I felt called out and stripped of my phone addiction .I spend most of my time on my phone so I desperately needed this book and this was such an honest take on phone addiction and moving yourself to enjoy the smallest things in life. Highly recommend it to anyone who is like me and has struggled with phone addiction. Thank you to the publisher for my copy

As the new owner of an iPhone (yes, I’m one of those old-school weirdos who’s survived on a flip phone until now), this book had me at its tagline: ‘60 Ways to Disconnect from Tech and Reconnect to Joy’. So, I’m a little biased about disconnecting - it has been my natural state, so far - but I can already feel how easily this phone could take over all my waking moments. This book is here to make sure it doesn’t suck me into a black hole of obliviousness to the world around me, though! It’s a handy guide, written in short, thoughtful chapters, to staying present through finding purpose, strength, and healing - and just reminding us all of those good ‘ol forgotten things we used to do before we had devices to look at, instead! It’s a philosophical glimpse into the question anyone who wants to disconnect has: what did I do before I checked my phone all the time?! I enjoyed how Greenberg gets nostalgic about rediscovering the magic of not having a phone, and wondering aloud how we now replace our wasted ‘device time’ with the building blocks of a fulfilling life: the fun of doing and discovering something new, the work of honing skills and nurturing relationships, and the curiosity that comes with remembering the importance of getting lost - all things that our phones are competing to steal our focus away from. The words are perfectly complemented by the modern, colourful, and wondrous hand-drawn illustrations by Emiliano Ponzi, which truly feel like the journey to the home away from our screens we’re finding our way back to. I hope I can disconnect and stay true to my ‘dumb-phone’ roots - and if I forget how, this book is here to remind me.

*** Special Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review***

In this episode, I listened to a charming argument for unplugging...

Friends, friends, friends.

Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.

I’ll admit that I have not been the biggest fan of the idea of less technology. I love new gadgets and the idea of a quote-unquote “detox” or an unplugging never really appealed to me.

After all, this past year has been made infinitely better with the intentional usage of social media. I’ve made friends and felt less alone as we deal with the repercussions of a global pandemic that restricts our freedom of movement.

However, with that being said, I have to admit that we all may be taking technology too far. Last year I read a couple of books that focused on the benefits of disconnecting from tech, but they got very detailed. Invariably, I’d find myself questioning the author’s perspective and I’d become skeptical of the whole exercise.

I was surprised, then, to discover a more holistic and human argument in Paul Greenberg’s delightful little book titled Goodbye Phone, Hello World.

Greenberg made the concept of technology addiction a personal one by connecting it to his own relationship with his son and it made me interested in continuing forward. It was a very effective way to get me invested in his little adventure.

Goodbye Phone, Hello World was so much fun primarily because it focused on the positive benefits that disconnection or unplugging can have on a person’s life, not to mention the lives in a larger community.

I was particularly struck by the reframing of exercise as an extension of meditation, and the minimization of tracking and documenting progress. I still can’t let go of the idea of having a bike that can generate electricity in the home. That just sounds magnificent and fun.

At the end of the day, I still like my phone, I still like my podcasts, and I still like my video games. What I did take from this book was a new dedication to my intentions.

Why do I turn to technology? What am I actually doing with the said gadget and why does it matter?

So ultimately this book didn’t cause a seismic, overnight shift in my life and my habits, but it did something quieter and potentially more impactful in the long run.

It made me think, and that’s why I can recommend it so completely.

That’s all for today. Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.

Peace, Love, Pages.

An interesting take on how to get yourself away from your phone more. Easy ways to get off your phone along with research showing why you should get/stay off your phone throughout the day. Along with that its broken into mind/body and relationships as to why you should distance yourself from your phone more. The illustrations to coincide were interesting as well.

It's an easy and quick read for when you want ideas on what to do, without being a superficial list of random activities. It has story snippets and quotes while talking about how much time we spend on our phones, and what we could do with that time.

I was sure I'd like this book. Because I never expect it to be.. what it is. I was expecting an actual list with interesting stuff to do rather than pick up the phone. But the book tries to go deeper and more philosophical than the shallow list I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, this is not bad. But when presenting its topics, it ends up actually being... shallow. All it has is some quotes and concepts from other books and essays. But guess what? Nowadays there are apps like deepstash or blinkist that do exactly what this book does: summarize and present snippets from other books, articles and essays.

This is a fabulous little book that gives ideas, examples and inspiration for how to spend time that would other wise be spent scrolling on our devices.

The opening pages where the author adds up the time spent on our phones and the equivalent that we have lost really hits hard, especially where he talks about the time he has missed out on with his son. As a parent, I am guilty of sneaking a peek at social media when my son is occupied with something but seeing the time added up like that really made me think and will affect my use of devices in future.

This book makes a convincing argument and useful tool for anyone looking to reduce use of their phone. Not only does it include many helpful hints to get you started but refers to other works that would be of use for anyone wanting to take their reading further.

Greenberg’s words are accompanied in this book by beautiful illustrations throughout.

