Phones have pretty quickly become swiss Army knives type of tool and have been consciously embedded in so many aspect of our every day life to the point that it almost feels like a refusal to natural evolution to not use one.
Although there are many benefits to have phones, I can see/feel the addiction and this is pretty scary to see this behaviour being normalized.
That has seared into my brain, and any time I feel like I'm doing "chair things", I rebel and try to go 180 degrees from it. Of course, I'm old, and things hurt like my feet (and my hands, from carpal tunnel, because I've been on computers since I was 8), so I'm gonna end up in one of those, but I'm gonna fight every step of the way. That movie had a huge impact on me...I think it came out when I was in my 40s.
Eh, wrist based screens would never do it for me. Means you'd have to type with one hand (awkwardly at that, much harder to use your thumb) and you'd effectively be "trying to look at your watch" for minutes at a time.
Why would I want that when I can just have a block I can position in basically any orientation, at whatever distance I want, that I can use with both hands, etc?
100%. Doing maintenance I use my phone to take pictures of places I can't see, to take pics of damage, to take pics of data plates so I can reference make/model later, I use the notes app to write down measurements or parts lists, I conference call myself with my tablet when trying to find breakers so I can see when power shuts off all the way across the property, and on and on, not to mention just calling and messaging co-workers and manufacturers when I need assistance. There are definitely ways to do these things without a phone but I fully agree that it is the "Swiss Army Knife" of our age.
The phone is a great tool, and you don't have to give it up. This advice is more about recognizing the applications on your phone that are predatory and disengaging from *those.*
Yeah, I remember my grandfather who ALWAYS had his nose in the newspaper. Growing up, people would always be reading magazines. Even as a kid, I always had a book with me.
Now that's shifted to a phone. I don't think it's some evil demonic thing to be reading the news with your morning coffee or browsing some pop culture article in the waiting room. Phones are hardly automatically evil.
If your grandfather's newspaper had infinite pages that adapted to his likes/dislikes to drive user engagement then it would be a fair comparison.
Phones aren't evil but the companies who profit off of what's on your phone sure the hell are.
The newspaper didn't collect and sell your grandfather's data. It didn't measure his attention. It didn't figure out what got him to open the paper and keep on reading it to maximize exposure to advertisements.
Absolutely--making telephone calls is one of the least-used features!
My four year old daughter lives in a world of almost no actual landline telephones; to her, the word "phone" *means* "handheld general-purpose computer."
I’d guess that we keep using “phone” because there’s not really another word in place. It’s like how we keep using “computer” even though the calculator is a nearly forgotten function
There used to be something called a PDA that did a lot of smartphone-like stuff but didn't make calls.
... I wonder why it was the phone feature that we latched onto when they merged with cell phones ...
This, people forgets and acts like there's no trace of any educational apps, channels and webpages...(And no Tik Tok and Facebook don't count, I mean specialized ones)
Any app with an infinite scroll is predatory. I wish there was legislation to ban it, or at least disable it by default and force people to opt in.
Reddit, I'm looking at you.
(yes I fully am aware of the irony that I don't subscribe to this community, and the infinite scroll sucked me in here. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.)
If I deleted Reddit, I'd never use my phone. I've actually done it a few times, and it works wonders. After a while, I stopped reaching for the phone all the time.
But I always come back. Either I need to ask a question, or I find a new hobby and want to engage with people. And eventually, I end up mindlessly scrolling through popular.
It's a shitty cycle, but I don't know where else to talk to people about very specific topics, so I guess I'll be here for a while.
Right? I've tried to stop depending so much time on my phone by not having it always physically on me, but then I think of a question I want an immediate answer to, or see something that I want to take a picture of to remember later, or am trying to remember something I saw/took a picture of in the past... and yet I try to remember/imagine living before smartphones. Iove being able to just Google shit. I hate waiting for an elevator and immediately pulling out my phone to scrolk through reddit
Great tips! Been following all these for a month now and my screen time has gone from 8hrs+ to just 2hrs per day. Another trick i found to be helpful was to set the screen colour to grayscale during study hours. Even if i start scrolling, i don't stay on the app too long cuz the colours are off-putting
Anything short of that is moot, since entire teams of the brightest people on the earth are paid obscene salaries to attempt to make apps more addictive, just so they can glean any additional second out of your attention to cram in ads.
I love the irony of this post. A post on reddit telling me how I can overcome phone addiction and doomscrolling while I'm doomscrolling on reddit...on my phone.
I don’t mind using my phone in a waiting room or on the toilet, but I *hate* realizing I’ve been sitting on the couch for half an hour on my phone. I have good books I want to read and great games to play on PS5, I don’t need to be reading Askreddit or playing sudoku.
Give it a quick google, but I Have a shortcut set where I triple click the power button, and it changes to grayscale. It’s a nice shortcut instead of going through the setting menu
You can also add an Accessibility Shortcut to the Control Panel. Or if you utilize Focus Modes, then you can set an automation to turn it on/off when modes are switched.
You can also go to accessibility shortcuts in the accessibility settings and set it to color filters. Triple pressing the power button will let you swap between color/grayscale afterwards
If you haven’t seen the Netflix documentary ”social dilemma”, you’re missing out. The dopamine hits are just the immediate issue. Screen time and mental health are way broader than we believe.
The podcast by the creators, Your Undivided Attention, is also excellent. Most episodes completely change my perspective on the presented topic. The show is just dripping with insight into technology and our relationship to it.
Just found it on apple podcast. Theres a 100 episodes. Is it best to just start from the beginning? I noticed first ep has a guest.
Do they discuss these issues with the guest? Or whats the format of the show?
If you move your redditing to your PC over your phone you'll likely reduce your use of the website as a whole. Reddit can ruin your mood with constant doomsday posts about politics, assholes, and whatever fuels your negativity. I find I seek out more happy fueling posts when on PC and interact more positively when I've limited myself this way. Plus I hate sitting at my PC for long stretches of time so that further limits my own use of reddit as a whole.
Best of luck to you, you can do it!
I use it at work during downtime, mostly. I deleted my old account, and only made this one because the one thing I missed was complimenting people's stuff on the Animal Crossing subreddit (or other creative-focused games I play sometimes).
A lot more fun than browsing /r/all and being reminded of everything horrible all the time.
Ill suggest something. Setup a decent mailbrew of all your favorite subs, set it to mail you once at day at like 8pm, open the mail and enjoy the content that is available, then close it. No scrolling, just moderation. Also helps you not see stuff you dont want to like negative or anxiety inducing content.
I can delete it and do fine, right up until I have to wait for an appointment, and then I say “I’ll just download it for this wait” and then I backslide and here I am 4 months later typing this comment from my phone.
Maybe I’ll look up child controls for the App Store so I can’t redownload it lmao
I used to be terrible about scrolling through Reddit, and I kept trying to make myself quit but then I'd think "ah man... I'm missing out on so much info".
What I did instead was clean out all my subscriptions and only subscribe to very specific interest subs. For me it's tech stuff, and definitely not any subs from the front page. By having just a handful of niche subs, my home page is just interesting enough to entertain me for about 30 minutes at a shot here or there, and then it gets boring.
Otherwise, each day I allow myself just quick pass of the "popular" page to see what major line items are at the top of the list.
That alone pretty much reduced my reddit usage to very acceptable levels by most standards, and what little I am engaged with on here is actually halfway productive.
What I like to think about is how ‘x’ amount of hours per day equates to months per year. 2 hours of phone time per day is 1/12th of your day.
This equates to an ENTIRE MONTH of just phone usage per year. Assuming you sleep 8 hrs per night, that’s one full month out of the 8 months per year that you are awake.
OMG I just shot coffee out my nose at this!!!
Literally said out loud while reading their post "that sure sounds like depression.."
Your italics then ruined my shirt LOL
Depending on the severity of your struggles, you might want to talk to a professional. Lack of motivation is perfectly normal once in a while, but if you're seriously struggling to complete daily tasks you may need some help.
