Freedom Matters

Is the Social Dilemma a useful documentary? What are the problems with the current tech landscape and importantly, what are the solutions? In this episode, we welcome back Giancarlo Pitocco for the second part of our conversation with him. Giancarlo is an ex-Facebook/Instagram employee who has spent over a decade studying tech's impact on how we think, feel, work, and communicate. Now he’s on a mi...

How honest are we with ourselves about our own screen habits? Honesty in this episode is key, as we discuss the best ways to parent in a digital age. In this episode, we welcome Parven Kaur, founder of Kids N Clicks; a web resource that help parents and children thrive in a digital world. With over 80,000 visits a month, Parven has a unique insight into what parents care about when managing techno...

During the pandemic, screentime amongst children sky-rocketed, and parents became anxious. But do we really need to worry? And what can we do to encourage our kids to thrive in this digital world? In this episode, we welcome Julia Storm, a Los Angeles-based Digital Media Wellness Specialist. She is an educator, writer, public speaker and the founder of ReConnect, a whole child and whole family app...

Just how damaging has the pandemic been for our digital habits, and how can positive psychology help us to reset? In this episode, we welcome Teodora Pavkovic a psychologist, parenting coach and digital wellness consultant who utilizes the principles of emotional intelligence, neuroscience and positive psychology to inform and improve digital wellness for individuals, teams and organizations. Teod...

How should we define digital wellbeing? And how can technology serve us and our needs, values and aspirations? In this episode, we welcome Giancarlo Pitocco an ex-Facebook/Instagram employee who has spent over a decade studying tech's impact on how we think, feel, work, and communicate. Now he’s on a mission to help us reclaim our attention, wellbeing, and lives from the powerful grips of distract...

Jonathan Garner discusses the evolution of work and how companies now need to invest in their teams in new ways. In a hybrid workplace how do we recreate water-cooler moments? Our guest this week is clear - zoom quizzes are not the answer. Instead, how about investing in a Culture of You. In this episode, we welcome Jonathan Garner, founder or Mind Over Tech. Through live sessions and scalable onl...

What really is fun? And how do we get more of it in our lives? In this episode, we welcome Catherine Price, "...the Marie Kondo of brains" (The New York Times), journalist, speaker and author of international best-seller, 'How to Break Up with Your Phone'.  In this episode we discuss: what the pandemic has taught Catherine about screen/life balance how to define and find fun why a daily delig...

Why is control over technology such a misleading concept? And do we all need a 12 - step program? In this episode of Freedom Matters, we welcome Kim Cavallo, a nonprofit fundraiser turned unplugged experience curator, and Director of the Unplugged Collaborative, organisers of the National Day of Unplugging (March 5th - 6th). In this episode we discuss: the role of non-profits in supporting social...

Where did Freedom begin? And faced with the challenges of big tech, the attention economy, and workplace innovation, what is its future? In our first episode of Freedom Matters, we welcome Freedom's Founder & CEO, Fred Stutzman. We discuss: what motivated him to build leading productivity app, Freedom his take on the challenges of the technology landscape why users need guard-rails how work is...

In a time of constant distraction, how can we become less distracted? In this interview, renowned author and behavioral design expert Nir Eyal discusses specific steps we can take to be less distracted and more engaged with what matters most. Resources mentioned: NirAndFar.com/Indistractable Schedule maker: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/ Summary article: https://www.nirandfar.com/skill-of-t...

As a freelancer, you have no choice but to be a jack of all trades. Between marketing your business, responding to clients, and managing your finances, it’s a 24/7 grind. The ability to juggle a million different priorities isn’t just an advantage — it’s a must. But there’s a big difference between being busy and being productive. But the good news is that you can reclaim your focus and tap into u...

Studying is tough. Whether you’re a veteran student getting a Ph. D. or someone starting high school, figuring out how to stay focused while studying is a challenge that we all face. Whether your biggest challenge is social media, procrastination, time management, or a combination of all three, we’ve got a variety of tools and techniques that can help minimize the stress of studying and keep you f...

