We're getting stupid'r and it makes me sick.

You might think you're smart, but this one thing is working overtime to make YOU dumber...

In a nutshell,

Intelligence = ability to accomplish complex goals

And guess what?

That requires high levels of focus

So anything that kills your focus is also killing your intelligence (yep, making you stupid'r!)

And nothing kills your focus quite like your "smart" phone.

Fun fact: It's called a smartphone because its goal is to outsmart you—turning you into its meat slave, constantly sacrificing your happiness and prosperity to feed it attention.

But you can end this madness.

Today, I'm giving you my top hacks to show your phone who's boss.

So read on and reclaim sovereignty over your brain's most precious assets: focus, clarity, and bandwidth.

It's A Trap 

I can't tell you how many times I've opened up Instagram just to check an innocent DM... only to spend the next 30-60 minutes mindlessly scrolling reels until something snaps me out of it.

These apps are designed to grab you and keep you stuck in an endless scroll.

They win when they maximize the time they consume in your life.

Because the more time you spend on the app, the more ads you see and the more money they make.

Yup. You get burned and Zucks gets a new yacht in the garage

I know this because I've spent $4+ million dollars buying these ads - to get you off your phone and into the real world on our ebikes instead.

But you don't need to put your phone in a blender to get your focus back. Try these instead -

 

3 Phone Hacks

1. Turn off notifications

Do you really need your phone to interrupt your work to tell you TravelBug_94 liked your post? Trust me it can wait.

Just go into your phone settings -> notifications and you'll see a whole list of apps.

I turned mine off for literally everything except the alarm systems at my home and office (those can't wait).

2. Do Not Disturb Mode

Put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode. This stops notifications for everything except important notifications you let through. You can add exceptions for your family, friends and people you meet in the real world.

Use it to filter out the few important calls and texts from all the noise. I've had my phone on silent and do not disturb for 4 years and will never look back.

 

3. Use a Focus App

My personal favorite is [BRICK]. It's a tile that you tap and it locks out all the apps you've deemed unproductive. The ONLY way to access those apps again is by tapping the brick again.

So the idea is you leave it on the fridge or at home... and even if you get the compulsion to check your IG - you'll need to wait, and be intentful about it.

For a free alternative, check out Screen Zen

The Nuclear Option 

Ok you tried these out, but you're still hooked.

Welcome to my life.

Even with these hacks I'd catch myself reaching for my phone, even on quick trips to the restroom - surrendering my intelligence to my smarter-than-me phone.

The problem is while you're consuming content - you are unable to create, unable to accomplish goals - losing your intelligence.

We need to

Consume Less -> Create More

And we'll do his by going completely cold turkey.

NO Consumption. No swiping, no scrolling, no youtube, no instagram, no TV, no netflix. (consider even no books).

Just delete the apps - you can add them back when you're done.

It sounds hard, and it is for a couple days.

Then you'll be at home and you'll have this moment...

It's the moment when you finish a task.

Normally you'd turn on the TV, or scroll Instagram for a while

But you can't do those now.

INSTEAD - you wonder, "what now?"

And you realize you're free

You can do anything

This time doesn't belong to facebook

This time is YOURS, you own it

And NOW you get to choose how to spend it

Maybe you put some time into that neglected backyard project

Take your loved one out for an adventure

Stretch your tired back

Crack into writing a book of your own...

Who knows?

But if you want more out of life, and your phone takes up a significant amount of your time,

Try this out. Give it a shot for just 7 days and see how you feel

It's an amazing reset for your compulsion to check your phone

And a reminder of how great the power of boredom is...

It causes us to create, drives us to do new, interesting things!

I'm on day 11 of my 30 day consumption fast and it's been wonderful

I've invested more time into my business, my body, my relationships than I ever could without...

Why You're Hooked

If you want to learn more about why we're hooked to our phones, this book is a fantastic study.

It's extremely thought provoking... going off the deep end at some points, but well worth the read.

Read here


That's it for today

I hope you don't struggle with the phone like I do

But if you do I hope one of these tips was useful for you

So get out there and enjoy life and let me know if you have any questions or hacks of your own to share with me!

Rob Rast

President, Superhuman Bikes

PS: If you want an easy way to fight your phone. Consider ripping around on one of our awesome ebikes. I guarantee you'll forget all about instagram when you're adventuring through town.