are you still trying to lower your screen time?

my mum used to tell me if i spent too much time looking at screens, my eyes would turn into squares.

if that were true these past few weeks, i’d be fucked.

okay, it wasn’t that ^ bad, but it was still bad enough (5.5h/day) that i knew something had to change.

in the past, my solution would’ve been something like:

1. get mad at myself for being a lazy piece of shit

2. delete all of the apps i was wasting time on

3. try to do other stuff for a few hours

4. catch myself wasting time on a different app

5. repeat

years of following that cycle is what led my phone’s home screen to look like something a serial killer would use — no extra apps, no widgets, just 4 icons in the toolbar at the bottom: messages, music, notes, and safari.

it helped a bit, but i’d still find a way to waste time on safari.

so this time, i’m taking the next logical step:

a phone-free week.

as much as i’d like to do ‘a phone free life,’ i have to be realistic here and start with something manageable.

i’ll have a full report for you next week, but it’s already off to a great start — it helped me get back to writing this!

anyways, the real lesson for today that i’ve had to re-learn is this:

the best way to fix a bad habit is to figure out why you have the bad habit, and solve that problem first.

in other words, what makes you keep doing that stupid thing over and over again, even though you know it’s stupid?

for most of us, the answer is simple:

it’s the easiest way to fill a void in your life.

• people do drugs because if they don’t feel ‘real’ happiness, at least they can induce it chemically.

• people gamble because if they aren’t rich, at least they can believe it might happen today.

• people doomscroll because if they aren’t doing ‘enough’ with their life, at least they can distract themselves from that fact for a few hours.

the cruel part about these bad habits, as we all know, is that they don’t actually fill the void.

they blind us with a haze of short-term pleasure, only for it to fade away and reveal a void deeper than the one they were supposed to fill.

to put it simply: there’s no ‘free lunch.’

you can either put in the work and get what you want, or you can take shortcuts and fall short.

i am yet to discover an exception to this rule.

so what does ‘putting in the work’ look like when it comes to lowering my screen time?

for that answer, i’ll turn to advice i heard from Bro-crates, Alex Hormozi.

when you have a goal in mind, every action you take should pass through this stupidly easy filter:

does this action increase or decrease the likelihood of me achieving my goal?

if the answer is ‘increase’ — do more of it.

if the answer is ‘decrease’ — do less of it.

it really is that simple.

does keeping my phone in my pocket increase or decrease my likelihood of lowering my screen time? decrease

does using my phone for everything (ex. wallet, camera, music, writing, etc.) increase or decrease my likelihood of lowering my screen time? decrease

does creating things (like this newsletter) increase or decrease my likelihood of lowering my screen time? increase

i think you get the point.

but i can already hear what you’re thinking:

• “what if someone needs to get a hold of me?”

• “what about XYZ-thing-i-do-every-day that’s way easier with my phone?”

• “what if i need my phone for an emergency?”

those are all valid critiques, and they’re what prevented me from going phone-free until now.

but i would challenge them by simply asking:

what are you optimizing for?

• are you optimizing for reachability, or less screen time?

• are you optimizing for ease-of-use, or less screen time?

• are you optimizing for a sense of security, or less screen time?

when i spelled it out for myself like that, it was easy to see why i’ve never had the balls to go phone-free.

reachability, ease-of-use, and security (among many other benefits) are all things i’ll be sacrificing in some capacity for the next 7 days.

but again, what am i optimizing for?

it always comes back to the same core idea:

the best way to fix a bad habit is to figure out why you have the bad habit, and solve that problem first.

with screen time, the why for me has been something i couldn’t admit to myself before now: i valued convenience over control.

as a self-diagnosed control freak who’s building a life around absolute freedom — doing what i want, when i want, how i want, where i want, with who i want — the idea that i’ve been trading control for convenience is what put me over the edge.

so this week, i refuse to make that trade.

if it ends up not being worth it, then that’s ok — i’ll just have to be honest with myself about what i’m truly optimizing for.

but something tells me that this is a real turning point that will help me focus on where i’m spending my time and energy.

i hope this inspires you to do the same.

some things i learned

1. YouTube Shorts is now averaging over 200 billion daily views
   this stat doesn’t make me happy. lots of long-form videos, podcasts, and articles have changed my life for the better, but i can’t say the same about any short-form videos. how often do you scroll through short-form content and feel good after? i’ve avoided creating shorts because my answer to that question is: almost never. i don’t want to add fuel to a fire i’ve already been burned by.

2. good advice to break a slump
   whatever your problem is, remember that before you can get better, you have to stop getting worse. try first to stop getting worse.
   (i lost the source for this, sorry)

3. car seat laws might be a form of birth control
   according to one analysis, U.S. car seat laws likely saved 57 lives in 2017, but resulted in 8000 fewer births due to the costs of adding a third child’s car seat (most cars only fit 2, legally). this idea checks out in my head, but i wonder how accurate it really is.

cool stuff i found

1. the best sleep mask i’ve ever used
   as someone who’s tried several different sleep masks in my life, this $14 one from Amazon has my golden seal of approval. it has a soft border that keeps the mask from pressing on your eyelids (which always pissed me off), and there’s a flap at the bottom that stops light from leaking in by your nose.

2. the most insane way to describe how short life is: ‘you only get 80 summers’
   credit for this one goes to on X. as a 24 year old, i’m already down to just 56 summers by this measure — more than 1/4 through. life really is shorter than we think.

3. a game-changing way of eating pizza that you’ll either love or hate
   my description won’t do it justice, just watch this 40 second video and get ready to be upset and impressed at the same time.

a quote i love

that’s it for today!

things have settled down in my life recently, and i’m ready to get back at it. i’ll resume writing this newsletter every week, and you can expect to see a lot more videos from me in your YouTube feed!

so many of you have reached out with kind words, and it means so much. i won’t let you down.

keep moving forward this week, and remember to try to have some fun along the way.

life’s too short not to enjoy it.

~ liam (:

P.S. — i’m building up a small, relatively cheap collection of backpacking equipment. if you have any recommendations for me, please reply to this email!