The Dose Makes The Poison

An absurdist case for investing in 2026 and beyond

My “New Year New Me” goal for 2026 is to stop using my phone. Of course, this may be the single hardest resolution, even harder than losing the baby weight — for that, there’s now Ozempic, right?

The great thing about phones is that even calling them smartphones is reductive — I am completely submissive to it. I realised that when my phone’s battery blew up in December after being absolutely fine the day before. Beyond the obvious — people couldn’t call me — what I realised is that I didn’t have music for the commute. More, I didn’t even know what time it was! I couldn’t even read, as my Kindle app and news apps are on my phone. When I got to the office, I couldn’t write down my notes, and I couldn’t buy myself coffee because I only use Apple Pay. So far, my phone is a phone, a watch (and an alarm), a book and magazines, a notepad and a pen, a music player and a bank card. I could go on and on and on about all the things that are inherently attached to my phone — and there are many.

Th…