Using the Brick Method on My Phone Has Made Me a Better CEO
Here’s how and why I disable my smartphone several times a day, every day
It’s strange to think that a little more than a decade ago, smartphones weren’t even around. I was still using my Motorola RAZR to make calls and send occasional texts. I never thought about how much time I spent on my phone in a given day, or how many notifications I left unopened, or how many likes I had on a post. Phones were simply a communication tool.
Now we use them so much that we find ways to limit our screen time and wear blue light–blocking glasses to protect our eyes. In my opinion, the iPhone is the most important product Steve Jobs ever launched. It has created whole new economies, new types of design, and new behavior patterns, some of which we are trying to unwind.
As a founder, I have to focus — a lot. On any given day, I have hundreds of tasks that need to be executed in a well-orchestrated manner so I can make the slightest progress on the incredibly ambitious goals that drive me day in and day out. Like many of us, however, I often succumb to the infinite scrolling of social media, news, shopping, and chats on my smartphone. Procrastination has always been a struggle for me, and the iPhone is doing me no favors.
