like most people around my age, my screen time has been too high since the day that feature was added to my iPhone.

but a few weeks ago, i hit rock bottom.

what started as a quick scroll had ended with me lying in bed at 3am, watching clips of podcasters telling me not to do the exact thing i was doing in that moment.

& it was weird, because i kept having these brief moments of clarity where part of me wanted to stop scrolling.

but then the little dopamine monkey who likes to push red buttons in my brain would chime in with some BS like:

“just one more, you have to end it on a good one.”

or

“it’s 2:38am, just wait to stop at a proper number like 2:45am.”

(i wish that was a joke)

that monkey convinced me to keep scrolling, over & over again.

but then, at 3:02am, i reached an all-time low.

mid-reel, i felt an itch on my left nu— *ahem,* leg — & as i went to scratch it, i dropped my phone right onto my face.

as i was lying there in the moments after, for the first time in my life, i felt genuinely pathetic.

is this the type of person i want to be? a guy who sacrifices his goals, health, & attention because he can’t bring himself to close a fucking app?

i was giving algorithms more control over my life than i had.

at that moment, after years of trying, i finally had enough.

i threw my phone into the laundry basket across the room, and went to bed.

the next morning, i made a plan.

as much as i wanted to have Amish-level screen-time, i knew a jump that big would be unsustainable. so i came up with 2 monkey-proof rules.

for 1 week:

  1. i won’t touch my phone

  2. at home, i can use my macbook to answer calls/messages

the results?

aside from some expected hiccups (ex. login codes), it was a huge success.

here’s a quick summary of my 7 biggest takeaways:

  1. it feels like a switch was flipped, & now i’m 100% in control of my screen time.

  2. i see scrolling as a harmful addiction now, rather than as entertainment.

  3. i’m amazed at how much more i can do in a day after getting back the time i was previously wasting.

  4. computers feel doomscroll-proof. i can’t explain why, but i simply don’t waste anywhere near as much time on my laptop.

  5. we’re so much more reliant on our phones than we realize (even though we think we realize).

  6. the hardest part about going phone-free: filling the time.

  7. the best part about going phone-free: filling the time with meaningful work.

but above all else, i came to a conclusion that has entirely shifted the way i look at the problem of screen addiction:

your biggest issue isn’t what you’re doing on a screen.

your biggest issue is what you aren’t doing as a result of being on a screen.

all of my dreams have been waiting for me on the other side of a few daily actions that my screen time was standing in the way of…

not anymore.

is this a weird time to ask for your email address? lol

some things i learned

  1. a good tip to improve your writing
    i heard this idea that “the bigger the issue, the smaller you write.” so for example, if you’re trying to describe a horrible war scene, don’t write about big stuff like the millions of people living in fear. instead, write about the burnt up kids’ shoes you see on the road. we’re suckers for intimate stories.

  2. everything that triggers you is seeking to transform you
    this could (& likely will) be an article on its own, because it hit home for me. the things other people do that make you mad are usually the same things you hate about yourself. so next time something pisses you off, lean into it — figure out why, & you’ll learn something about yourself.

  3. men in the US are 4x more likely to be a millionaire than to have a 6 pack

    % of US men with a visible six-pack: ~2.5%

    % of US men who are millionaires: ~12%
    ~ shared by Chris Williamson

cool stuff i found

  1. a subscription-free fitness + sleep tracker (Whoop alternative)
    i bought the Amazfit Helio Strap for a total of $158CAD after taxes and shipping, and it’s been exactly what i wanted: 10-day battery life, accurate measurements, a comfortable screen-free design, and unlike basically every other option these days, there’s no subscription required. i’ve been super happy with it so far. (BTW, there is a subscription option for AI coaching based on your data, but you can completely hide the tab for it on the app so it stays out of sight, out of mind). as always, this is completely unsponsored & the link isn’t even an affiliate link.

  2. a podcast that actually changed my life
    if you’re someone who feels like they have so much potential but can never actually get around to achieving it for whatever reason, you need to watch this video by Dr. K about the Puer Aeternus, aka the Eternal Child. i’ve never felt more called-out in my life, & that’s exactly what i needed. please please please listen to it.

  3. how to be emotionally intelligent (without trying so hard)
    here’s the link to it — it’s a super quick read that’s full of wisdom.

that’s all for now!

i want to make this newsletter the one you most look forward to every week, & i hope it’s meeting that goal.

‘til next week!

~ liam

PS — there’s a small group of you who have been reading every single one of these newsletters, & i just want you to know that it doesn’t go unnoticed. thank you for being here & keeping me accountable (: