by RICHARD SIMON

Workman/Hachette, June 2025

“Diving deep into the growing community of people who radically re-invented their relationships with their phones, Richard Simon identifies a road map for the rest of us to achieve a less distracted and more meaningful life.”    -Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of Slow Productivity and Digital Minimalism

A Major League baseball player. A school principal. A scientist. A couple who decided to take the plunge together. And author Richard Simon. They all did it—they broke up with their smartphones. 

And once they did, they discovered on the other side a rich and rewarding new relationship with time, with their creativity, with their loved ones, with themselves. Sharing every detail of his detox, as well as the stories of dozens of people who also took the journey, Simon offers an inspiring, informative, supportive, and practical manifesto for disconnecting from our smartphones and reconnecting with our lives.

He writes about the highly addictive nature of the smartphone, engineered to deliver a hit of dopamine with every interaction—which on average occurs 144 times a day. He explains why the common hacks (deleting social media apps, taking a digital sabbath, wrapping the phone in a rubber band, setting the display to grayscale) don’t work. Instead, he lays out the importance of a proper detox, as well as four breakup styles to choose from.

And he provides compelling evidence of why it’s all worth it. How it allows you to connect more deeply with the world around you. Accomplish deep work. Engage in real conversations with your spouse, your kids, your friends. Discover meaningful non-screen activities. It even enhances everyday habits like sleep, exercise, and eating. And when it’s time to go back to a smartphone—if indeed you even want to—Simon shows how to reintegrate it into your life without allowing it to take over.