
Unplug
How to Break Up with Your Phone and Reclaim Your Life
Richard Simon(Author)
Workman Adult (Publisher)
Published on 17. June 2025
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-5235-2756-4 (ISBN)
Description
Turn off your phone and turn on your life with step-by-step instructions and success stories from dozens of people who've set healthy boundaries with their devices.
The average American spends the equivalent of a full 60 days a year looking at their phone. It can become an all-consuming addiction that puts a strain on virtually every facet of our existence from the way we sleep, eat, and exercise to our ability to focus and make new memories. Most importantly, it takes us away from our lives, our relationships, and the real world. But although it may seem impossible, there is always a way to overcome digital distraction: you can always turn off your phone.
In Unplug, Richard Richard Simon lays out a plan to detox from your phone, including different breakup styles, things to do with your newfound time, lightly reintegrating a smartphone into your life, and finally, helping others quit. These tips and strategies are interspersed with success stories, including Simon's own story of turning off his phone for a whole year, plus those of 29 others, including a professional baseball player (Nick Castellanos), bestselling authors on digital usage and addiction (Cal Newport and Ed Spector, respectively), physicians who specialize in digital wellness, as well as ordinary folks including a principal, a pastor, and a couple who quit their phones together.
The average American spends the equivalent of a full 60 days a year looking at their phone. It can become an all-consuming addiction that puts a strain on virtually every facet of our existence from the way we sleep, eat, and exercise to our ability to focus and make new memories. Most importantly, it takes us away from our lives, our relationships, and the real world. But although it may seem impossible, there is always a way to overcome digital distraction: you can always turn off your phone.
In Unplug, Richard Richard Simon lays out a plan to detox from your phone, including different breakup styles, things to do with your newfound time, lightly reintegrating a smartphone into your life, and finally, helping others quit. These tips and strategies are interspersed with success stories, including Simon's own story of turning off his phone for a whole year, plus those of 29 others, including a professional baseball player (Nick Castellanos), bestselling authors on digital usage and addiction (Cal Newport and Ed Spector, respectively), physicians who specialize in digital wellness, as well as ordinary folks including a principal, a pastor, and a couple who quit their phones together.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Workman Publishing
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 183 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
420 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5235-2756-4 (9781523527564)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2025
Workman Publishing Company
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Richard Simon is the senior director of online strategy at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C. He is an expert on content strategy and user experience design and has spoken publicly, including at Confab Higher Ed in Philadelphia. Simon is a former multimedia reporter at Baltimore's The Daily Record, where he won numerous awards for his use of interactive media.