Every single word is so true. We give so much time to our phones and fail to connect with the world around us. All of these practices should be sought out by us renditioning it to each of our needs accordingly. In a few words, the moral of this book is PUT YOUR PHONES DOWN AND CONNECT WITH THE ONES AROUND YOU. Incorporate your passion and love into your life and your loved ones’ life around you.

Coming out in November. Glad for this review copy by the publishers and Netgalley.

A quick “read” to be sure, but there’s a ton of value in there and it will take time to apply the lessons.

I really appreciated the way the books layout worked with the content to keep me engaged. Great quotes through out which lead me to other materials to read.

I personally would have left the short political section out as it might turn off some readers, but it’s still very much worth consideration regardless of your views.

I loved this book. I always enjoy books that are little chunks of wisdom as I don't always want to be preached to with 30 pages of why I should eat this or not eat that or why I should disconnect from my phone. I thought it was really well written and insightful and particularly liked the part about apps tracking fitness. I kind of love having an Apple Watch tell me I've done all my steps but then wonder how accurate it is. The author's suggestion to really lean into the reality of working out resonated. Thanks for this handy little guide!

In this thoughtful read, Greenberg places digestible food for thought in front of the average smartphone user. His concise persuasions may be best suited for those in the contemplation stage of change, who are ambivalent but willing to entertain a new perspective. Major props for citing Catherine Price's "How to Break Up with Your Phone," which I personally think is an excellent, logical next step for those moving into the preparation and action stages.

Good, commonsense advice on putting down your phone and picking up your life. Lovely, soothing illustrations were a fun edition to the book.

The book talks about the way in which technology has engulfed our lives on a large scale. It does so by providing scientific basis in a lucid format does making us realise its enormity. This is followed by numerous, simple yet effective tools for utilising the time which we will get at our hands if we stop using our phones the amounts we do currently. The phone addiction is increasing tremendously and the numbers are staggering. It's important to do something for getting over it but isn't that easy, thanks to the huge amount of our lives being dependent on the smartphones. Nevertheless, it isn't impossible to be the master of your phone and not vice versa and this book definitely is a good point to start!!

It was funny to be reading this book on my smartphone. Very insightful, and relatable. Such a good read. Not overly long or wordy, very good use of the words used. I’m glad to have read this and would recommend it to any parent or otherwise.

This is a good book for anyone that has been contemplating cutting their screen time and phone usage. I think it’s a great entry point into the whole concept, with easy to read pages, interesting images, and practical tips. There are great resources quoted throughout this book as well, making it easy to dig deeper into the topic.

As someone who has read other books on this topic, I still learned new information throughout and after seeing some of the concepts and other texts referenced, I was inspired to get back into reading more and scrolling less, both learning about stepping away from my phone and embracing my hobbies.

A necessary book. I wish it were available in a small leaflet format and distributed in schools, universities and office spaces - we are all slaves to our phones and, despite various research and scary data, we are not willing to break up with our smartphones, social media, internet browsing until early hours of the morning.

This book could be read in one sitting and really brings your attention to the inevitable - we are all wasting the precious hours of our life doing what?.. Exactly. To think... we could learn new languages and travel the world and instead we choose to stare into the abyss which is our personal smartphone.

Recommended.

This book was a great reminder to take a break from my phone. It was easy to read and set out well, there was just the right amount of information to make it comfortable to read in one sitting, but not enough to make your eyes glaze over.

Well written and important.

"Goodbye Phone, Hello World" by Paul Greenberg is both an honest account of the author's realization about how his smartphone was, in essence, consuming his life, and a bundle of insightful and actionable ways in which we can become more connected to the real world and less attached to these devices.

I really enjoyed this book and made several annotations on tips which I will implement in my own life. The illustrations were absolutely gorgeous as well and made the book even more enjoyable to read.

I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone, especially people looking for simple ways to improve their lives and find more joy in their day-to-day, while finding release from the myriad of negative effects that excessive digital consumption has on all of us.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early review copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Goodbye Phone, Hello World" is a short and sweet read aimed to make you question your digital habits, providing practical solutions to put the phone. The book is sprinkled with beautiful illustrations, quotes, scary statistics, and "reality check" moments to provide the research behind statements.

I appreciated the conciseness of the book, and it insinuates the idea that we should spend more time in the natural world. Being an advanced copy, I was reading off a screen which seemed a bit conflicting to the point; though I could imagine myself reading the hard copy outside and enjoying my time connecting with nature and paper.

At times it seemed a bit nihilistic and denies the benefits that smartphones have gifted us, especially during 2020 where face to face communication is a commodity. Smartphones have allowed me to stay in contact with my family and provides safe of mind. Though at the same time I have found myself wanting to limit screen time as we are exposed to so much bad in the world, that it is sometimes good to just have a bit of "time out".

Overall I enjoyed "Goodbye Phone, Hello World" and am feeling inspired to connect more with the world outside my phone screen.

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