What tech diet are you on?

I think we can all agree that tracking the calories you consume on a diet heavy on sweets isn’t likely to help you lose weight.

The same could be said for Apple’s Screen Time feature. Knowing something isn’t working (or how much it consumes your time) isn’t the same as changing your behavior.

In the same way that switching to a diet coke won't improve your health, taking a momentary break from your phone won't curb your attention deficit.

Instead, what enables lasting change is a long-term commitment to a new way of being. Taking a hard look at your current lifestyle, assessing your values, and taking steps to change your relationship.

Digital minimalism is but one method that can help you reassess how you use digital tools. So is a phone detox, regular forest bathing, or embracing analog social media.

In the same way that there certainly isn’t a one and only diet for everyone, I predict we’ll soon see a variety of digital wellness programs tailored for a variety of lifestyles. The point being not to find a miracle end-all-be-all method, but to adopt something that works for you and aligns with your values.

Screen Time doesn’t work for the same reasons counting calories doesn’t directly help you loose weight. Noticing your dependency or how your desctructive habits manifest might be a useful exercise in acknowledging that you have a problem. But it’s far and away from the mental shift of being ready and willing to make a commitment to something new. Ultimately, that is what is going to replace your behavior.