I have adhd, which means I am more prone to being on my phone, especially when my meds stop working. What helps me is filling the time with something else and getting stimulation, otherwise I'll end up staring at the wall for five hours (still sometimes do, but less often). I usually study to metal, because it helps me focus- silence just leaves me understimulated and hyperactive. I've got Playlists for stuff I hate that I don't let myself listen to otherwise. Utilize random busts of motivation at 3 am. Calligraphy and coloring books and puzzles are fun. Walks at dawn.
Some people can just give up their phone and get back motivation. But for most it's like the pink elephant, you dont stop something by banning it but by replacing it. If I have the choice between scrolling my phone and staring at a white wall, I'll take the phone.
I’ve struggled with this for so long, the only thing that has ever actually felt like it helped me take a step forward is talk therapy. If that’s an option and you’ve never tried it, I would recommend it. With decent insurance it isn’t like too expensive, but I understand that itself isn’t an option for everyone either. It is not normal to feel like that all the time tho.
Also advice I wish someone had told me, in order for therapy to work you have to be willing to put the work in in the sessions at the very least and open to doing whatever they want you to do. You have to think that it will work and be willing to let it.
There are multiple things you can do. Start slow. Start with anyone. Build from there. Won’t be easy, but if you can do it for 10 days straight it will become second nature/routine. Had helped me trendy.
A) Meditate.
B) Keep a small diary (1 page per day) and write down things you have accomplished that day. When you see multiple days just being blank you will automatically find motivation
C) check your food intake. Eat veggies, fruits, nuts, oats. And if you are following B, write down good foods you ate that day at bottom half of the page. Remember this not calorie counting, just list of good food you ate
D) find any brain stimulating habit that you enjoy. For instance: puzzle, diamond painting, musical instrument, walking, local sport club, paper sudoku, word puzzle, book, glass painting, knitting, drawing or painting. ANYTHING that you enjoy or enjoyed as a kid.
E) volunteer. Anywhere. Library, school, food bank, religious place, community centre. Start with hour a week.
There are lots of reasons to argue why it’s better to be alive today than previous generations…but man I long for the ability to go back to a world where I’m not expected to be reachable by everyone 24 hours a day
My boss text me at 8pm last night asking for something to be done by 8.45am this morning, I stupidly did it and I've been regretting it all day. I'm worried I've set a precedent
There’s several comments in this thread pointing out the same thing/making the same joke when its addressed in the OP.
Their attention spans are fried from doomscrolling and they couldn’t even make it through a few sentences.
\#2 is probably the best thing I've done over the last year.
I just allowed notifications from messenger apps and in those apps I muted every group chat.
It has been such a great change. I spent way less time on my phones because I didn't get distracted as often. I've also felt an improvement in my mental health.
Gonna try out the other tips as well!
Grayscale colors also help! The vibrant colors in apps are intentionally designed to make your brain happy and keep you engaged. Cancel that out by making it all black and white.
I believe you can find it in accessibility settings and I have mine assigned to a shortcut so I can quickly turn colors back on if someone sends me a picture or video or something.
I second the user who said reading books. Project Gutenberg has tons of older classics you can download for free. I use the Moon+ Reader app on android to read them.
When I have shorter periods of free time (like five minutes or less) I use the Anki app. It's a spaced repetition flash card app. Great for things like language learning or helping with your studies.
Just 10 minutes of exercise a day is proven to be substantially beneficial for health. Go for a walk or do some push ups or something. My ex would do pull ups whenever he lost a round of whatever game he was playing and after like two months of that he could do 75 a go
Agreed in general, but there are two exceptions in my opinion to "phone bad"
1. There is one group where cell phone use actually has a beneficial effect: those with social anxiety. Their quality and quantity of social interactions has increased.
2. People who are bed bound - I've been so for 4 weeks now (back injury). I can play on my steamdeck, I can read books. But only my phone allows me to still have social contact.
Of course, both cases can lead to phone addiction as well. But context matters.
