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Try something

A moment of choice

Three questions about the last time you picked up your phone without meaning to. It takes about two minutes. Your answers stay on this page; nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

1 of 3

Think about the last time you opened your phone without planning to. What happened just before?

2 of 3

What did you end up doing on it?

3 of 3

When you put it down, how did you feel?

Here's what you noticed

    If it happened automatically, there wasn't really a decision to make. The habit got there before you did. That isn't a failure of willpower; it's simply what habits do.

    Waiting and boredom are when the phone is easiest to reach for. It fills the gap before we've even noticed there is one.

    Reaching for the phone to step away from a feeling is very human. It works for a moment, which is exactly why it's worth noticing.

    A notification is someone else's decision about when you pick up your phone. Noticing that is already taking a little of the decision back.

    One thing to try

    Next time you reach for your phone, pause for one breath and say, out loud or in your head, what you're picking it up for and for how long. That's all. No app, no tracking.

    You can close this page now. Really. If it changes anything, I'd love to hear about it.

    Go deeper: the one-week resetTell me what happened

    Notice what's missing: no score, no streak, no reason to come back unless you want to.

    The Sunday Pause

    One short email. One small change.

    A story, an insight, and one small thing to try away from your screen. Sent on Sundays, short enough to read in your inbox.

    Free. I'll only use your email to send the Sunday Pause. Reply "stop" to any issue and I'll take you off straight away.