While I am loath to suggest that anyone can “fix their life” via consumerism, this year I have at the very least managed to tinker around the edges with some thoughtful deployments of a credit card. Here are a few things I bought—all under $40—that have allowed me to banish my phone to the shadowy reaches of my apartment for much of each day, making me feel substantially calmer, saner, and more present in my life.

A Landline Telephone

I’m sure you know this, but research shows that merely being in the same room as your cell phone shreds your attention, even if you’re not using it and it’s completely out of sight. I notice this in myself. If the phone is there, I absently pick it up. I scroll. I text frivolous thoughts to my friends. Particularly, I do this in moments of boredom or fricti

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