Diana Rene: 0:06
You're listening to the Declutter and Mom Podcast. A podcast built specifically for busy moms by a busy mom. I'm your host, Diana Renee. And in 2017, I had my second daughter, and it felt like I was literally drowning in my home. Okay, not literally, but I felt like I couldn't breathe with all of the stuff surrounding me. Over the next 10 months, I got rid of approximately 70% of our household belongings, and I have never looked back. I kind of feel like I hacked the mom system, and I'm here to share all the tips, tricks, and encouragement. Let's listen to today's show.

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Decluttered Mom podcast. My name is Diana Renee, and I am your host. And you can also find me on Instagram at the dot decluttered.mom. But either way, I'm really happy you're here. And whether you're a longtime listener or you're a brand new listener, welcome to today's episode.

We are actually going to talk about something I've been using that's helped me big time with screen time. And I know I talked about digital bedtimes, gosh, I don't know, like a month or so ago. But this is something specifically for me to stop using my phone so much through the day. And not only that, but just me not allowing myself to get lost in scrolling, which I am a doom scroller, doom scroller through and through. Like my brain loves those tons, like million dopamine hits in a row. It's like perfect for my brain. However, it's not healthy for my brain and it's not healthy for my life, and it's a time suck.

And if I don't find ways to manage it, it's tough. And so I've talked before about apps, right? Apps that kind of lock you out of social media for a set time. I think my favorite one is called Opal, and I use that for a long time. However, I still found ways around it. And I think maybe what I'm realizing, because I've been on this journey for years now of trying to tame screen time, specifically Doom scrolling. And I think what the probability is, that I need novelty. So, like an app or something like that might work for me for a while and then stop working because I've figured out how to bypass it or my brain is just over it, and it bypasses it without thinking about it. The friction isn't there.

So I have found that I need major friction to actually not doom scroll, which feels so sad. Honestly, when I say that out loud and admit that to you, it feels so silly and dumb because I am a 41-year-old woman. I own a business, I have two children that I take care of. Why is this so difficult? But we all know the research, we all know that it's addicting to your brain. So I try to give myself grace with that. And I try to figure out how to be better, I guess, is what I’m trying to say.

I actually read a book recently. Well, I listened to it as an audiobook, but it's by Carlos Whitaker, who you, if you're not following him on Instagram, you need to be. Let me check his username real quick. His Instagram username is Los Wit, L-O-S-W-H-I-T. But the book that he wrote that I read recently is called Reconnected. It says on the title or on the cover disconnected, and it has "dis" crossed out and says "re." The subtitle is how seven screen-free weeks with monks and Amish farmers helped me recover the lost art of being human. What a subtitle, right?

Essentially, what he did is he went seven weeks with zero screen. Not only his phone but everything—TVs, anything. He talks about walking in airport terminals, even looking at the ground to avoid accidentally looking at screens showing flights. When he says screen-free, he means truly—and he lived with monks in California and Amish farmers, doing brain scans at the beginning and end to see the effects. The book emphasizes how digital connection often makes us miss real human connection and ourselves.

It's well-written, made me think about my life and how I want control over my brain's focus. Before I read the book, I ordered the Brick. It’s a small, thin square of plastic, shipped to you. You download an app to use with it, and you can set profiles—like work and personal. When I am in work mode, I brick my phone with the app and physical brick. It makes it impossible to access social media apps until I unbrick it by tapping it on the physical brick again. This is very effective, especially outside the house at cafes or co-working spaces.

Most days, I brick my phone for several hours, which helps me be more present with my children. When I get snippy or impatient, I realize it’s often caused by my phone and brain craving dopamine. I try to do this several days a week, and I also have that digital bedtime to help me stay present.

Layers of protection are essential—just like washing hands or taking vitamins to prevent sickness, I view Brick as an extra layer to protect my mental focus and presence. Many people haven't heard of this, but I find it very helpful. I hope this helps others as well.

Thanks for hanging out and listening to the Decluttered Mom podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review or share it with a friend or on Instagram stories. Follow me at the.decluttered.mom and send a DM to say hi! I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll come back next week to hang out again.