The Fight Against Brain Drain

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Every day, there’s a moment when we instinctively reach for our phones without a clear reason. Not because we’re waiting for an email, or because we’re curious about a text that just came through, but because the phone is simply there.

And when it’s not there? We feel it. An itch in the back of our minds, a pull to find it, touch it, unlock it.

We all know that smartphones, in their short reign, have fundamentally reshaped our relationship with attention.

But what’s less obvious is how even their mere presence is reshaping our spaces, behaviors, and, most critically, our ability to focus.

Imagine trying to work while someone whispers your name every ten seconds. That’s effectively what it’s like to have a phone in the same room, even if it’s silent.

Research by Adrian Ward at the University of Texas at Austin explored this phenomenon in depth, finding that just having a phone visible, even face down and powered off, reduces our cognitive ability to perform complex tasks.

Another study from the University of Chicago reported the same findings, noting that these cognitive costs are highest for those most dependent on smartphones.

The mind, it seems, can’t fully ignore the phone’s presence, instead allocating a fraction of its processing power to monitor the device, in case something—anything—might happen.

This phenomenon, known as “brain drain,” erodes our ability to think deeply and engage fully. It’s why we feel more fragmented at work, why conversations at home sometimes feel half-hearted, and why even leisure can feel oddly unsatisfying.

Compounding this is the phenomenon of phantom vibrations, the sensation that your phone is buzzing or ringing when it isn’t. A significant portion of smartphone users experience this regularly, driven by a hyper-awareness of notifications and an over-reliance on their devices.

Ironically, when we do manage to set our phones aside, many of us experience discomfort or anxiety. Nomophobia, or the fear of being without one’s phone, is increasingly common.

A systematic review of nomophobia studies highlights that this phenomenon is not merely a modern quirk but a genuine psychological concern. Studies reveal that nomophobia contributes to heightened anxiety, irritability, and even goes as far as disrupting self-esteem and academic performance.

This is the insidious part of the equation: we’ve created a world where phones damage our ability to focus when they’re near us, but we’ve also become so dependent on them that their absence can feel intolerable.

The antidote to this problem isn’t willpower. It’s environment. If phones act as a gravitational force pulling our attention away, we need spaces where their pull simply doesn’t exist.

Over the next decade, I believe we’ll see a renaissance of phone-free third places. As the cognitive and emotional costs of constant connectivity become more apparent, people will gravitate toward environments that allow them to focus, connect, and simply be.

In New York, I’ve already noticed this shift with the rise of inherently phone-free wellness experiences like Othership and Bathhouse.

Reviews of these spaces consistently use words like “calm,” “present,” and “clarity”—not just emotions, but states of being many of us have forgotten are even possible.

This is what Othership gets right: it doesn’t just ask you to leave your phone behind; it replaces it with something better. An experience so engaging that you don’t miss your phone.

As more people recognize the cognitive toll of phones (and the clarity that comes during periods without them), we’re likely to see a surge of phone-free cafés, coworking spaces, and even social clubs.

For phone-free cafés, this might mean focusing on tactile experiences—reading areas, board games, live music, or even spaces designed for quiet reflection in solitude.

For coworking spaces, it might mean creating zones where deep work is celebrated and distractions of any kind are discouraged.

This philosophy is exactly what I’ve adopted with my NYC events for Kanso. And I’m not alone in this movement.

Offline Club has built a following of over 450,000 people by hosting pop-up digital detox cafés across Europe. Off The Radar organizes phone-free music events in the Netherlands. A restaurant in Italy offers free bottles of wine to diners who agree to leave their phones untouched throughout their meal.

theoffline_club

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These initiatives are thriving for a simple reason: people are craving moments of presence in a world designed to demand their constant attention.

But we can’t stop at third places. We need to take this philosophy into the places that shape the bulk of our lives: our first and second places, home and work.

So I leave you with a challenge…

Carve out one phone-free space and one phone-free time in your day. Start small but be deliberate. Choose a space (the dining table, your bedroom, or even just a corner of your home) and declare it off-limits to your phone.

Then, pick a stretch of time. Maybe it’s the first 30 minutes after you wake up, or an hour during your lunch break, or the time you spend walking through your neighborhood. Block it off in your calendar.

If you’re headed outside, leave your phone at home. If you’re staying indoors, throw it as far as possible in another room or find a way to lock it up for an extended period of time.

For those who find this easier said than done, products like Stolp, LookUp, or Freedom Vault can serve as physical boundaries (with various levels of friction), removing the temptation to “just check.”

If the idea of shared accountability resonates, products like Aro gamify the experience and encourage families or groups to make disconnection a collective effort.

When you commit to this practice, observe the ripple effects. Notice how conversations deepen when phones are absent from the dining table. See how your focus shifts during a walk unburdened by the constant pull of notifications. Pay attention to the quality of your thoughts when your morning begins without a screen.

And please, please, please, take some time to unplug this holiday season. These small, intentional moments of disconnection may just become the most meaningful gifts you give and receive.

The Digital Reset Journal

After a few months of using the Digital Reset Journal, I’ve taken hours off my daily screen time and become far more intentional with how I spend my time and what I consume.

Each day is broken into two simple sections—morning and evening—to guide you through reflecting on your digital habits, content diet, and screen time goals.

If you’re thinking about making “less screen time” or “more presence” your New Year’s resolution, I highly recommend picking one up.

I’m so confident in its impact, that if you use the journal for 30 days straight and don’t reduce your screen time, I’ll send you your money back.

Other Resources

Kanso Digital Wellness: If you’re looking for 1:1 personalized digital wellness detox plans & daily accountability coaching, sign up here and use the code FIRST50 for 50% off your plan. (expires at the end of month)

Kanso Community: A Slack community and weekly calls for those dedicated to cutting digital distractions and reclaiming their time for what truly matters.

If you’re not ready for coaching, but still looking for accountability, support, and digital wellness education, this is for you. Join the community here.

Digital Detox Tools: A free directory of 75+ digital wellness products, software, and services. Access it here.

That’s all for this week. Now stop scrolling and go do something great!

Thanks for reading,

Randy