The latest “trend,” if you will, is a digital detox known as brainstacking. Similar to an analog basket, digital natives (millennials and Gen Zers, primarily) are pulling away from their screens and prioritizing their mental health, focus and attention by intentionally putting away their phones, shutting off the TV and entertaining themselves with brain-engaging activities that keep their hands busy.
Screen time and constant device stimulation has contributed to a mental health crisis and physical health decline of entire generations in America, and we are finally saying “enough is enough.” Some people are reclaiming their sleep, combating digital burnout and escaping avoidance cycles by any means possible. There are apps to lock your phone from distracting scrolling, “bricks” to lock your whole phone from overuse, and support groups to encourage habits to break you of your phone habits.
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Analog baskets were the first viral hack to suggest physical distractions, though those were perhaps more widely accepted by stay-at-home moms and home-schoolings mom who already had a morning basket set up for their kids. (And the irony is not lost on me that these trends to get us o...