I’ve rewired my brain with the Brick by weaponizing laziness — here’s why I think it’s an essential gadget for every home

(Image credit: Tom's Guide) For the past couple of months, I’ve been looking at digital detox getaways. I have an urge to be in the middle of nature with my phone locked away in a box and only a satellite phone for contact with the outside world.As a tech writer, my day is spent in front of my laptop and testing gadgets. I love it. But my phone is a big part of my work too, since so many products now come with companion apps. When I log off from work, that phone stays firmly in my hand as I instantly check my social media and text back my friends. I start to feel like my phone is glued to my palm. The small dent in my pinky finger tells me this can’t be healthy.Like most people, I do have screen time limiters on my phone. I use the one on my iPhone, and this limits me to three hours of social media a day. But I always use it for a lot longer than that. I always find myself hitting the “ignore limit” button, because it’s not really a limiter. It’s more of a suggestion I choose to ignore most days.So, back to me wanting to lock my phone away in a box. You can see why I want a little reprieve from the block of aluminum and plastic in my hand. If I had it my way, I’d throw my phone in a lake, but unfortunately I’d need it for emergencies — then I saw the Brick.How does the Brick work? (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The Brick is a small gadget that houses a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip that sends a signal to your phone, and with the help of the Brick app, blocks apps or websites of your choosing. This can turn your phone into its most basic form so it’s only being used for SMS messaging and calls. You’ve likely come across NFC in other places such as contactless payment cards or data sharing between two phones — it’s simple.Once this signal is used to Brick your phone, you won’t have access to any of the apps you’ve selected to be blocked. To UnBrick your phone, you have to go back to the Brick and tap it. And that’s where it gets you.To UnBrick your phone, you have to go back to the Brick and tap it. And that’s where it gets you. The thing about Brick is that it plays on your mental resilience. For me, it’s my competitive streak. I want to beat the length of time my phone was Bricked for the day before. That’s what stops me from getting up and giving in to the temptation to scroll.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.It can also feed into your laziness. Let me set the scene. You left the Brick in your office upstairs, but you’re already sat on the sofa with your family. It’s been a long day, and you really don’t want to trudge upstairs just to tap your phone to a piece of plastic. Totally understandable. But that’s a good thing. Now you actually have to pay attention to your TV show or have meaningful conversations with the people around you.I also think it’s a bit of a game. The action of tapping your phone to something gives you a dopamine hit, like paying for something in a store. When I first started using the Brick, I was using it often because I liked the action of Bricking and UnBricking, but now I leave it for hours at a time.The Brick’s potential (Image credit: Tom's Guide)When I was a kid, “too much screen time” wasn’t really a thing. I’m 24, so while social media presented many issues, doomscrolling wasn’t one of them just yet. Instead, I was playing Zoo Tycoon for hours on end. I would still go outside to play, and was reading books upon books.But now, TikTok and Reels have taken centre stage on young people’s phones. It’s getting harder and harder to pry them away when it seems as though the whole world is at their fingertips — not to mention the troubling content they can come across.A recent study published by JAMA Pediatrics found that screen-based media exposure has an association with lower academic achievement and behavioural issues. These findings are troubling, but are they all that surprising? With trendy words for our online addictions like “doomscrolling” and “brain rot”, this is surely to be expected. But here’s where I think the Brick can come into play.Since you can use a single Brick on as many phones as you want, you can have one at home or in a classroom and set up child-safe barriers. This kind of works like a child lock, but it can be personalized to suit your needs by blocking apps and websites without completely taking the phone away.Why I think the Brick is for me (Image credit: Tom's Guide)I wouldn’t have said I had an unhealthy attachment to my phone. In fact, I thought I had a good balance of screen time and real-world activities. But it wasn’t until I started using the Brick that I realised how often I was picking my phone up every day. According to a report by Reviews.org, the average American picks up their phone 186 times a day, spending an average of five hours and one minute staring at the screen.I’m thankful for the Brick. Now that I’ve come to realize my unhealthy relationship with my phone, I’m living in the moment and looking up. Not snapping a picture of everything to post on my story so people know what I’m doing. At first, I thought that number was crazy. Then I thought more deeply about my phone usage. I first pick up my phone when my alarm goes off, and I’ll quickly check it while I brush my teeth before a quick scroll while eating breakfast. Then I take the odd glance throughout the day, and once I clock off from work, you’d have a hard time prying it from my palm.I’m genuinely embarrassed by my reliance on my phone.Maslow's hierarchy of needs denotes things that are essential for basic survival, fulfilment, health, love and belonging. None of these can truly come from my phone. I can be without social media.Because the thing is, if your phone dies and you have no means to charge it, you will be okay. But that’s if it dies. It hits 20%, and I’m running to grab the nearest USB-C cable. It mustn’t die. I need it for the map of the journey I’ve made a hundred times. I need it to pay for the coffee that I once bought with the plastic card in my wallet I haven’t touched in years, and the coins in my pocket before that. It can’t die because I need to text a picture of my lunch to my best friend. I need it.That’s why I’m thankful for the Brick. Now that I’ve come to realize my unhealthy relationship with my phone, I’m living in the moment and looking up. Not snapping a picture of everything to post on my story so people know what I’m doing.My partner — who is arguably allergic to new technology — hardly touches his phone. He doesn’t even have a background image on his lock screen. It’s just black. When I met him, I have to admit, I thought this made him some sort of sociopath. Why wouldn’t you want a picture of your friends, dog, or hey, ME on your phone? But I think I get it now. Your phone is just a means of contact. That’s all it needs to be.So I think I’ll be using the Brick forever — or at least until I stop reaching for my phone to scroll — because I feel like I’ve unlocked a part of my brain that I lost somewhere along the way, and it’s nice to have it back.To find out more about my experience with the gadget, you can read my full Brick review right here. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. More from Tom's GuideI tested the iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max side-by-side: Should you upgrade?9 new movies and shows to stream this weekend on Netflix, HBO Max and more (Oct. 2-4)4 ways Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 beats Apple iPhone Duo Ashley is a staff writer on the the Reviews team at Tom’s Guide. She has a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and a BA in Journalism, Media and Sociology. She has written for titles including Women’s Health UK, writing health and wellness stories, and Virgin Radio UK, specializing in entertainment news and celebrity interviews. She has reported on a variety of topics including music, literature, motorsport, entertainment and health. She has previously reviewed live music events, books, and wellness products but discovering the top audio equipment on the market is what she does best. When she is not testing out the latest tech, you can find her either curled up with a cup of tea and a good novel or out hiking.