Catherine Price

Science journalist Catherine Price explores the effects that our constant connectivity is having on our brains, bodies, relationships, and society at large. Then, she walks readers through what she calls the "break-up" period, helping them to identify their goals and priorities, tidy their apps, prune their email, and take time away. In the end, readers will be more mindful not only of how they use their phones, but also about how they choose to spend the moments of their lives. Print run 12,500.

How to Break Up with Your Phone

Lindy

The second part of this book includes a 30-day guide on disconnecting with your phone which I found helpful, but also had difficulty following when life got busy. I guess this highlights the cycle of time scarcity and the reliance on phones as an easy escape. 

In other words, learning to read doesn't just enable us to store and retrieve information; it literally changes the way we think. It reorganizes our neural circuitry in a way that encourages creativity, problem solving, and insight. And it increases our ability to sustain attention. In fact, many scholars believe that the development of written language was an integral step toward the development of culture. As Maryanne Wolf writes in her fascinating book about reading, Proust and the Squid, "New thought came more readily to a brain that had already learned how to rearrange itself to read."

What's more, far from relieving my anxiety, checking my phone nearly always contributed to it. I'd look at it for a second before bed, notice a stressful email in my inbox, and then lie awake for an hour worrying about something that could easily have waited until morning.

Angelyn Francis

Short, light, informative and reflective. The tone makes it easy to whizz through and it provides a lot of reflective moments. While in 2022, phone effects on your brain aren't news (published in 2018) for anyone who hasn't done reflective work on their relationship with technology it's a good read.

Jaden Nelson

Catherine Price is a genius. I think this was the best possible book for me when I was looking for an escape plan from my phone. This isn't going to be a long review even though I have A LOT of thoughts on it. I took notes in the book and I could discuss/argue this for ages. Price writes in a way that made for such a fun reading experience. It was funny, very clever, relatable, and SO eye opening. I would HIGHLY recommend that everyone with electronics in their life read this (especially people that have had phones in their life from a young age). If you aren't willing to read the whole thing and follow through with the plan, I would definitely recommend reading at least the "Wake Up" part of the book because it has such shocking and eye-opening facts. I followed through with the 30 day "break up" with my phone and I learned so many useful habits for life. I would really recommend reading this because the point of the book is to help you find a relationship with your phone that you are happy with and that is precisely what this did for me! Loved it.

Meghan Navoy

everyone who owns a smartphone or tablet or has an account on social media should read this book and question their relationship with these devices

"Your life is what you pay attention to."

Nikita Pashinsky

Packed with tested strategies and practical tips, this book is the essential, life-changing guide for everyone who owns a smartphone. Is your phone the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last thing you touch before bed? Do you frequently pick it up “just to check,” only to look up forty-five minutes later wondering where the time has gone? Do you say you want to spend less time on your phone—but have no idea how to do so without giving it up completely? If so, this book is your solution. Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up—and then make up—with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good. You’ll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive, and learn how the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You’ll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that will ultimately enable you to take back control of your life.

The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life

This book is a pretty good quick day by day guide for detoxing from your phone, though a few days seem a bit like filler. It does depend on your level of commitment, though. I tried to follow along day by day, and did end up doing the 24 hour shut-off which felt good. This book does contain some interesting factoids that one could explore further too!

Clara

laura

what a funny and informative read i honestly laughed out load like couple of times but on the other hand it had some good points, i think this is a book for people who want to learn about their phone and how it manipulates them, ngl the first part made me scared which is why it took me so long to finish this book.

Saima A

Pretty interesting. Kinda academic but the realities of cyberpsychology are well outlined.


Might be able to fully implement the month long "break up"

Seyfeddin Başsaraç

Telefon bağımlısı olduğumun farkında değilmişim bu zamandır. Bu kitap sayesinde bağımlılığımın ne seviyede olduğunu keşfettim.

Kitap iki ana kısımdan oluşuyor. İlk kısım insanlığın ne denli bağımlı olduğunu ve bu durumun ehemmiyetini tüm açıklığıyla anlatıyor. İkinci kısım ise 30 günlük bir program dahilinde telefonunuzla olan ilişkiyi minimuma indirmek için yapmanız gerekenleri anlatıyor. Açıkçası kitaptaki tavsiyeleri çok faydalı buldum. iOS 12 ile gelen Screen Time özelliğini de kullanarak, günde telefon kullanım süremi ortalama 4 buçuk saatten 25 dakikaya kadar indirdim.

Telefonuyla çok zaman geçirdiğini düşünen, yapmak istediklerini zaman bulamadığı için yapamadığını söyleyenlere tavsiye ederim.

Fiona Coffey

This book just wasn’t for me. I found it kind of preachy and annoying. Some of the facts were interesting, but personally, im not going to do anything because some person in a book tells me to. I’m going to do it because I decide that I want to, and then I’m going to do it my way. Do I think this is a bad book? Not at all. I just didn’t think it worked for me.

I have a pet peeve for short books that could have just been a blog post or an article on Pinterest, and I think this fits into that category.

Anna Kulwikowska

Laura Mitchell Hutchinson

CONFRONTING. I haven't followed the 30 day plan specifically but this book has definitely changed my relationship with my phone. Now a lot more conscious of my mindless scrolling and I feel more empowered to just delete apps and spend time without my phone completely. I think this book and its wisdom is something I will regularly come back to.

Opa Kholis Majid

Rachel D

Toni pilato

Conni

Is your phone the first thing you reach for when you wake up? And the last thing you see before you sleep? Do you find the hours slip away as you idly scroll through your social media timeline? In short, are you addicted to your phone? If so, How to Break Up with Your Phone is here to help. How to Break Up With Your Phone is a smart, practical and useful plan to help you conquer your mobile phone addiction in just 30 days - and take back your life in the process. Recent studies have shown that spending extended time on our phones affects our ability to form new memories, think deeply, focus and absorb information, and the hormones triggered every time we hear our phones buzz both add to our stress levels and are the hallmark signs of addiction. In How to Break Up with Your Phone, award-winning science journalist Catherine Price explores the effects that our constant connectivity is having on our brains, bodies, relationships, and society at large and asks, how much time do you really want to spend on your phone? Over the course of 30 days, Catherine will guide you through an easy-to-follow plan that enables you to identify your goals, priorities and bad habits, tidy your apps, prune your email, and take time away. Lastly, you will create a new, healthier relationship with your phone and establish habits and routines to ensure this new relationship sticks. You don't have to give up your phone forever; instead you will be more mindful not only of how you use your phone, but also about how you choose to spend the precious moments of your life.

How to Break Up with Your Phone

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