This week’s Tuesday TOOLSday is a bit of a departure from the usual pentest/blue team chatter — but stay with me! Burnout and too much screen time are very real in IT/security, so I wanted to share a $50 gizmo called Brick that’s helped me doom scroll less, focus more, and sleep better over the past week.
The short version: Brick is a small NFC device (magnetic back, so I stuck mine on the fridge) that pairs with the Brick app. You pick the apps you want bricked — socials, games, whatever your time-sucks are — and tap your phone to the device to enable “mindfulness mode.” To get those apps back, you have to physically walk over and tap again. That tiny bit of friction has been surprisingly effective at breaking my continual “pocket check” habit.
A few things I dig about it:
$50 one-time fee, no subscription
One brick pairs with multiple devices (good for the family)
5 emergency unbricks are allowed within the app (if you’re stuck somewhere without the physical device)
Lets you schedule brick/unbrick on a timer without the physical device (great for a “Tommy Needs Sleepy” wind-down)
Grab one at getbrick.com if you’re curious. (7MinSec is not a sponsor, not an affiliate, this is not an ad, etc.)
Got your own focus/mental health hacks for fellow burnt-out IT folks? Leave a comment!
Thanks,
-Brian
