Apps are addictive by design
Attention Economy apps are engineered to keep you scrolling – especially when you're tired, bored, or just trying to check one thing. If you've ever looked up and wondered where the last hour went, that's not a personal failure - that's the attention economy doing its job.
My screen-time peaked at six hours a day
During the pandemic my screen-time hit six hours a day. I stopped playing guitar, stopped reading, and drifted from people I loved. This 50-day experiment was my first serious attempt to change that.
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A PhD dropout who studied smartphone interventions
Later, as a PhD student studying attention and digital well-being, I worked with intervention scientists and smartphone-addiction researchers to see what actually works. The 30 day Digital Declutter is built from real psychology tested in scientific studies. You'll notice citations throughout.
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5 years of experiments and 2 years of research in 30 days
Over 30 days, we'll redesign your digital environment so:
Before the 30 Days
Get a baseline of your phone use, habits, mood, and well-being so you can see real change later.
Identify the hobbies, relationships, and projects scrolling has crowded out and what you want to make space for again.
Set evidence-based nudges across your devices so mindless scrolling becomes harder and meaningful action becomes easier.
During the 30 Days
One quick check-in each day keeps you motivated, intentional, and thinking about your digital consumption.
Each week, choose one small habit based on your values:
Join our Discord or pair with a buddy if you want support. Accountability buddies work!
After the 30 Days
Retake the same measures from the start and see your progress on digital consumption and well-being.
Your phone becomes less addictive but the bigger shift is that your life refills with meaningful activities, hobbies, and relationships. Your phone is less attractive than the things you love and value when you've taken the time to foster them.
Why We Built the 30 Day Digital Declutter Program
Two reasons. First, we felt the attention economy pull me away from the things we love first hand and felt powerless to do anything about it. Second, when Nathan studied this issue and actually made progress, he realized that things could be changed and improved and he needed to share this with others.
Over the last five years, I've learned that attention isn't JUST something to harness for productivity bros. Attention is the foundation of love. Where we place it shapes our relationships, our hobbies, and the meaning we experience in our finite lives. Also, it's way more flexible than I'd ever imagined. We can cultivate our attentional habits and put our attention where we truly desire. It may be hard at first, but it get's easier and you can truly love and be proud of how you attend to life.
I created this cohort for anyone who feels that same longing not just to disconnect from tech but to reconnect to the things we love. It's my best attempt at a research-informed, values-first way to reorient our attention and return it to the things that actually make life fun and meaningful. This is very much a labour of love; I'm still doing this work alongside you.
Nathan, I was one of the people you managed to convince to drop into this experiment and . . . wow. To see not only how it's changed your life, but mine and the people I've seen go through this, is mind-boggling.
I thought I needed more willpower. Turns out I needed better systems.
The first cohort is free. Future cohorts will be paid with an optional "scholarship" program for people who justifiably cannot afford the cost.
Paying an amount that feels meaningful to you can act as a commitment device, a well-studied psychological tool that increases follow-through by adding a small, self-chosen stake in the process.
No. You don't have to quit anything — but you will change how you use it. Instead of deleting your accounts or going "cold turkey," you'll dumb down your phone and redesign your feeds and defaults so they stop pulling you in automatically.
The goal isn't abstinence. It's creating an environment where your phone feels like a just another digital tool again.
Most "cold turkey" plans don't work long-term. This cohort uses science-based nudges to redesign your digital environment so it's less addictive by design.
And if you've relapsed before, that's normal. I've been working on my own screen-time for five years, and progress came with plenty of ups and downs.
Everyone slips, especially when tired, sick, or stressed. It's normal. You can revisit the cohort, refine your habits, or restart at any time. Perfection isn't the point. If you get 20 good days out of 30, that's 20 more good days than if you hadn't tried at all.
No. You can pick and choose what works for you. But the more interventions you implement, the stronger the results tend to be.
Nope. We recommend a few free apps and browser extensions, but nothing paid or technical is required.
That's completely fine. The entry exercises help you clarify what feels meaningful even if it's been years since you last felt connected to a hobby or project.
And if nothing comes to mind, this is a perfect moment to explore something new. You might discover a lifelong passion.
You can still benefit. When I did my own 50-day experiment, my phone use was already under an hour a day but removing YouTube, Netflix, podcasts, and passive media from my other devices opened up a surprising amount of space.
This cohort isn't just for going from overwhelmed to okay, I hope it can help you go from okay to flourishing too.
Nope. Community is optional. You can also do the cohort with a friend or loved one they can be your accountability buddy even if they're not in the Discord.
Absolutely not. Your data is anonymized, never shared, and you can delete it whenever you want. Your reflections stay private unless you choose to share them.