Intention Before Unlocking
Put one conscious second between the impulse and the unlock, and watch how many pickups don't survive it.
- Runs for
- 7 days
- Costs you
- A few seconds, many times a day
The problem
You pick up your phone to do one thing and surface twenty minutes later having done something else. The reach is automatic. There is no decision in it at all.
The protocol
How to run it
- 1
Every time you're about to unlock your phone, pause before you do it.
- 2
Say silently what you're unlocking it for. One specific thing. 'To text Sam back.'
- 3
If you can't name a reason, put the phone down. That is the whole experiment.
- 4
Do the thing you named, then lock the phone and put it away.
- 5
At the end of each day, note roughly how many pickups had no reason at all.
What to expect
On day one most people are genuinely shocked at how many pickups have no reason behind them. By day four or five the pause becomes automatic, and total pickups drop sharply without any willpower being spent.
The thinking behind it
How to Beat Phone Addiction (Without Relying on Willpower)12 min