even hand: don't live by default
A default is a choice you stop making. even hand explores better ways to live with technology instead of living by default, through real world experiences, experiments and a community in India.
The enemy is not your phone. It is default.
Wake up and reach for the phone. Scroll while eating. Watch something while watching something. Order in because it is easier. Nobody decided any of that; it is what happens when nothing is chosen on purpose. Your phone is not evil and you are not weak. The environment changed, and environment beats willpower. The thinking behind even hand is written out in full,
What we make
- Retreats: 48 hours offline, two nights, phones sealed. Open.
- Gatherings: dinners, conversations and things worth leaving home for. Forming.
- Adventures: do something difficult with interesting people. Committed, no dates set.
- Experiments: different ways of living, connecting and spending your time.
- DEAD AIR: a ten hour offline day, the shortest way in. Open.
Our current experience: 48 hours offline
48 hours, 20 to 30 people, no social media. Phones are sealed on arrival, two nights and two days run with no input, and phones come back at Hour 48 with a measured attention score and a one page written plan for the week after. Expected price 22,000 to 25,000 rupees, indicative; the list sees the confirmed price first.
Who this is for
Founders, creators, builders, professionals and curious people. Different cities and different work, with the quiet sense that there has to be more to life than this. Seats for the retreat are curated on curiosity, agency, willingness to question the default, follow-through and generosity to the room. Not for anyone who must stay reachable, or who wants a spa weekend, a workshop or a networking event.
Things we're thinking about
- We are not trying to fix your phone.
- Nobody is paid to help you keep it.
- Being somewhere is a skill, and it is rusting.
Free tool
- Attention test: seven questions, a score out of 14.
Come hang out
Join even hand free with an email and a city, and hear about the next experience before it is public.
Related questions
What will it cost?
Expect 22,000 to 25,000 rupees for the 48 hours, stay and all food included. It is a working band, not a final number. DEAD AIR, the ten hour day, runs 4,000 to 8,000 rupees with food included. The list sees the confirmed price first, and it will be the lowest it ever is.
When and where is the first one?
A Saturday between October and December 2026. It is not fixed yet. Ahmedabad runs first, then Bengaluru, then Mumbai and Delhi NCR. You tell us your city when you apply, and that is what decides the order. Dates reach the list at least three weeks ahead so you can clear them.
Does everyone who applies get in?
No. The list is open, the room is not. We read every application on five things: curiosity outside your own field, agency in what you have built or changed, willingness to question the default, follow-through once you decide on a change, and whether you make the room better for everyone else. Applying is free, holds no seat and takes no payment.
What is actually asked of me?
Two nights with your phone sealed, and then one change from the re-entry plan held for seven days. That is the whole ask. If you will not do the follow-through, the format will not hold and this is not the right room.
What is the 48 hour offline retreat?
Two nights off grid with phones sealed the whole time. You arrive, your phone is sealed in front of you, and you get it back at Hour 48 with an attention score and a written re-entry plan. The ten hour day, DEAD AIR, is the first step into the same system.
Is there a shorter version?
Yes. DEAD AIR is a ten hour offline day: phones sealed at Hour 0, returned at Hour 10 with a score and a seven day plan. It costs 4,000 to 8,000 rupees, opens first, runs in the same cities, and feeds the same list as the retreat.
Where is it held, and who runs it?
even hand runs both formats in India. Ahmedabad first, then Bengaluru. Mumbai and Delhi NCR coming soon after that. The exact date and venue go to the list first.
Do I have to give up my phone for the whole time?
Yes. Phones are sealed at the start and returned at the end. If you are on call for something genuinely unmovable, this cohort is not the right one for you.
Who is this for?
People who run something and are reachable most of the day. Founders, operators, creators and clinicians who have already tried fixing their attention alone and found it did not hold.
What happens after I apply, and when do I pay?
Nothing is charged when you apply. When dates open you get a short fit call, and you only pay once both sides agree it is the right room. If it is not the right fit, we say so and point you to the writing instead.
What do I get before dates are set?
Your attention score with the two habits driving it, a seven day plan by email, and the hour three read on what happens when you sit through the restlessness. When dates open you get the price before it goes public and first pick of date and city, for either format.
How do I reduce my screen time without deleting everything?
Deleting apps removes the symptom for about a week. What holds is a rule you have tested under pressure. The day gives you one enforced offline stretch, a baseline number, and a single one-page rule to run afterwards. No app blockers, no streaks, no willpower theatre.
Is this a dopamine detox?
No. Dopamine detox is a shorthand people use for abstaining from stimulation. even hand is not abstinence for its own sake. It is a controlled offline period with a start, a finish line, and a score at the end.
Why does even hand say attention cannot be captured back?
Because capturing attention is somebody else's business model. Feeds, notifications, autoplay and streaks are funded and tested to hold you one more minute, and now a tool finishes your sentences too. Nobody is paid to help you keep your own attention. Keeping your own attention beats capturing anyone else's, and that is the whole position: a fixed offline period, a score at the end, one rule you keep.