"I struggle with devices; I think everybody does. I think of my cellphone, but also the way I use my computer. I can have a Zoom meeting and have my email open at the same time, and that can create distractions. But what I notice is, when I look up from scrolling on my phone, when I look out the window and appreciate the sunlight and the trees, or when I pet my cat or my dogs, that feels better, that feels more real. It feels like I'm in my life again. And even still, that desire to go back and pick up the phone and start scrolling is still there, even though I know what I'm doing feels better than that. It's a constant habit that I notice in myself, and I'm working to overcome it."
"But what I notice is, when I look up from scrolling on my phone, when I look out the window and appreciate the sunlight and the trees, or when I pet my cat or my dogs, that feels better, that feels more real. It feels like I'm in my life again."
Most American adults report excessive phone use, with 81 percent of adults under 30 saying they use their phones too much. Device multitasking, such as keeping email open during video meetings, increases distraction and fracture attention. Pausing scrolling to notice sunlight, trees, or pets often restores a felt sense of presence and reality. The urge to resume phone use commonly persists despite awareness that alternative actions feel better. Forming concrete habits and boundaries, including designated device-free times like no-phones at shared meals, supports attention, connection, and the gradual reduction of habitual checking.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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