How to Break Up with Your Phone

March 1, 2018

Science journalist Price (Vitamania) is not telling readers to throw away their smartphones. Instead, she is suggesting people stop and become conscious of how and why they use their devices, and to set boundaries between their time on- and offline. Early on, Price presents research on the effects smartphones have on relationships and mental and physical health. She then outlines a 30-day plan for using technology in a more beneficial manner, providing exercises and prompts, such as getting rid of junk apps, establishing no-phone zones, and developing their attention span. The result, assures Price, will be a fuller, more connected life. VERDICT Excellent, realistic advice for anyone wishing/needing to cut down on their screen time.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
Do you find yourself reaching for your phone first thing in the morning? All day long? Right before you go to sleep? You just might be addicted to it. Price has provided a manual for breaking addiction to your smartphone or any other wireless mobile device (jokingly, if slightly disturbingly, referred to as WMD). In the first part of the book, Price lays out the multiple ways this addiction can be harmful and result in anything from poor sleep to adult-onset ADHD. Probably most commonly, the devices commandeer our attention, keeping us from being present in the moment while also curtailing our productivity and creativity. The second half of the book is a 30-day guide to breaking up with your phone. Starting with downloading a usage-tracking app and ending with a 24-hour phast (phone fast), Price lays out a comprehensive, step-by-step solution to spending less time with your phone and more time doing the things you love. The style doesn't make for riveting reading, but as a self-help manual, this does the trick.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)