11 Things That Actually Help Me Have a Healthier Relationship With My Phone

The simple practices, tools, and mindsets that made all the difference.

This isn’t a ground-breaking statement, but it’s one worth recognizing as often as we can— the phones are everywhere. When you are out and about this week, take a look around— it’s hard to miss. The adults at soccer practice, the person you are stuck behind at the stoplight, the people in line at the drug store— the list goes on and on and on, and the more I notice it, the more aware I am.

I’m certainly not above these habits either, and I’m in no way here to shame anyone because it’s all by design. The global attention economy is valued in the trillions (a figure I don’t even have the attention span to comprehend!), and tech industries funnel tons of money into hiring top talent and making our devices all the more addictive.

Sometimes it feels nearly impossible to imagine a reality where our devices are not the bookends to our day, and also the entire middle part. When practically everything we do requires a phone— parking on the street (like cool but also— for crying out loud!), paying for your groceries, signing up for Pilates class, etc.— how do we untangle ourselves from the overwhelming role these tiny devices consistently play in our lives?

But if you, like me, aspire to have a healthier relationship with your phone, then I think these conversations are important. While there are many ways we collectively need to reevaluate the current presence of technology in our world, I also believe we have more control than the narrative allows us to believe.

Today, I’m sharing the 11 things that help me have a healthier relationship with my phone. And as always, I believe we are better together, so please use the comments section as a way to share what is working for you, so we can expand our collective toolbox.