The phone can waitHabits

unbry

The phone can wait

A short book about reaching for your phone in every spare moment, and why it doesn't rest you

16 chapters11,705 wordsAbout 53 minFirst edition

What's inside

·Before you startThis is a short book. You can read it in two or three evenings, and I'd rather you read it on paper or on something that doesn't also hold your messages.…2 min
1While the kettle boilsHere's an example. You go into the kitchen to make tea. You fill the kettle and switch it on, and it will take about two minutes to boil. Somewhere in the…4 min
2What the reach paysNobody does something eighty times a day for no reason. If the reach were pure loss you'd have dropped it years ago. So before I argue with it, I want to…4 min
3"It's a rest"This is the belief at the centre of the habit, so I'll take it first. You've been concentrating for an hour, or dealing with people, or carrying shopping.…4 min
4"It's only a minute"The reach defends itself with its size. It's a minute, and nobody's life was ever ruined by a minute. You'd feel silly making a rule about something so…3 min
5"There might be something"A good share of reaches have a particular flavour. You aren't looking for entertainment. You're checking. Someone may have replied, or something may have…3 min
6"I'm bored"You're in a queue with four people ahead of you. There's nothing to look at but a rack of cough sweets and the back of a man's coat. This is boring, and…3 min
7"It keeps me in touch"The loop usually includes other people. You see that your cousin has had the baby, that a friend from your old job is in Lisbon, that someone you were at…3 min
8"I'll get straight back to it"Chapter 2 listed five payments, and the fifth was a way out of something hard. It gets its own chapter because it's where the reach does most damage to…3 min
9"It's built to hook me"At some point in the last few years you'll have read that none of this is your fault. The apps are designed by clever people whose job is to keep you…3 min
10"I've got no willpower"Most people who've tried to cut down have tried the same way. They resolved to use the phone less, and they meant it. It worked until about eleven the…3 min
11"What would I do with the gaps?"This is a fear more than a belief, and it isn't always put into words. If you stopped filling every spare moment, you'd have dozens of empty ones a day.…3 min
12The decisionEverything so far has been about seeing the habit clearly. This chapter is about what to do, and it starts with a rule. The phone comes out for an errand…4 min
13Hard places and bad weeksThe rule is easy to keep by a kettle. There are places where it's harder, and there are weeks when the whole habit comes back. This chapter takes both.…4 min
14The kettle againGo back to the kitchen in chapter 1. You fill the kettle and switch it on. Your hand goes to your pocket, because it's been doing that for ten years, and…1 min
·NotesThis book gives general information. It isn't medical or psychological advice, and it's no substitute for a doctor or therapist who knows your situation.…5 min

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