Breaking Technology Addiction: A Three-Part Daily Protocol

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Brooks cites research showing that the first hour after waking, the last hour before sleep, and mealtimes are the three windows where limiting technology use has the greatest effect on rewiring a person's relationship with their devices. During the first hour, he says, the brain undergoes neurological programming that shapes the day; the last hour affects both relationship patterns and sleep architecture; mealtimes without devices release neuropeptides (chemical messengers including oxytocin) that strengthen social bonds. He frames technology addiction not as a willpower failure but as a structural problem that can be addressed by changing the environment in these specific windows rather than trying to resist the phone throughout the day.