- The Love/Hate Phone Saga: How to Get Your Life (and Creativity) Back
- Phones steal your lifetime
- Are You Actually Satisfied?
- What is the Flow state?
- It not only about you and I. It's a scourge.
- I Miss the Old Days
- Trade Screen Time for Real Life
- What Will You Remember?
- It’s Not Just About Focus—It’s About Living
- Feed Your Brain the Good Stuff
- Final Word: Don’t Be That Pixar Guy
The Love/Hate Phone Saga: How to Get Your Life (and Creativity) Back
Don’t be that guy!
The Pixar guy from Wall-E who receive shoot of never-ending pleasure from his screen.
Our relationship with our phones is a total love/hate story.
On one hand, we’re obsessed.
We wake up with it, use it as a watch, text friends, check emails, play Candy Crush*, watch stuff on YouTube, and—let’s not lie—scroll while we poop. At night, it’s right next to us, charging up like it’s our digital pet, ready to wake you up at morning with a sweet wake-up song if you have Samsung.
* Damned! 2 years ago, I wasted so manyyy days playing it. I even found a little hack to have unlimited credits.
You just needed to set your clock for earlier. (Not sure I should tell you that: P)
Phones steal your lifetime
Have you noticed how all those hours staring at your screen are just stealing your attention from the real world?
If you’re an artist / designer or you dream of becoming one, but your main source of “information” is that little block of plastic, you’re letting something designed to glue your eyes to it run (ruin) your life.
It doesn’t always lift you up, right?
Are You Actually Satisfied?
Let’s be honest.
At the end of the day, do you feel more enriched? Satisfied?
Proud of what you accomplished? Or just… meh?
Every time your phone goes “DING!” and you check the notification for 1 minute, it can take 30 minutes to get back into deep focus—if you ever do!
That little distraction is now a “dancing monkey” in your brain, ready to kick out all your good ideas. And you can’t get rid of it so easily. That may lead you to the path of procrastination and creative stress.
That’s why, when I work, I toss my phone in another room. When I draw, create, or write to you here, my phone is GONE. And magically, my brain forgets about it. That’s how I finally FOCUS – and enter the “flow state”
What is the Flow state?
That is the moment when you are so deep in your creative activity, that nothing else matters. Time flies. And you love that moment so much that you wish it could become infinite.
It is no more about Work, Obligation, Deadline, but an intimate relationship between yourself and your art. Personally, entering this state of flow is the reason why I love drawing so much.
I may be dramatic, but due to that phone, I believe many aspiring artists or designers will never know that state of flow.
So then won’t be able to learn, practice properly with the necessary concentration. And their dream of a design career will be killed in the egg.
Don’t let that phone mess up with your passion. It’s really not worth it.
It not only about you and I. It’s a scourge.
When my phone’s out of reach, I get stuff done. I can create for hours.
But let’s be real—when I’m done, that phone is back in my hand, screen blazing, retina sizzling.
And I love it. We’re all addicts.
Just look around:
- Auntie at the restaurant, glued to her phone.
- Kids at McDonald’s, ignoring Grandpa.
- Parents scrolling on the sofa while the kids play… with an iPad.
- Your siblings racing through dinner to get back to TikTok.
- People at concerts filming the whole thing and watching it through their screens. (Why even go?!)
Some may see technology as an opening to the world. Yes, but we ended up with an army of zombies.
To escape, you gotta be rebel.
Turn off your phone and accept that the world can’t contact you when you create.
I Miss the Old Days
I’m an 80s kid.
My first Sagem phone at 18, my first “badass” smartphone (hello, iPhone 4!) at 29.
I kinda miss my childhood time, when every single phone had a wire.
We played with simple stuff, but real. Hide and seek, marbles, battle of fallen leaves in autumn, football barefoot, sketching on the floor with chalk, pick up a little stone and then play hopscotch…
You could meet your real friends.
Now? Kids see their friend thumbnail more than their face in real life.
Kids are born with tech. I wonder if it feels lonely.
But parents, it’s on you to show them how to live in the real world. Monkey see, monkey do.
Trade Screen Time for Real Life
Seriously, swap some of that screen time for actual human time. Hang with family, friends, or if you’re single, meet someone new in the real world. That’s where the real vibes are. (If your eyes keep staring at your phone, you will never meet your alternative dimension crush.)
Phones flood us with emotions—so many, we end up numb.
We smile inside, but it’s not the same as belly-laughing with friends.
And now Netflix lets you watch movies at 2x speed.
We act like we have no time, but it’s our phones eating up what really matters: our creative work and the people we love.
Don’t treat your phone as a treasure. What’s precious is your time and FREE MIND.
What Will You Remember?
Who’s gonna remember the day you spent glued to your phone, scrolling TikTok? NO ONE. But your kid will remember when you took them to the city, their football game, the science expo, or Disneyland. Just don’t let your phone kill the party.
It’s Not Just About Focus—It’s About Living
What I’m talking about isn’t just about getting better at your work.
It’s about a holistic approach in your life. Disconnect from your phone, Internet so you can create a new and durable routine.
Live in the present.
Stop consuming other people’s content.
As a designer, you want to CREATE. And to do that, you need SILENCE.
- Spend time with yourself.
- Let yourself get bored—boredom is where ideas are born.
- Don’t drown silence with music.
- Walk down the street and actually listen: the sounds, the people, the city.
- When you eat, just eat. No YouTube. Taste the food. Try to guess the ingredients. Smell your wine.
Instead of watching videos of food in Japan, why not plan a trip there?
You can’t lick your screen for flavor (at least, not yet).
When you do your washing up, only do that.
Feel every action you do. Don’t just be in automatic mode. Feel the soap, hear the plate’s “CLING”, and simply watch your dishes are clean.
Be in that instant moment.
No matter how mondaine it is, your quality of life will level up.
Feed Your Brain the Good Stuff
To be a great designer, you need to elevate your five senses.
Feed your brain with quality inspiration—not the latest TikTok dance or political drama.
Don’t let your brain become just a receiver. Be a CREATOR. And when you do take in info, choose it.
Don’t let TikTok’s algorithm feed you random junk to keep you hooked.
Pick your sources carefully.
- Which YouTube channels actually uplift you?
- Which friends do you want to hang out with to talk art and design, not just scrolling?
- Where do you like to go to feel inspired?
- Select the art books of the artists you love!
It takes effort to keep your brain’s “diet” clean. If your brain eats junk, you’ll make junk.
If you feed it good stuff, you’ll become an asset to the world—and as a designer, you will help make it better.
Final Word: Don’t Be That Pixar Guy
Don’t be that guy from WALL-E, glued to a screen, missing out on life – yes he is happy. But he has no ambition than ordering the next milkshake flavour. Be healthy. Be present. Be a creator!
Now go put your phone down and make something awesome. : )
(And if you’re reading this on your phone… you know what to do next!)
Cheers,
Chou-Tac
PS: I love reading books.
The creative and productivity books that fed me are;
- “Make time” from Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.
- “Daily Creative” from Todd Henry.
- “The blog Zen habits” from Leo Babeauta
PPS: I wanted to share with you that fantastic clip of Stromae sharing about his addiction to Twitter.
It is in French, but you have the English subtitles.
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