BRICK: Why I Keep Instagram But Block It Everyday

I love Instagram.

I love the beauty, encouragement, ideas, and connections it brings right into the palm of my hand. Some of my favorite friendships started because of a quick message in that app. I've learned from people all over the world, connected with other special-needs moms, and had opportunities for ministry that never would have happened without social media.

I also kind of hate Instagram.

Not Instagram itself, necessarily. More the way it always seems to know exactly what will keep me scrolling long after I've gotten whatever I came for in the first place.

Need a recipe? Here's twenty.

Looking for workout inspiration? Here's fifty.

Want to check one message? Nine reels and a German Shepherd puppy video later, and suddenly it's dark outside.

That tension has followed me for years.

Many of my friends have quit social media altogether, and honestly, I love that for them.

If deleting Instagram solved the problem for you, that's wonderful.

But it wasn't the right solution for me.

Instagram isn't just entertainment in my life. It's a place where I learn, encourage others, stay connected, and share resources that matter to me. I didn't want to remove it completely.

I wanted to use it intentionally.

So I tried all the usual solutions.

App limits.

Greyscale.

Screen time controls.

Moving apps off my home screen.

Deleting and reinstalling them.

Every one of those worked... until I decided they didn't.

The problem wasn't that I didn't know how to limit my screen time. The problem was that I was the one setting the limits. It turns out I'm very persuasive when negotiating with myself.

Research suggests many of us are fighting the same battle. The average person checks their phone dozens of times a day, often without realizing it. Many teens spend upward of nine hours a day on screens, and adults aren't exactly setting a great example.

I don't need a statistic to tell me this was affecting me.

I could feel it.

Life is beautiful, but it's also hard. Between caregiving for my adult son, keeping up with schedules and appointments, managing a household, building a business, and making approximately 47 decisions a day that apparently only I can make, life can feel pretty heavy sometimes.

My phone became the easiest way to mentally clock out for a few minutes... or a few hours.

Stressed? Instagram.

Overwhelmed? Instagram.

Waiting in line at Costco? Instagram.

Avoiding a pile of dishes that was beginning to develop its own ecosystem? Definitely Instagram.

The problem wasn't that social media was evil. The problem was that I was using it as an escape. Whenever life felt heavy, my instinct was to reach for my phone. It became a way of numbing out instead of dealing with what was making me feel overwhelmed.

What I thought was helping me decompress was actually making it harder to focus, harder to be present, and harder to tolerate the ordinary quiet moments of life.

Phones aren't evil. They're incredible tools. I use mine every day to communicate, learn, work, navigate, encourage people, and stay connected with family and friends.

The question isn't whether smartphones are good or bad.

The question is whether we're using them intentionally or whether they're training us to be distracted.

Enter Brick

I'll be honest.

When I first heard about Brick, paying $60 for a little gadget to control my phone felt ridiculous.

Surely a stronger sense of discipline would solve this problem.

Apparently not.

Looking back, it's some of the best money I've spent in a long time.

Brick is a physical device that works like a key. You choose which apps you want blocked and when you want them blocked. To unlock them outside those parameters, you have to physically tap your phone to the Brick.

That one small layer of friction changes everything.

Here's what my setup looks like:

Every night from 7:30 PM until 7:30 AMAll social media apps are blocked.

Weekdays from 9:30 to 10:30 AM and 3:00 to 5:00 PMInstagram is unavailable.

WeekendsI remove most of the "smartphone" from my smartphone.

I still keep the things that genuinely add value to my life. FaceTime. Marco Polo. Maps. Basic communication.

But removing the endless stream of content for two days has become one of my favorite habits.

Weekends feel quieter.

My brain feels calmer.

I can focus on a book, a project, or a conversation without feeling like part of my attention is standing by for the next notification.

And if I decide I really need access to a blocked app?

I have to get up, walk across the house, and tap my phone on the physical Brick, which I keep in a separate room.

Can I still override it?

Absolutely.

Do I do it nearly as often?

Not even close.

Most of the time, the effort of standing up is enough to make me ask,

"Do I actually need Instagram right now, or am I just bored?"

That's usually all the pause I need.

A Few Things I Like About It

One Brick can manage multiple phones.

This makes it especially useful for families. Parents can create boundaries around apps without having to constantly police devices.

No subscription fee.

You buy the Brick once, download the app, and set up your schedules. No monthly fee waiting around the corner.

No charging required.

The Brick itself doesn't need to be charged. Mine mostly sits where I left it and quietly does its job.

Emergency bypass options exist.

If you truly need immediate access, there's a built-in emergency bypass feature. I've never needed it, but it's nice to know it's there.

Final Thoughts

I don't think everyone needs a Brick.

Some people can set a screen-time limit and actually respect it. Those people are clearly operating on a higher spiritual plane than I am.

But if you have a love-hate relationship with your phone, if you've tried all the digital solutions and keep finding yourself back in the same patterns, creating a physical barrier might be exactly what you need.

For me, Brick hasn't just reduced screen time.

It's helped me reclaim attention.

Attention for my family.

Attention for my work.

Attention for reading, thinking, praying, and being fully present in my actual life.

If you'd like to check it out, you can use my link below. You'll get 10% off, and it helps support my work at no extra cost to you.

[GET BRICK]