First of all, I refuses to blame anyone’s phone addiction on a lack of self-control. Now I find it almost impossible to complete even the smallest task without the help of a smartphone. not just mine Iphone my kitchen alarm clock and stopwatch, it’s also my calendar and grocery list. I text my husband, check my work Slack, look up recipes, and play podcasts while I cook.
So if you have trouble putting it down, I don’t blame you. Our entire infrastructure revolves around people using some kind of mobile device. I was going to install a landline in my house so the kids could contact emergency services, but then it dawned on me that I could reuse old Apple Watches. for my kids to use. Furthermore, there is some debate as to whether phone addiction really exist.
That said, it’s hard for me not to fall into a black hole. One recent morning, I absentmindedly clicked on TikTok while brushing my teeth and was completely absorbed in watching videos of small dogs sitting on large mushrooms instead of getting them ready for school. If you could pay a company to block websites and apps on your computer while you work, it starts to make more sense to pay a company to help you store your phone.
box it up
Photo: Taralynn Lawton/Arlo
Aro is both a subject and a member. You can join for $18 a month, or for slightly cheaper one-year or two-year subscriptions. Each subscription includes every member of your family.
Once you’ve joined, you’ll receive your Aro Home, which is a large, 12.5-inch by 8-inch white box. The bamboo lid has a metal tab that opens smoothly to reveal four internal slots for four phones, one wireless charger, and four Lightning connectors. (Android version and app coming soon.)
The app connects to your phone via Bluetooth. When you put your phone in the box, it will automatically start monitoring your idle session, which will end when you take your phone out of the Aro. When testing the Aro app, you can tag your session with a label. My most frequently used cards are Breakfast, Work, and Family Time.
Aro started with the initial goal of putting your phone aside for an hour a day and will adjust as you spend more time, but after a few weeks I don’t see any change. Subscriptions obviously also include challenges and allow you to see your accumulated data, but so far these are pretty basic. For example, I’ve now earned the challenge badge in a seven-day and 10-session series. You can also compete with groups, but I don’t know of anyone else who owns Aro.
I put our Aro in the kitchen, because that’s where I tend to do the most work and have a hard time paying attention to what I’m doing. But I might have more sessions or longer, even overnight, if I leave Aro in my bedroom. Luckily, I had no problem putting the phone aside to sleep. (I’m no better than you, just exhausted.)
Handsfree
Placing Aro Home in such a prominent location had an immediate effect. My kids, who don’t have phones, can see that I’m committed to leaving my phone. More importantly, they had a safe place to put it when they snatched it from me.
I know what you’re thinking. “An hour a day? Haha, pfft.” But it’s not as easy as you might think, especially for a mother of two elementary school students who also has to work full-time from home. There have been a lot of times when I put it in the box and realized I had to take it out after a few minutes.