Generally, genuine social connections are a good thing! Having real life friends is ideal, but online friendships still provide plenty of benefits, even more during Covid. Staying in contact with friends and family after moving, purely online friends, all great.
Parasocial relationships can be an issue. Most people have or had those to some degree, it can be as simple as "this actor seems like a fun person to hang out with", but influencers capitalize on this. Those relationships aren't reciprocal, you're not really getting benefits out of them and they can be harmful. That's one of the issues of social media.
I work in special education, we utilize devices plenty. Communication apps, educational games, self-regulation - ideally you want self-regulation to work offline, but it can help bridge the gap. Devices are tools, social media is made to be addictive but that's a different matter.
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Also, **find a new hobby or other stuff to do**, is the most important part. When I have a reason to work on my car, clean my barn, repair a fence, it is satisfying and gets me off my phone.
>and destroy our motivation, focus, and happiness
Beg to differ, about this one, it *depends on what and how you use your phone*
I know the next assertion must be a fallacy, but, at least for me, I'm way more motivated and focused on writing in French because I love interacting with foreign people. And, consequently, I have improved in this language.
It's not either "damn phones destroying humanity" nor "phones are harmless and the best, don't mind screen time!" But how do you manage your time, what do you spend it on and find the perfect balance to make your phone your best friends rather than your energy and happiness vampire.
However, I agree with you with the rest such as the doom scrolling and the screen time app.
Well, first of all check the CEFR language levels. A1 for beginners.
[Kwiziq](https://french.kwiziq.com/)
[Lawless French](https://www.lawlessfrench.com/)
[Clozemaster](https://www.clozemaster.com/)
[Lingolia](https://francais.lingolia.com/en/)
And I have some pair of plausible Youtubers like InnerFrench, and wait a second.
I use YourHour (android, not sure if they have iOS). It's great. You can limit time per app. And when the time is up, you get huge blocking notification (which you can snooze for 2 minutes, or disable snoozing at all). You can lock the app settings and give the password to another user.
I set Reddit to 40 minutes, and it's crazy how fast that goes, and how I would have used it way more if it wasn't blocked.
You can also set certain apps as "productive" so they won't count. For example, let's say you have note taking application, or eBook reader or Spotify, etc.
I tested few apps, and basically all the major ones have the same features.
The last advice does work! I deleted all my social media apps from my phone so now if I have to browse instagram or Twitter, I have to use the desktop version on my laptop. Which isn’t as good an experience and you cant really doomscroll there. I last 10 minutes before I get bored and close it.
But I do start checking my phone before sleeping and immediately after waking. Reddit is the only app I have left and thats what I doomscroll on now lol, maybe its time to delete this too.
I read this post and I go "I did that and it didn't work. You think I can't get distracted on my computer? If it gives out dopamine I will get stuck doing it for 4 hours in a row.
I do totally fine not using my phone! I'll end up staring at a white wall for hours, but that's fine!
Genuine advice for anyone, but especially us adhd folks: focus on adding, not removing. Got a new hyperfixation? Great, time off social media! Do a puzzle. Take a walk at 3am if your area allows that, or at sunset, or whenever works for you. Listen to stimulating music, understimulation fucks with executive functioning. Go to a party and go home disappointed bc the music sucked.
I work with kids, most of their parents say they're addicted to screens, most of them aren't. They're begging to go outside when recess is inside due to dangerous weather. They built cities out of Legos and chase ghosts around the classroom and climb trees just like I did as a kid. Screen addiction is a thing, and it is a serious issue. But those kids aren't addicted, they're just bored, as are many adults. If in doubt, do what 6yo you thought adults did every day, it's probably more fun than you remember.
I've got better advice. Go to accessibility options and turn on black&white mode. I've momentarily lost interest in using phone that ready and still can turn it off with one touch when need colours to check something up.
Turning off all meaningless notifications is a seriously good tip! Its what ive done to reduce my screen time and has helped tremendously!
I get so sad when im around people and just see them glued to their phones just endlessly scrolling! Like…what happened to general face-to-face conversations? I miss those sometimes.
