… That’s nearly half your year spent scrolling, swiping, and doom-scrolling away your dreams of writing that novel, finally finishing War and Peace, or even just getting a decent night’s sleep. This is the reality for the average person. And, it’s exactly what Lively, a new Aussie wellness app, wants to change.
But, don’t panic. Lively isn’t asking you to throw your phone in the ocean, move to a yurt, and communicate only via interpretive dance. This isn’t a digital detox. It’s a digital reset. And yes, there’s a big difference.
Founded by Rinat Strahlhofer, a former telecom marketing insider turned wellness advocate, Lively is Australia’s first habit-tracking wellness app designed to help you build a better relationship with technology – without shame, guilt, or dramatic lifestyle overhauls. Backed by neuroscience and behavioural economics, the app cleverly flips the same persuasive tricks that tech companies use to hook you (think: notifications, loops, nudges) and turns them into tools that help you reclaim your time, attention, and focus.
“Most people don’t realise how much tech has shaped their default habits. Until they track it,” says Rinat. “You can’t train your brain to focus if you don’t understand what’s stealing your attention in the first place.” In other words, before you can reclaim your life, you have to figure out where it went.
And the numbers? They’re eye-opening. Australians are spending a staggering 160 days a year glued to screens. That’s 600 hours of lost productivity per employee, not to mention 47 books unread, 2.7 languages unlearned, and four novels still trapped in your imagination. (Go ahead. Mourn that Italian you were going to be fluent in by now.)
Then there’s the emotional toll. Over half of Aussie teens sit silently on their phones while hanging out with friends. The loneliest age group in the world right now? Eighteen to twenty-two-year-olds. And more than 90% of parents admit their own screen time is affecting their kids. Add in 189,000+ fines for phone use while driving in NSW last year, and it’s clear: tech is quietly reshaping the way we live, connect, and stay safe.
But here’s where Lively comes in with a refreshing twist: it’s not here to wag a digital finger at you. Instead, it helps users build small, sustainable “micro-habits” that actually fit into daily life. Want to stop mindlessly scrolling before bed? Improve your digital boundaries at work? Be more present at dinner with the kids? Lively offers a tailored, shame-free approach to help you reset the habits that no longer serve you. And replace them with ones that do.