Recent studies show that the average smartphone/tablet user spends nearly 3 hours on their devices a day. While technology can be a powerful tool, could there be better ways to spend our time? What if we could transform the very tool that tends to distract us, into something that can improve our mindfulness around its use?

Joel Kenny, a Bay Area software engineer and frequent Awakin attendee has developed a widget for Android users that allows you to see how many times you use your smartphone a day.  The widget displays a simple counter that ticks up each time you turn on your phone's screen.

We've tried out the widget at home, and were astonished to find that we open our phones 40, sometimes 50 times a day! 

You can download the widget (for Android only) here: â€‹https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.advancebeyond.grip