Welcome to Reclaim your brain!
A Guardian newsletter for anyone who wants to spend less time on their phone. Now that you’ve signed up, here’s what you can expect over the next five weeks
Hi there! We’re so glad you’re joining us.
Over the next five Mondays you’ll receive a weekly email with an expert coaching plan written by Catherine Price, the award-winning author of How to Break Up with Your Phone.
If this sounds daunting, worry not: you won’t be alone.
Joining you on your journey will be our intrepid (and very funny) reporter Rhik Samadder.
Just like you, Rhik is unhappy with how many hours a day he spends on his phone, and is determined to reduce his screen time by any means necessary.
Every week, Rhik will chronicle his adventures as he tries to reclaim his brain – from talking to Buddhist meditation experts to locking himself in a cabin in the woods.
Read on to find out more from Catherine and Rhik, and see you in the new year!
– Max Benwell, Reclaim your brain editor
Hi! I’m Catherine Price, your new coach
Hi! I’m Catherine and I’m so excited for us to get started on this Reclaim your brain challenge, which is designed to help you take back your brain (and your life!) from your screens.
I’m the author of the How to Feel Alive newsletter and the book How to Break Up With Your Phone: The 30-Day Digital Detox Plan, and have years’ of experience helping people scroll less and live more.
Thanks for signing up for the challenge – I’m thrilled that you’re here!
What to expect from this newsletter
A five-week coaching program. Now that you’ve signed up, you’ll receive this email every Monday for the next five weeks.
Evidence-based assignments. Each week, I’ll be giving you tried-and-proven tasks that will help you create better boundaries with your phone.
A better relationship with technology. If you follow along then by the end of the challenge, you can expect to feel calmer, more focused, better rested and more present. You’ll have a new, healthier relationship that keeps what you like about your phone, and eliminates what you don’t. And you’ll feel more in control of your own mind.
What you can do now
We’ll get started in earnest in the next email on Monday, but if you want to get a head start, here are three things you can do right now:
Get an alarm clock – and start using it! Many people use their phones as alarm clocks, but for reasons we’ll be discussing during the challenge, this is a bad idea. So take a moment to buy (or find) a standalone alarm clock that is not your phone.
Invite other people to join you. There’s power in numbers, and this challenge will be more fun – and effective – if you do it with other people. You can send them this sign-up page, forward this email, or share an invitation on social media as a way to recruit friends and create a sense of accountability for yourself.
Start thinking about your goals. You’ll have a greater likelihood of success if you know what you’re trying to achieve, so take a few moments to think about why you signed up and what you’re hoping to get out of this challenge. One idea I suggest in my book is to literally write a “breakup note” to your phone, outlining why you got into the relationship to begin with, what’s not working, what about your phone annoys you or makes you mad, and what you’re looking for in your new relationship with it.
What to remember
Yes, it’s difficult to create a healthy relationship with a device that’s deliberately designed to suck us in, but these methods work.
I’ve heard from people all around the world about the positive effects of “breaking up” with their phones, including improvements in their relationships, self-esteem, productivity and ability to focus.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that for many people, “breaking up” with their phones is a life-changing experience.
Here’s what some of my readers have said:
Don’t forget: the fact that you’ve realized you want a healthier relationship with your phone – and have taken action by signing up for this challenge – is itself a success. So congratulations – I’ll see you soon!
To scrolling less and living more,
Catherine Price
Reclaim Your Brain coach and author of the How to Feel Alive newsletter and How to Break Up With Your Phone
Hi! I’m Rhik, and I’m ready to finally get off my phone
Last year, I realized I was on my phone for everything.
I was using it to buy groceries, text my friends 300 times a day, date, do work and put off work. It was making me miserable.
So I undertook a huge personal experiment to ditch my device. I put the most popular quitting techniques to the test, as well as the most extreme, unorthodox techniques I could dream up.
In Reclaim Your Brain, I’ll be sharing my weekly diary. There are ups, downs and some very odd back alleys. My biggest anxiety? That I no longer have a brain to reclaim.
Join me, as I put my body on the line. Did I succeed? U hav 2 w8nc! 💓
