Try a Less Smart Phone

Have you considered a ‘dumbphone’? We all have smartphones in our pockets full of apps to entertain and distract us. 15 years ago, we had phones that could only make calls and send text messages. More and more people are returning to simpler phones. They find that it gives them more focus and more creativity, and they spend more time with friends.

I still have a smartphone. But I also have a very simple phone I take with me when I head to our summer cottage for my annual silent retreat, or simply to spend time focused on something. With my simple phone, I am not totally isolated. But everything that happens in the world and on social media must wait until I am back home. Try buying a second-hand simple phone and spend one day a week with just that. The change can be dramatic.