I will try to spend less than 4 hours a day on my phone and set time limits on social media apps moving forward.

The best advice I can give is to not get angry if you don’t accomplish the limitation you set for yourself, but take it step by step and not quit it all cold turkey. Gradually limit the way you use your phone and find alternatives if possible. It’s ok to notice that you’re dependent on your phone and that doesn’t make you a bad person, but you should try and see if that’s behavior you’d like to keep up or change. I guess the first step is realizing whether you see this as “a problem.”

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I started this challenge with good intentions!  For the first half of the week I tracked my screen time and did the suggested activities. Thursday and Friday I was working at a show doing recording and running light cues, and I didn't really time to use my phone in a recreational way!  Since then I was mostly busy with my lowercase version of Shabbat (see below) and then music projects, so again: not a lot of time to use my phone or think about the challenges, so… I didn't.

That said, I noticed some things:

I never really dug into the Screen Time app before outside of the notifications it sends me about screen-time averages. I found it interesting/horrifying that before the deceleration I was picking up my phone about 92 times a day (let's round it up to an even hundred). For the days I was thinking about the deceleration I did notice that figure drop to 70 or less.

Charging the phone in a different room really helped curb the temptation to reach for the phone in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, which was nice.

Before this challenge I had already started a weekly (and weak!) version of keeping Shabbat, which mostly means that my wife and I make a nice meal and don't look at screens for Friday night and Saturday day (reading and walking are big substitutes). This has felt really nice because not only is it a break from phones, it's a break from computers and the internet in general.

Sorry for copping out halfway through this! It was fun to know that it was happening.

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I spend 2 to 5 hours/day on my phone. I absolutely feel addicted to it, especially when I pay more attention to my screen time.

I don’t know if I have much more control than I did before, though I’m much more aware of those moments I grab for my phone mindlessly.

I use it primarily as a procrastination or distraction tool to avoid responsibilities and uncomfortable situations.

I also have a habit of looking up anything I might be wondering at any moment (ex: “who’s that in this show I’m watching, what else have they been in, oh wow look who they’re related to”). I’ve even sometimes gone so far as to stop listening to someone actively in conversation with me to look up something they said (most people surprisingly do not like this).

Not using my phone on transit. I didn’t plan any alternatives for that day, like bringing a book or sudoku. Though I did bring more non-phone entertainment when I was at the airport this weekend, as a result of this challenge.

There were moments where not using my phone felt like a really great, intentional choice. Usually at meal times or before bed. That time became more enjoyable and I felt like time wasn’t moving so uncomfortably fast.

There were other times I felt incredibly annoyed I couldn’t use it, and times when I was searching for an excuse that would be valid enough to break a certain challenge.

There were also instances where I was trying really hard not to use my phone and the mere presence of one in the room with me - either mine or someone I was with using theirs, would also annoy me. For me, these moments in particular really highlighted just how unhealthy my relationship with my phone has become.

I’m going to keep my phone away from my bed at night. Not only has it made my screen time go down, but I got more sleep last week.

Deleting Tiktok (which I actually did before this challenge) has been the best thing for me. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to have a healthier relationship with it or use it less, but getting rid of it entirely has been my best option so far.

I would encourage people to try out the screen time/ digital wellbeing features that their phone has, but just being mindful of screen time is the most helpful thing overall. I’ve tried to use app timers, and currently use various focus modes to lock me out of apps. Though I don’t think we can rely on our phones to be the sole thing regulating our phone time.

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My screen time average was 4 hours. The digital deceleration made me aware of all the passive things I use my phone for because it’s convenient: GPS, cookbook, crossword puzzle, music, television on in the background while doing art projects: these things added up, and my screen time was significantly higher than I thought it would be, even without a lot of social media scrolling. I don’t think of myself as being on my phone all the time, but I felt very observed in all of my phone usage, even though it was me doing the observing. Mindfulness can be uncomfortable.

My most frequently used app every day was Messages, which doesn’t surprise me. I’m frequently long-distance with my partner and friends. The hardest challenge was no notifications. The only apps I let notify me on vibrate are the phone functions (texts, calls, facetime), and I frequently put those on Do Not Disturb as well, but I found myself checking my phone more throughout the day without the alerts on, and leaving the screen open longer, because I was still communicating with people.

I liked the grayscale, and I often read a print book on the train anyway, but I read significantly more in print this week than I typically do, because I was focusing on not using my phone on the train.  I didn’t notice a change in my mood, but I’m excited by how much I read. It turns out that leaving my phone in a different room, or being with people, is the best way for me to not reach for it and get distracted.

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USAGE and BEHAVIOR CHANGE

My cell phone behavior was so regular that logging down usage was not really effective in changing or altering my behavior. It was, however, a chance to reflect on what a large portion of my personal time I spend on the phone. Upon looking at my numbers for the week (which I ironically let the phone track for me instead of maintaining the list myself), I realize that I leave a lot of my free time up to the roulette wheel of passive consumption of media using sites like reddit or viewing random pages in lore based websites that interest me. My attempts to decrease my usage are mostly impeded by my desire to relax outside of work hours. I prefer to just turn my planning brain off. I think this is an OK strategy, but not when combined with a random content generator like Reddit. It leads to a random result in my mood or focus for the whole time that I am using my cell phone. It also is a never ending cycle that while distracting and potentially relaxing, tends to spillover into other things I could do that may be more fulfilling.

I also observed that I spend 50-75 percent of my free time listening to music. I don’t necessarily find this to be a problem as music can keep my thoughts from wandering and my brain from worrying. I even listen to podcasts I have listened to before so that I have sense of comfort when I do not listen to them but merely have them on as background noise.

BIGGEST CHALLENGES

I found it very hard to keep my phone away from my sleeping area because it is really worked into my bedtime routine. I usually turn podcasts or soothing music on and run it from my phone as a signal that it is time to go bed and get some rest. On reflection, I’m not sure this is a bad use, but I do think I could lock other features of my phone besides music at a certain time of night to keep me from getting distracted by other features of my phone like the comic book reader.

I also found the alarm clock replacement really infuriating. It had way less features than my phone for controlling alarm times as well as the sounds that I want to hear when I wake up. I do love the addition of a clock face that I can look at which is not my phone.

I also had a lot of trouble tracking my usage through the week. I tried to focus on completing each part every morning, but found it hard to even think about my phone at work. When I got home, I had a hard time thinking about doing anything that seemed like work. My separation between work behavior and home behavior was the largest challenge really. It is almost as if my phone use exists in some weird liminal space where I can’t be bothered to do anything but look at my phone. I am glad this is at least contained to times when I am home and by myself that way no one is relying on me.

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My phone screen time averaged around 3 hours a day over the past week. The most time I spent was 5 and a half hours and the least was 2 hours and 15 minutes. While the time was more than I would like, I thought the amount of times I unlocked my phone in a day was more worrying; I would unlock my phone 51 times a day on average, with the most being 71 times in a day! Looking back at my screen time really showed me the issues I have with my phone. I think I’m addicted to looking for something to entertain me. Reducing the amount of times I unlock my phone should help me not waste so much time in the day.

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I use my phone for communication for work and with family, which I am fine with. I also use my phone to read the NYT, do the crossword and wordle, and get recipes from the NYT cooking app, activities that I am also fine with.

I do sometimes spend more time on Instagram than I would like, especially at night when I’m tired. Scrolling through home decor sites is my weakness.

The grayscale screen was probably the hardest challenge. I’ve become more used to it now and may do this occasionally in the future.

When my kids are home, I think I will charge my phone out of my bedroom. It feels like a healthier, calmer, more mindful way to end and begin the day.

Charging my phone out of my bedroom.

I would advise just giving it a try! Anticipate the awkward, anxious feeling of not having it as a crutch, and try to tolerate that feeling.

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My screen time averages were higher than I expected. However, I am wondering if this is due to using an app for an extended period of time (Citibike/maps) - honestly - some of the timing just didn’t add up!

