Before Christmas, I bought two Bricks for our household. One for my daughter, who mentioned she wanted to be more intentional with her time. And one for me (I’ve been weaning myself off of social media since last year and am craving more analog interactions and activities). I set my Brick up at the end of the day on January 3rd, and HOLY SHIT! It didn’t take long to recognize how unconsciously tethered I am to black holes on the internet and how frequently I reach for social media over the course of the day.
Let me describe the device a bit: it’s a little magnetic cube. You download an app on your phone and from there, you decide which apps you want to block and when. When you “brick” your phone, you can’t gain access to the unblocked apps until you physically “un-brick” your device (which means you have to tap your phone to the Brick, kind of like when you tap to pay in a store). I have my Brick on the side of the fridge, which means I have to physically get up and go into another room to un-brick my phone, something I’m not usually willing to do. That added step is genius and it’s helping to keep me accountable.
I initially bought this little gadget to help me rewire my brain and revamp my habits during two very specific chunks of time: first thing in the morning and right before bed. Over the past few years, I’ve developed this terrible habit of looking at social media in bed before I do my nightly reading, which usually leaves me feeling some combination of stressed, pissed off, and bummed out. That’s not exactly setting myself up for the most restful of sleeps, is it? The other chunk of time is first thing in the morning. I don’t even realize I’m doing it and then—BAM!—on the mornings where I’m not getting out of bed early to go to the gym, I end up scrolling. And scrolling. And scrolling. Yuck—what a gross way to start the day! Why the fuck am I staring at a tiny screen when I could be using my time in much more fulfilling, engaging, and beneficial ways?
So, I set some parameters on the Brick app. My evening parameter: no more Instagram or Pinterest for me after 9:30 p.m. (I got rid of Facebook last year and I’ve never had TikTok or Snapchat, so those are my two remaining social apps). My morning parameter: the phone is still bricked from the night before, so I can’t look at social media in the morning until I physically go downstairs to un-brick my device.
What have I noticed over the past few days? I’m not someone who’s on social media all day every day (and I’ve never enabled any social media notifications because I hate the constant Pavlov’s dog pinging), but I have realized that when picking up my phone to do ordinary tasks like checking the weather, responding to a text/email, or changing my music playlist, I AUTOMATICALLY click on that little Instagram icon when I’m done doing whatever I was doing. And that’s where I get myself sucked in—not even intending to look at social media, but then 30 minutes has passed and I’m agog at whatever’s happening in my timeline.
When my phone is bricked and I click on a social media icon (or another blocked app), I get a distraction notification. I must have gotten that message about 100 times over the first few days.
I’ve quickly realized how rote it’s all become and how easy it is for these companies to keep every single one of us distracted and depressed. Like with so many other things these days, I want off this ridiculous fucking hamster wheel. Get me back to basics! Part of my 2026 will be dedicated to reclaiming and reallocating my time, my attention, and my intellectual property. The social media experiment was fun while it lasted, but I’m truly over it. I’m sick of the chronic feelings of fight or flight—I’m craving 3D, analog experiences that make all of my senses tingle. I want my phone to be a tool again, not something that messes with my mental health on a daily basis.
So far, so good! I’m averaging 10 hours a day without social media distractions and I’m starting to feel more grounded because of it. If you’re someone like me who also wants to extricate yourself from the madness but you know you need some help with awareness and accountability, I highly recommend this tool. Added bonus: you’re able to use your FSA/HSA funds to cover the costs!
Would you/have you tried the Brick? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments…
Here’s to more analog, whimsical living in a time of unrelenting chaos,
Jenn
P.S. Unrelated, but registration for this year’s Seaside Retreat for Women is open! We have so much fun that weekend that people don’t even want to look at their phone.
Footnote: This is not a sponsored post and I’m not affiliated with Brick in any way.
