After a grueling day at the office and a little house-cleaning, you slump into the sweet embrace of a large recliner. You pull out your phone, looking for low-effort entertainment. You see a notification from a social media app, which delights you with a pleasant little dopamine hit. You open the app and begin to scroll and scroll and scroll. Your eyes glaze. Suddenly, three hours have passed and it’s time for bed. Where did those precious hours of freedom go?
Most of us have experienced something like this. Digital devices have a tendency to devour free time. They’re so convenient, so ready-to-hand when we want to dispel a bit of boredom or take our minds off things for a few minutes. But often “a few minutes” transforms into a few hours. We don’t know how to use the downtime before bed, so our phones fill that vacuum.