Did I feel addicted? No, not really, but the use of Laura W.’s word ‘liminal’ in her video reflection was significant as it highlighted how I use my phone when I am in liminal / transitional moments. Much of my input (thinking) and output (creative expression) has to do with the concept of liminality. Therefore, my use of phones during these times seems out of touch with my larger aesthetics and intentions. I am experiencing these liminal moments LESS by looking at my phone. Intention: make an effort to eliminate this conflict by no longer looking at my screen while en route. Intention 2: remove the few regular notifications I receive. No more NYTimes notifications! No more To Good to Go! I like it. Thank you!  Intention 3 & 4: charge in another room;  say farewell to phone earlier, not go to charge right when I sleep. Intention 4: for timed classroom exercises, use a simple stopwatch. Intention 5:  make an effort to check email less frequently on the phone. Intention 6: I will read more about media literacy. More reflections…. The cartoons that were sent as part of the daily challenge informed the above intentions. The cartoons were funny, direct, scary, and wry.  My hardest challenge was the grey scale. I couldn’t stand it and I didn’t do it. The only way it would have helped me use my phone less was by literally destroying my phone or throwing it away. The grey scale was so lacking in aesthetics and I had to go to Ikea that day to get stuff and done is done. I really couldn’t stand it - and I recall my family getting our first color TV (which I remember hurting my eyes as a child), but, the aesthetics of a Smart Phone ally with a color screen. When form and function don’t ally (aka grey scale challenge), that is too much for me. Enough on the grey scale!  I felt positive changes in my focus and attention and mood. An exception: discussing the deceleration and showing them the initial intake form. They weren’t into it. That was a drag.  In terms of advice: here’s a story. When I was sixteen years old, I was traveling in Europe and wanted to arrange to meet my friend Lucy. It was late June. As there was no way to coordinate travel plans (via our parents who had no answering machines? Via letter sent to an ‘American Express Poste Restante’ (look it up!)? Via text or email - far far far in the future.  So… while still in NYC, we agreed to meet on August 5, 12 noon, under the Mona Lisa. Many meals, train rides, borders (for both of us) later, we met. It was an incredible reunion. How grateful I am for that moment. Embedded/emobdied in our agreement were ideals of trust and commitment, patience, calm, and chance. Now? “Oh, hey, can we make it a day earlier/later? Not at all? Can we meet outside the museum? It’s such a nice day… the trains aren’t running on schedule / I need a coffee … and on and on.” And, guess what? If we hadn’t wound up meeting, that would have been CHANCE and AIR, two things that I believe young people need more of. So, in addition to the above, I hope there is some advice in the above story. Go to the CORE of the concern. Which has to do with delight. Become media literate and/or savvy not because it is a challenge to overcome but because it is a beautiful gift!

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At one point during the week my screen time was down 72% from previous weeks. The Weeknd screwed things up a little bit but overall I ended up having a week that was down 32%. That still feels good. I only have one social media app that I use, so rather than deleting it, I put a time limit of 15 minutes on it. That’s a Instagram. That feels good. This week also made me very aware of how I’m using the phone most. I spend a lot of time looking for online sales! I feel like my sleep was better this week. I did far more reading. And, honestly, I felt calmer. There’s no question that I will attempt to carry some of the practices of this week into following weeks. I decided to put a time limit on text messaging as well just to be more conscious of the amount of time I look at my texts.

My advice would be that no matter how you use your phone, awareness is key.  I am frequently not mindful of how I spend time on the phone. this week made me more conscious of every time I picked up my phone.