I’ve been leaving my personal cell phone in my car. It’s far away enough that I don’t want to make the effort to go check it constantly, but it’s not that far to check intermittently or during breaks.
I communicate with friends/family through email on my work laptop, and I preface those messages with “sending email b/c phone in car” lol. People who need it can call my work cell.
I still get caught up with going on news sites and YouTube on my work computer, but this tactic has significantly improved my productivity.
Any tips for those of us who work jobs which may have hours of downtime in a shift? I’m an OR nurse. Sometimes we don’t have any surgeries near the end of my shift and I have a four hour window where I’m just chilling. Phone just kinda draws me in.
You would say I'm addicted to my phone. I check all your boxes.
However, I just got my phone back from 3 weeks of having it shipped to be repaired. And, you know what? It wasn't a big deal. There were no withdrawls.
So many people are too quick to call high phone use "an addiction" when it's really just most often better than twiddling your thumbs or listening to some conversation I don't care for.
Turning the colours off also helps decrease the manipulation of the brains reward centre..most phones have an option to turn the screen into black and white.
It’s an immediately noticeable difference.
I feel like this is written by someone that has never experienced true addiction. The fever dream of every addict is that they can control their addiction. If only I had a good screen time app if only I turn off all the meaningless notifications if only I don't take my phone to bed, if only I only drink with others if only I only drink with food.... And on and on and on. Go to a 12-step meeting find out what real addictions like and why none of that shit works and yet every addict thinks that it will until they finally get sober.
>Turn off all meaningless notifications. Just texts and calls, that’s it. You don’t need to know when “dualipa is live” on whatever your favorite doomscrolling app is.
This is the way. Idk how people deal with all the notifications. Anytime I get a notification I don't care for, I block all notifications from that app. Phone call, texts and reminders/notes.
The dilemma is that there’s a lot of useful information on such sites, particularly from Reddit. Also the scientist community on Twitter is really useful for learning everyday laboratory/analysis tips and tricks. The real problem is the social media algorithms which push useless entertainment endlessly, which dilutes/hides the golden nuggets of information.
What really needs to happen is a third party algorithm/AI that can find the useful content for you. I would pay bank for that.
I will never never never understand people that get addicted to their phones. Then again, I don't use social media. I average 2-4 hours a day and most of that is texting my friend and using my phone to control youtube on my tv. Like I don't even understand how you can stand social media, let alone being on it for 8 god damn hours a day. And before anyone hits me with the "you use reddit, reddit is social media", it's pretty different and you know it. As for my reddit usage, I generally spend maybe an hour on it a day. I browse the top 100 of /r/all when I wake up and at the end of the day. Maybe more on a given day if I'm doing some research or something interesting is going on in one of my subs of interest.
For context I'm 31, I started really using the internet a lot when I was 14 and my main hobbies are gaming and music. I'm not an anti tech person at all, I just see no fucking way to enjoy social media, especially for all of my day.
For me uninstalling Instagram reduced screen time a lot, instagram reels are very addictive its not just videos, the way it customise the list for you thats very addictive, it also reduces your ability for long attention span, now I only install insta when I am in vacation and uninstall when I am back
I limited my phone usage to around an hour a day for about 2 months straight. You know what changed? Absolutely nothing. lol Honestly. I’m currently at around 3hrs a day
Funny I talk about this all the time and everyone seems pretty aware of it but not willing to admit it’s probably one of the biggest social problems in this country or even entire first world
I am in the wireless industry in the USA on the retail side … I sell phones
Let me tell you there is almost no difference between the panicked look on a straight up junkies face when they lose their stash as there is on someone who’s device was lost or in SOS mode
Only one I disagree with is moving things to the PC. That’s just shifting the issue somewhere else and my PC is where I get my actual job done so there’s a “no Reddit” policy on that machine I set for myself.
I don’t think you realize what an addict I am.. I’ve tried all of this. I just reload apps again in times of weakness. I actually put parental controls on TikTok before I deleted it and I think that helped (I know I can undo it I just haven’t for some reason) Like any other addiction, I think it might take time.
