Bricks of Attention

Smartphone addiction is real. I’ve been dealing with it ever since I got my first touchscreen phone, and honestly, I have no idea when I’ll be able to fully ditch this shitty habit. Smartphones are like the sugar of technology—cheap, easy to use, and perfect for escaping reality into a virtual one.

Of course, reality quickly calls you back if someone says your name or you need to take action. But otherwise? It’s ridiculously easy to lose track of time while endlessly scrolling social media.

Since the S7 (one of the most beautiful phones I’ve owned), I’ve almost always had at least a couple of cases for my phones. I always buy a rugged one, a transparent one that inevitably turns yellow in a few months, and a medium-sized black one. And yet, I’ve never been fully satisfied with any of them.

They’re either too bulky, too boring, or too slippery… Plus, those transparent ones age way too fast, and the yellow tint becomes annoying. But modern smartphones? They’re ridiculously slippery by design. If we had the same build quality and grip as the old Samsungs or Nokias, cases wouldn’t even be necessary.

I tried going caseless for a day, and it actually worked. I didn’t drop or crack anything, and more importantly, I found myself using my phone way less. Knowing it was slippery, I wasn’t pulling it out of my pocket as often. I kept thinking: What if I drop it? And right after that: Why am I even checking my phone?

90% of the time, I turn on my display just to cycle through crypto price-checking apps, Hive, Twitter… and that’s about it. It’s not like I run a business and need to be on my phone for productivity. If anything, it’s just wasted time.

Sometimes, you have to use your mind to trick your mind into breaking free from bad habits. We’ve come so far as a species, right? Anyway, I’m back to using my iShit with a case because I’d rather not drop it and deal with an expensive repair right now. Everything costs a fortune these days…

That said, I’ve started asking myself two simple questions before unlocking my phone: How long has it been since I last checked it? and Do I really need to? So far, this little trick has saved me from wasting a good chunk of time.

By the way, I’m curious—how grippy is your phone, and how many hours a day do you actually use it?

Thanks for your attention,
Adrian