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I have been sleeping much better over the last two weeks, I think for a number of reasons, but certainly one of them is keeping my phone out of my bedroom. I notice that my forearms and hands don’t hurt as much since I’ve decreased my phone usage. I notice that this week I am in a much better mood than I have been recently. I feel very well rested, and I don’t know how much of it to attribute to the phone (I’ve made some other lifestyle changes recently). It’s been really nice to take a break from the news – I think one of the biggest usage shifts I notice is that I’m not mindlessly opening the NYTimes app and scrolling through the headlines. I’m opening the app only when I want to read a news story, and spending far less time on it (I also get the weekend paper, so I can read the paper copy). I’ve been reading reports this week for work, and it’s been helpful to feel less distracted by my phone, and less interested in it. Also, I’ve been making firm plans ahead of time with friends, and that helps me feel connected even if I am going stretches of time without a social plan. As I suspected, my greatest phone usage is related to text messaging, most of which are work related (staffing / subs / coverage during the school day / emergent needs and issues in the farber building during the school day). It’s not really possible for me to curtail this aspect of my usage. (I don't spend a lot of time with photos or social media). As my usage goes down, my days feel longer and more spacious. I think the choice of charging location is huge, and I know a lot of people look at their phones in bed, so this would be my #1 piece of advice – don’t bring your phone into your bedroom! I will definitely stick with this. I think this was the hardest one psychologically, mostly because I was worried about using my bedside alarm clock (will is work??), but I actually found myself waking up before my alarm some mornings. Go figure! And I think it had the biggest positive impact on my overall screen time. By the weekend I felt so untethered from my phone that I forgot to implement the challenges and track my screen time!

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My daily average was close to two and a half hours but down from the previous week, which felt good.

Here were my most used apps in order:

Spotify, the NYT, messages, mail, instagram, whatsapp, safari, podcasts, and twitter.

I'd be happy to reduce my news (doom scrolling) and social media (boredom scrolling). But I generally feel fine about my use of podcasts and music.

As a parent of three kids, an aging parent, and someone with various job and other responsibilities, I can't quite imagine not being available by text or phone since something is always coming up!

I could, however, due well to reduce my email checking.

Some of the prompts were easier than others (eg: the day we were trying not to use phones on our commute, I brought my kindle to read, but the battery had died!). It wasn't hard for me to do greyscale, track my usage or delete notifications and one app, for example.

Over the years, I have done a few digital decelerations (though we called them something else) with my classes, and I appreciated the chance to do this again!

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My weekly screen time average was down 11% so I would say that doing some of these things was helpful to keep me from mindlessly scrolling and picking up my phone all the time.

I do think I have better control over my device and my time; really the most effective thing was just turning off all my notifications besides texts and phone calls.

I think Instagram and my Google news feed are probably the things I will spend the most time mindless time on, so knowing that I should stop scrolling and if I really want to see what a friend is up to to just look for THEM instead of the algorithm’s feed is helpful.

I think they were all challenging!

I don’t really think much changed in my focus or attention or mood honestly - I can end up in an instagram-feed black hole sometimes, but it doesn’t happen often - I have pretty good self-regulation control and awareness, and I’ll notice I’m doing a thing that I feel like I shouldn’t be doing.

The thing I’m going to keep doing is leaving notifications off for everything but calls, texts and calendar items so I can be contacted by people that need to contact me and know where I’m supposed to be and when.

For anyone else, I really do think turning notifications off is huge - over the weekend, I would see other people’s devices and their constant notifications and it made me think “how can you stand the barrage of visual (and aural! Silence your phone!!) notices?!?”

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5 hours is where I typically landed. Yes - I majorly feel addicted!

I don't think I have better control over my screen time. I think it has brought awareness for me to manage my next steps and that I need a much needed tech cool down.

As a former cigarette smoker it is a tic that I have when I feel the need to manage anxiety or time. I don’t necessarily want to go on but it is something that I latch on to to feel better but it only makes me feel worse.

Hardest was no notifications cause then I felt the urge to look more!

I think it brought awareness to how I have zero to no attention.

I think I will delete IG for a while so I shift the relationship to my phone

My advice for anyone who is trying to digitally decelerate is that we are quite literally addicted and stopping cold turkey is going to be extremely challenging. The harm reduction approach to shift our relationship to our phone is important such as deleting certain apps and maybe only accessing on web browser or turning off notifications so the desire to check isn’t there.