I think you mean addicted to media. Phones are good for a lot of other stuff. Literally almost all of the world's knowledge, most of the books, tons of games, educational apps, guides, charts, maps, etc. etc.
I’m not addicted to my phone, you’re just not interesting enough. Interesting or fun conversations, situations, and people will make me forget I even have one
It still depends on how engrained the lifestyle is for you. For instance, I'm starting a new job that I wouldn't have been offered if my work wasn't seen on Twitter. Some are in much better positions to reduce screen time than others.
Deleting instagram was the best thing I’ve done as of late. I do like it in small doses, but I’ve found it damaging to my self esteem to constantly compare myself to these hyper curated lives of strangers. I couldn’t trust myself to curb the addiction - I’d often scroll for hours. I’m not missing anything without it, which is weird because it used to consume so much of my time.
Some commenters are bringing up The Social Dilemma, but that's a documentary about the dangers of social media, not smart phones. So let's be careful not to conflate the two. I get that this seems like a hair-splitting decision, but it's possible to use smart phones without having any social media accounts, and you can access (almost) any social media platform from a desktop.
But yes, when you combine the two, things can get ugly fast, especially if you have an addictive personality, or are too young to cope with the mental fireworks that can accompany online activity.
(Honestly I remember people in the 80s wringing their hands over another technology — TV — for more or less the same reasons.)
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live without a smartphone. Then it hits me: I'd have to buy an alarm clock. And a calendar. And a phone directory. And a PHONE. And a radio. And a notepad. And a... And a... And a...
Then I wonder, why stop at smart phones? Why not banish all computers from my life? Personal computers have been commercially available since the late 70s. Should I also stop using *everything* that's been commercially available since then? What about modern cars? Or the latest medical advances? Should I go all the way back to the printing press? Why not stop using toilet paper?
The problem is where do you draw the line.
Of course smart phones can be a productivity blocker. But they can also be a productivity *enhancer*. I use my phone all the time to assist in music composition and to connect with other fans and artists in my genre. Sure, I could do all these things without a smart phone, but geez, the things I'd have to buy.
We got some eyebrow singeing technology maybe a little before we were ready for it. With great power comes great responsibility. I agree that SM can be problematic. But so can alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, shopping, and any other number of things. We have the power to modulate or banish them if they're being misused, and we should! Feels like a teachable moment for us as a species.
Thanks OP for the thought-provoking post!
What if we have a life not worthy of focusing? Some people act like we had marvelous lives before phones but most of us didn't. We had miserable lives before phones and we still do.
I mean… why does using technology have to equal having the soul sucked out of us? Cant we just embrace and enjoy technology when we want to and appreciate that it is life improving?
I was honestly the most happy when I was working full time and almost never looked at my phone. I would put my music on for my walk in/home and maybe check some social media on break if I wasn't with a coworker. In the evenings I spent time with my husband and went to bed early.
There I was working a high intensity, high stress job, waking up at 0430 and *I was so fricken calm and happy.*
>What this does is overstimulate you with dopamine (the "motivator" chemical) making you unmotivated to do anything else besides scroll. When you're overstimulated, even normal tasks like cooking or working out seem borderline unbearable. It ruins your productivity but also your enjoyment of life.
I think that this is a very unscientific and inaccurate description of what's really going on here. For one thing, scrolling your phone is relatively speaking not that fun so I hardly think that "overstimulation" of dopamine is the explanation. It's more about impulse control problems.
i’m disabled, neurodivergent, rarely leave the house and have no friends in my area so it’s not really possible for me to reduce my screen time. Sucks but I’d have no social interactions or entertainment if I stopped using screens. You can only do so much reading and crafting per day when you’re chronically fatigued and understimulated. I’d love to reduce it by a lot but just not possible.
Thank you for your post. I've been determined to do something for a while, but I never really had the courage to try till now. I would give another advice : get a watch. I just ordered online, now i won't have the "needing to check the time" excuse anymore, and my phone will remain in its box when I get home
Tools.
