I, too, have a simple and foolproof way to cut down on cell phone time: it’s called “self-control and will power.” I use my iPhone as my alarm clock to remind me it’s time to take my morning meds — which I then record in an app designed for that purpose.

It may be another 2 or 3 hours before I look at it again. By then I will have showered, eaten, and planned the rest of my day.

After that, the first use I make of the phone is my daily writing. Sometimes I do it on the iPhone, sometimes the iPad, and sometimes my laptop.

My devices are my tools, and not vice versa.

    Robyn Sinéad Sheppard

    Written by

    Genderqueer asexual curmudgeon. She/her/hers. Time-traveler. Essayist. "Ego sum, ergo sum scribere."