Over the last 20 years, the Digital Revolution has completely changed the way we live our lives. From having access to infinite amounts of information on Google in 0.57 seconds, the opportunity to connect with the world’s 7 billion people and everyone we’ve ever met, to tools like Waze and Uber that literally give us direction and take us where we want to go…we seemingly have the whole world in our hands.

But as we all know, not all of technology’s effects serve us. As a society, we’ve allowed some technology to go from being a tool to being an intrusive stumbling block that keeps us from doing the things that truly matter and from becoming the people we truly want to be.

Enter the smartphone: the most common piece of individual tech in the world. There are third world societies where the number of people that own a smartphone outnumbers the people that have access to clean water! That’s how ubiquitous these devices are. Sadly, the more new features and apps that come out, the more we continue to develop a very weird, dependent relationship with our phones.

One study even cites that we spend an average of 10 hours a day interacting with them! Instead of being present, taking in our surroundings, and appreciating life, we’ve grown obsessed with searching for meaning in the pixels found on a five inch piece of glass and plastic.

And I am totally guilty! Even though I’m someone who tries to be conscious of how I use my phone and the relationships it helps me create, I still often find myself getting lost in the endless well of social media with no purpose or fulfillment – sometimes spending an entire night doing nothing but scrolling. It’s precisely because of this that I was inspired when I met Tommy Sobel during my recent trip to Israel.

Tommy is the social entrepreneur and founder behind Brick (@gobricknow). He’s on a mission to help gamify time off of your phone (called “bricking” your phone) and help us find more time to connect with the real world instead of the content flashing across our tiny screens. On this week’s episode of the podcast, Tommy describes what led him to want to start this movement and how it can help you create a healthier relationship with your phone.

Tune-in to this week’s podcast episode with Tommy Sobel and shoot me a DM on Instagram with your biggest takeaway and/or any of your favorite ways that you are using tech in constructive ways.

Much love,

Mark

PS – If you haven’t seen it yet, check out my TEDx talk  that’s all about cultivating authentic connection in the age of social media and my favorite way to keep in touch with people who have made an impression in my life. I think you’ll find it worthwhile and in line with Tommy’s message. 🙂