Book Review: How To Break Up With Your Phone By Catherine Price
Rating: ★★★
Summary:
Genre: Self-help
Publication Date: Revised edition, 4th February 2025
No. Pages: 206 pages
Keywords: Phone, Mental Health
Review
Did you know the first iPhone was released in 2007? We’ve come such a long way since then with mobile phone technology, and if you’re anything like me, you probably need to break up with it… and this book could give you some pointers.
The book is separated into 2 main sections, firstly discussing the history, and giving the how and why we’ve got to this reliant state. The second being a 30-day plan on how to create a healthier relationship with your phone.
Intertwined with the hows and whys within the first section were some interesting studies. One in particular was a study was conducted involving 150 participants from the ages of 21 to 73 across America to see how disruptive this technology has been.
Spoiler alert - quite a lot!
You can see this for yourself, next time you’re in public, take a second to notice how many of the people around you - including children - are staring at their phones. Reading this first half made me realise how like most, I’m no longer mindfully ‘checking’ my phone, I’m in fact doomscrolling for hours wondering where the time has gone.
The second half of this book is eye-opening, it starts with calculating how much of our life we spend on our phone which I must share!
1 hour per day = roughly 15 full days per year, about 6% of your waking life
2 hours per day = roughly 30 full days per year, about 13% of your waking life
3 hours per day = roughly 45 full days per year, about 1/5 of your waking life
4 hours per day = roughly 60 full days per year, about 1/4 of your waking life
5 hours per day = roughly 76 full days per year, almost 1/3 of your waking life
Crazy right?
And that’s where the 30-day plan comes into play. It provides clear and concise daily tasks which are easy for you to implement. Of course, you can tailor this to make it personal to your situation, but by the end of it, you should become less reliant and have that healthier boundary.
So, would I recommend the read? Well, if you need some support starting from scratch then yes, the month-long plan could help create some basic daily boundaries without going completely cold turkey.
However, if you’re at a different stage and don’t quite need the hand holding, you’d probably want to read something more advanced.
Standout Quote:
“Anytime you notice that you are about to reach for your phone, take a second to ask yourself the three Ws:
What For? What are you picking up your phone to do?
Do you have a purpose?
Why Now? Why are you picking up your phone now instead of later?
What Else? What else could you do right now besides check your phone?”
The Round Up
Read If: You want to create a healthier boundary with technology
Similar Books: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Lasting Impression: definitely need to break-up with my phone!
Written by Tamara Lawrence
Disclaimer: Affiliate links are included! We at City Girl Network have an affiliate deal with Amazon, so if you make a purchase with our links, we make a little bit of money too. It is a great way to show your support, and you needn't worry! We’ll only ever recommend books that we have read and know you will love as well!
If you prefer an audio version then please consider our affiliate links below:
Audible (30 Day Trial)
Audible (99p for the first three months)
Help us keep the City Girl Network running by supporting us via the Friends Pass - your passport to discounts and deals all across the UK! You can also support us by following us on Instagram, and by joining our City Girl Network (city wide!) Facebook group.