Good morning. There’s no better time than early summer to put away your phone and get some fresh air. We have a challenge to help you actually do it.
Touch grass
Do you check the daily screen time on your phone? The number can be jarring. Like your cholesterol levels or the payoff amount on your mortgage, it’s a figure you feel you should be monitoring, but don’t really want to know. Last Sunday, a day I spent mostly baking and on a long walk with a friend, I felt as if I had been on my phone for an hour and a half, tops. Turned out it was four hours. What was I doing all that time? Who knows. I sent some texts. I watched Instagram videos of cats being rescued from vacant lots and strangers giving me pep talks. (“You got this!”) Most of us spend five or more hours a day on our phones, according to a 2026 YouGov survey. Four in 10 adults say they are online “almost constantly,” a separate poll by Pew Research found. All this time in front of screens has an impact on our mental and physical health, raising our stress levels and shrinking our attention span. Our devices change the way we walk and cause us to breathe less often, a stress response known as screen apnea. Dr. John La Puma, an internist and the author of “Indoor Epidemic,” says our phones also make it more tempting for us to stay inside — where we already spend an estimated 90 percent of our time. Dr. La Puma has a name for those hours we stare at our phones: ultraprocessed time. “Ultraprocessed time is to your attention what ultraprocessed food is to your metabolism,” he told me. “It’s instant gratification, and it’s designed to be addictive.”
‘Ultraprocessed time’To combat this, we’ve created a monthlong “Touch Grass” challenge. Summer’s almost here. Let’s put those devices down and get some air. Sign up here, and each week in June you’ll get a set of easy, science-based exercises that will encourage you to put down your devices and engage with real life. We’ve just published the first installment, asking you to commit to spending 20 minutes a day outside without phones. Next, we’ll work on improving our sleep by turning those phones off 30 minutes before bedtime. Then we’ll guide you through hosting a 1990s-style hangout — there were no smartphones in the ’90s, which means no GPS, so make sure to write down directions. To finish, a little art project (with pine cones!). Our first activity was inspired by a landmark study of nearly 20,000 people. Those who spent at least 120 minutes in nature a week reported higher levels of health and well-being. That averages out to 17 minutes a day. We rounded it up to 20. Add some “greens” to your ultraprocessed time and pledge to go outside, device-free, for a total of 20 minutes a day. (It can be in increments!) Try it for a week, or all month (or for the rest of your life). “You don’t need to be in an open meadow,” Dr. La Puma said. “It can be anywhere you see the sky and breathe outdoor air.” If you’re in a city, that might be a dog park, a rooftop or any street with trees. If you’re a caregiver or can’t leave the house, the front steps, a fire escape or a backyard will work. It may be uncomfortable at first to be alone with your thoughts. But to get the most out of this in terms of reduced stress, better sleep, higher levels of focus and sharper memory, “you do have to unplug,” said Marc Berman, a psychologist at the University of Chicago and the author of “Nature and the Mind.” If you need extra motivation, here’s how to check your screen time on iPhone and Android. ‘Release the bees’At first, field-testing this exercise, I could manage only about five device-free minutes before getting twitchy. I’d take a quick walk around the block and then scurry back home. If you suspect that you, too, might be uneasy without your phone, give yourself a little task. Count the dogs you see on the walk, or use the time for savoring life, bringing mindful attention to the positive things in it. Maybe an awe walk, designed to cultivate a sense of amazement at the surroundings. Watch the tree leaves rustle, listen to the water flowing downstream. After a few weeks of beta-testing my 20-minute jaunts, I began to view them as a chance to “release the bees” — the persistent, annoying thoughts that buzz around my brain. Now I have begun to crave this restorative stretch of uninterrupted peace the way I crave those pep talks from strangers. I’ve found I’m less likely to go straight for my phone when I return. I hope you’ll join me in this experiment by signing up for the “Touch Grass” challenge. And while you’re at it, sign up here to get my newsletter, Well, delivered to your inbox.
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