Many people, upon realizing how much time they’re spending on social media, push back, hoping to reclaim some of their time. But it’s not easy. Social media is addicting. It’s enjoyable to see the like count steadily climb on an Instagram post. They want to make changes to their social media usage but don’t know how. We’re here to help. If you’ve ever found yourself hating social media and wanting...

Addicting technology is so embedded in our daily lives that we’ve become accustomed to having the information we want available within seconds, summed up in 140 280 characters or less. We constantly switch between apps, and when we get a notification, we drop what we’re doing and check it out. These habits are impairing our concentration and making it difficult for us to focus on tasks like readin...

Not as productive as you used to be? Feeling anxious all the time while your real-life relationships degrade? The culprit may be buzzing in your front pocket. Most of us know that we’re spending more time scrolling, swiping, and browsing on our phones. But when we start thinking about how to minimize it, things get murky. We tell ourselves that extra visit to Facebook or game of Fortnite isn’t tha...

Why do we procrastinate? And most importantly, how do we overcome procrastination? In this post, we break down the what, why, and how of procrastination. We’ll talk specific strategies for overcoming procrastination, as well as examine the root causes of it. The goal? To beat the beast of procrastination. From Freedom Matters Blog https://freedom.to/blog/why-do-i-procrastinate-6-ways-to-stop-procr...

Most people use their calendars reactively, meaning that they put things on their calendars as they come up. The problem with this approach is that it can lead to the day getting very chopped up, which then makes it difficult to get things done which require in-depth thinking. So what exactly is time blocking? Why does it work so well for some people? And how can you implement it in your own life?...

For adults, the thought of applying screen time rules for ourselves is often overlooked. Shouldn’t we have enough discipline to handle this on our own? This couldn’t be further from the truth. In this age of unprecedented screen access and interactions with tech designed to be addictive, it’s never been more important to use every tool we can to ensure our screen time is healthy and intentional. F...

The line between work and home has been seriously blurred, if not completely obliterated. It’s increasingly difficult to tell whether we’ve had a productive day, and many people feel like they’ve never done enough. But is this productivity shame appropriate? Where have we gotten our preconceived notions about what it means to be a productive worker? Maybe it’s time to reconsider our ideas of produ...

Whenever you’re up to your eyeballs on a tight deadline and find yourself wandering off into a social media black hole or a YouTube binge, a single question comes to mind: Why can’t I just focus already? Why is it so hard to focus? What does focus even mean and how can we do it better? We explore the research and ask the experts for the best ways that we can improve focus. From Freedom Matters Blo...

Smartphones have changed everything from how we navigate when driving, to how we purchase goods and services. They’ve also radically changed the way we interact with one other. From Freedom Matters Blog https://freedom.to/blog/how-your-phone-is-ruining-your-relationships/ Host: Mike Goodrick Music by Toccare

How much time did you spend on your phone yesterday? How much phone time is right for you? We look at the research and discuss guidelines for healthy screen time. From Freedom Matters Blog https://freedom.to/blog/what-is-the-right-amount-of-time-to-spend-on-your-phone/ Host: Mike Goodrick Music by Toccare

In order to make a good decision, you must weigh all the factors involved, decide what’s most important, and then act based on that analysis. Performing these calculations requires mental energy, and your ability to make good decisions declines with the number of decisions you must make. Decision fatigue sets in as you make more and more choices. From Freedom Matters Blog https://freedom.to/blog/d...

When you understand what motivation is and how it works, you can then do specific things to significantly increase your overall levels of motivation. We explore the intricacies of motivation, discover why we often lack it, and look at practical actions we can take to improve it. From Freedom Matters Blog https://freedom.to/blog/lack-of-motivation-the-forgotten-emotional-aspects-of-productivity/ Ho...

While uncertainty levels are at an all-time high right now, it’s not going to totally disappear once this is all over. We will all continue to experience periods of confusion and anxiety from time to time. That’s just how life is. So how can we find focus when it feels like everything is turned upside down? From Freedom Matters Blog https://freedom.to/blog/finding-focus-in-uncertain-times/ Host: M...