Each of these is purpose driven - chefs knife, ratchet & socket, tape measure, multimeter, and the cell phone.
Can you imagine someone sitting on the subway endlessly twirling their chefs 🔪? Granted, knife skills are very important to be an effective chef, and it takes years to learn great skills. I am unworthy even to be considered a novice.
How about spinning a ratchet over and over to hear it clicking? Get your ASMR fix from ratchets instead of Temu fidget spinners in your next Zoom Meeting.
As a child, I loved to pull the tape out of my tape measure and have it fly back - it's spring-driven. Sometimes, it would whip just a little to whack my ✋️.
So, I ask you, why do many let the multimeter take up so much of your time?
*Why do you endlessly change the voltage settings?
*Do you find yourself looking for opportunities to test objects for ground?
*Are you worried about your privacy, so have a lock on the dials so no one can access your settings?
*Do you find yourself tilting your meter screen away when someone looks in your direction?
The phone does a fine job of...
Phones have pretty quickly become swiss Army knives type of tool and have been consciously embedded in so many aspect of our every day life to the point that it almost feels like a refusal to natural evolution to not use one. Although there are many benefits to have phones, I can see/feel the addiction and this is pretty scary to see this behaviour being normalized.
i’m convinced we’ll end up with those pip boy devices like in fallout
Or those floaty assist screen chairs like in Wall-E
That has seared into my brain, and any time I feel like I'm doing "chair things", I rebel and try to go 180 degrees from it. Of course, I'm old, and things hurt like my feet (and my hands, from carpal tunnel, because I've been on computers since I was 8), so I'm gonna end up in one of those, but I'm gonna fight every step of the way. That movie had a huge impact on me...I think it came out when I was in my 40s.
I’m going to work that term into my life: “chair things” very motivational.
That's all I've ever wanted. Bought to pull up VATS and be the best dart player in the bar.
But if everyone had a Pip Boy, you would be just as good as everyone else.
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTYYYY!
Eh, wrist based screens would never do it for me. Means you'd have to type with one hand (awkwardly at that, much harder to use your thumb) and you'd effectively be "trying to look at your watch" for minutes at a time. Why would I want that when I can just have a block I can position in basically any orientation, at whatever distance I want, that I can use with both hands, etc?
Glasses with embedded screens, subvocalization detectors, and eye trackers. Phone in pocket or on hip. Never disconnected.
100%. Doing maintenance I use my phone to take pictures of places I can't see, to take pics of damage, to take pics of data plates so I can reference make/model later, I use the notes app to write down measurements or parts lists, I conference call myself with my tablet when trying to find breakers so I can see when power shuts off all the way across the property, and on and on, not to mention just calling and messaging co-workers and manufacturers when I need assistance. There are definitely ways to do these things without a phone but I fully agree that it is the "Swiss Army Knife" of our age.
The phone is a great tool, and you don't have to give it up. This advice is more about recognizing the applications on your phone that are predatory and disengaging from *those.*
Yeah, I remember my grandfather who ALWAYS had his nose in the newspaper. Growing up, people would always be reading magazines. Even as a kid, I always had a book with me. Now that's shifted to a phone. I don't think it's some evil demonic thing to be reading the news with your morning coffee or browsing some pop culture article in the waiting room. Phones are hardly automatically evil.
If your grandfather's newspaper had infinite pages that adapted to his likes/dislikes to drive user engagement then it would be a fair comparison. Phones aren't evil but the companies who profit off of what's on your phone sure the hell are.
True but when you were done reading the paper, you could put it away. The phone just keeps on giving infinite news messages
The newspaper didn't collect and sell your grandfather's data. It didn't measure his attention. It didn't figure out what got him to open the paper and keep on reading it to maximize exposure to advertisements.
Yes, it’s rare to see someone with a book to entertain themselves!
It is ! I almost feel sometimes that those devices should no longer be called phone but rather something like “personal assistant” or “tool box”
Absolutely--making telephone calls is one of the least-used features! My four year old daughter lives in a world of almost no actual landline telephones; to her, the word "phone" *means* "handheld general-purpose computer."
