Day 21 - New Phone Habits
Day 21 brought me to a milestone I'm genuinely proud of: reducing my phone use by 30% to an average of 3 hours and 30 minutes. As I write this, today was a 2 hour and 40 minute day—progress that feels both meaningful and sustainable.
What I feel good about is the intentionality behind those hours. About 60 minutes is my workout app, keeping my body moving. I play Wordle daily along with other New York Times games—simple pleasures that feel more like brain care than mindless scrolling. Another hour is typically spent reading on my Kindle app, feeding my mind with books I actually want to consume.
The real challenge has been my morning routine. I'm working hard to avoid getting on my phone for texts or checking emails during my first hour awake. Those texts are so tempting—that little dopamine hit of connection and information calling to me before I've even fully emerged into consciousness. I don't always meet this goal, but I'm getting better.
I've even made a trip to the library to get physical copies of books I'm reading on my Kindle app. There's something powerful about removing the temptation entirely, about being able to read without the phone's presence pulling my attention toward notifications and apps.
My bedtime reading has become more strategic too. I use the dark version of my Kindle app after Dennis goes to sleep—his bedtime is about an hour earlier than my natural rhythm. This way I can read without disrupting his sleep while honoring my own circadian preferences.
The nervous system piece of this challenge is subtle but profound. Each time I resist the urge to check my phone in that first sacred hour of morning, I'm practicing being present with just myself and my meditation routine. I'm allowing my system to wake up naturally rather than immediately flooding it with external stimulation.
There's a different quality to my days when they begin with intention rather than reaction. When I don't immediately reach for my phone, I notice I can actually feel my body, sense what I need, allow thoughts to surface organically. The digital boundary creates space for a more embodied start to my day.
The 30% reduction isn't just about time—it's about reclaiming agency over my attention. It's about choosing when I engage with technology rather than letting technology choose for me. Each conscious decision to put the phone down or not pick it up in the first place is a small act of nervous system regulation.
What about you? Do you have any digital habits you're adjusting? Do you check your phone use average? I'm curious about what patterns you've noticed in your own relationship with technology and whether you've found strategies that support your nervous system rather than dysregulate it.
This challenge is teaching me that digital wellness isn't about perfection—it's about awareness, intention, and the gradual building of habits that actually serve our wellbeing rather than just our impulses.