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These practices have already yielded success: I am currently preparing a review article for submission with my adviser, and I’ve written this column and other personal reflective works. I started reading papers during long experiments, and began a habit of writing in my down time. With time, however, I began to make practical use of my quiet time. Underscoring the addictive nature of smartphones, I experienced symptoms of withdrawal when I first cut the metaphorical cord, staring at my iPod throughout the day and hoping for a rush of dopamine that no longer came.

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Others have adopted different strategies, including using software to limit screen time (now built directly into iOS and Android) and implementing lifestyle changes, such as turning off their phones after sunset and scheduling activities during leisure time to prevent mindless scrolling (see the 2019 book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport for further ideas).

I could use an iPod for music, and any messages I received would be waiting on my computer or when I returned home. To reclaim my focus, I opted to reduce my connectivity by using a basic mobile phone without an Internet connection during work hours, and removing unnecessary apps from my smartphone when I did use it. Studies have shown that people in the United States spend more than three hours per day on their smartphones, and smartphone usage has been shown to be more motivating than food for university students 3. Apps can trigger the same reward mechanisms as slot machines, by using unpredictable, addictive reward schedules and engagement-based post ranking to hijack users’ attention 1, 2. Ex-employees of technology companies - such as Tristan Harris, formerly of Google, and Frances Haugen, formerly of Facebook - have spoken publicly about the algorithms that underlie the addictive nature of social media and smartphone use.

Through a combination of counselling and personal reflection, I came to understand my problem: I was addicted to my phone. This all came to a head last summer, when my inability to balance work and life led me to seek help from the university’s student mental-health services. I would come home from a long day in the lab and respond to e-mails or Slack messages over dinner or in bed. I was working more than ever, but getting less done. Although I could mask this inefficiency with longer hours, my work felt chaotic and disorganized. Instead of thinking about science, I was watching television or interacting with social media on my smartphone. Something had to change.Īs I began to search for the cause of my struggles, I became increasingly aware that my ‘quiet time’ at the lab bench - for instance, when I was running chromatography columns or microscopy experiments - was anything but. Although I had been productive early in my graduate career, my long hours and hard work were no longer translating into success in the laboratory, and I felt hopeless about achieving my goals. As a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago in Illinois, I work at the interface of polymer chemistry and immunology, using synthetic strategies to design safer, more effective materials for vaccine and gene delivery. In early 2021, I hit a rut in my studies.

Smartphone apps are often designed to be addictive.

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