067: [MINDFULNESS] Off the grid: breaking your phone addiction & going "light" with Joe Hollier

Hi everyone! Today I'm speaking with Joe Hollier, Co-Founder of Light -> a minimalistic, non-addictive smartphone alternative. 
For those of you who have known me for a while I've been on a long-time mission to become more intention with the information I'm taking in and to cultivate more focus and flow into my day. Partner that with my long-time meditation practice and over the past few years it has become obvious to me that my phone... as convenient as it is... is definitely part of a larger problem.
This year I "upgraded" to a Lightphone and started to set more serious boundaries with my phone. I noticed that on retreats/vacations/weekends when I don't have a traditional smartphone on me I feel more focused, intentional, and peaceful. On days when I am on my phone a lot I feel overwhelmed, more anxious, and "rushing" non-stop. I also found it more difficult to participate in things I loved: reading, learning, and tapping into that state of "deep focus".
Well, it turns out I'm not alone. According to recent research: 

• Checking phones has become so prevalent that more than 40 percent of consumers said they look at the devices within five minutes of waking up, according to a 2016 survey by Deloitte. 
• Fifty percent said they check them in the middle of the night. 
• “The brain starts learning how to switch rapidly from one task to another to another,” says William Klemm, senior professor of neuroscience at Texas A&M University and author of Teach Your Kids How to Learn. “It becomes a habit. But this habit conflicts with focused attentiveness.” 

Y'all, IDK about you but I don't feel good feeling so distracted - I want more peace and a sense of calm groundedness in my day-to-day. Enter Light - and this conversation.

 
 What we talk about: 

• Joe and Kaiwei's journey of creating a "light" phone in the era of "more is more" (more apps, more features, more addiction)
• What it was like building towards a very polarizing vision: the challenge of fundraising in an era where smartphones were all the rage & VC's were looking for "hockey stick" growth
• The power of community: bringing customers along the journey of building a complex, multi-year hardware tech product (How crowdfunding made all the difference)
• The research behind going light + the benefits seen from case studies like schools that went 100% light phone and the benefits seen from customers
• What "actually" makes smartphones addictive?
• Why "screentime" often isn't enough
• Joe's own journey of cultivating an "intentional" life (as an artist and multidisciplinary designer)
• What Joe predicts the future of social might look like AND tech companies he's loving these days

+ so much more!
About Joe:

I'm a multi-disciplinary artist and entrepreneur. I studied design at the School of Visual Arts and graduated as the valedictorian. I started a design studio & skateboard company called Five on That, working as an animator, film maker, and illustrator mostly. I was also selling and exhibiting my painting and collage work. The Smithsonian commissioned a short film called "Diary". Other clients include Nike, CNN, the Lincoln Center, Debbie Millman, Office of Paul Sahre and Sagmeister & Walsh. Print Magazine recognized me as one of the top 20 visual artists under the age of 30 in 2014. I was invited to participate in Google’s inaugural incubator in 2014, which is where I began building the Light Phone with my partner Kai. In 2016 I received the A.D.C. Young Guns award. In 2020, I was named one of Forbes 30 under 30 for consumer technology products. I love my cat, walking the bridge, reading, camping, piano and the color yellow.
 To connect with Joe:
 
IG: thelightphone&