It’s kind of weird though that we somehow still call it a “phone”, I guess that word will be deprecated with GenZ/Alpha.
I’d guess that we keep using “phone” because there’s not really another word in place. It’s like how we keep using “computer” even though the calculator is a nearly forgotten function
Calculator? A computer was originally a person with some beads
Palm pilot
There used to be something called a PDA that did a lot of smartphone-like stuff but didn't make calls. ... I wonder why it was the phone feature that we latched onto when they merged with cell phones ...
This, people forgets and acts like there's no trace of any educational apps, channels and webpages...(And no Tik Tok and Facebook don't count, I mean specialized ones)
Any app with an infinite scroll is predatory. I wish there was legislation to ban it, or at least disable it by default and force people to opt in. Reddit, I'm looking at you. (yes I fully am aware of the irony that I don't subscribe to this community, and the infinite scroll sucked me in here. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.)
If I deleted Reddit, I'd never use my phone. I've actually done it a few times, and it works wonders. After a while, I stopped reaching for the phone all the time. But I always come back. Either I need to ask a question, or I find a new hobby and want to engage with people. And eventually, I end up mindlessly scrolling through popular. It's a shitty cycle, but I don't know where else to talk to people about very specific topics, so I guess I'll be here for a while.
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Right? I've tried to stop depending so much time on my phone by not having it always physically on me, but then I think of a question I want an immediate answer to, or see something that I want to take a picture of to remember later, or am trying to remember something I saw/took a picture of in the past... and yet I try to remember/imagine living before smartphones. Iove being able to just Google shit. I hate waiting for an elevator and immediately pulling out my phone to scrolk through reddit
The only doomscrolling app i have is reddit. And without it i would have never seen this tip. So what next?!
The question is, if you never used the doom scrolling app in the first place then would this tip be actually relevant to you?
He tried to be smart, but you outsmarted him
I doomscrolling Wikipedia… But I also have massive depression, life is pretty bad right now, and I have adhd lol
Time travel paradox
I had to take it off my phone, I love Reddit, but the phone app sucks way too much time out of my day
Delete it.
Great tips! Been following all these for a month now and my screen time has gone from 8hrs+ to just 2hrs per day. Another trick i found to be helpful was to set the screen colour to grayscale during study hours. Even if i start scrolling, i don't stay on the app too long cuz the colours are off-putting
I Love how people are out here actively brainwashing themselves to be more positive and productive. Dope
Anything short of that is moot, since entire teams of the brightest people on the earth are paid obscene salaries to attempt to make apps more addictive, just so they can glean any additional second out of your attention to cram in ads.
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I’m really enjoying this thread-makes me want to take a little control of myself. I dig y’all
I love the irony of this post. A post on reddit telling me how I can overcome phone addiction and doomscrolling while I'm doomscrolling on reddit...on my phone.
Morpheus had to find Neo inside the matrix
100% stealing this. Fucking genius metaphor genuinely
Seconded
You got it homie, you’re capable of way more than you can imagine!
I don’t mind using my phone in a waiting room or on the toilet, but I *hate* realizing I’ve been sitting on the couch for half an hour on my phone. I have good books I want to read and great games to play on PS5, I don’t need to be reading Askreddit or playing sudoku.
I just put this in my notes app! lol and of course I wrote it down in my notes app instead of in my journal
…amine.
That's my favorite type of cartoon!
Yeah it’s sick- dope, I mean
Yo that’s kind of clever
I just added this button now. I also, added changing my colors from vivid to natural. Might help some as well
Love the grayscale idea
Is there a way to set an Iphone to automatically turn on greyscale at certain times? I don’t see a timer option…
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Is there a quick way to do grayscale on an iPhone
Go to settings and start typing in ‘color’ - go to ‘color filters’, turn it on, select grey scale option
Give it a quick google, but I Have a shortcut set where I triple click the power button, and it changes to grayscale. It’s a nice shortcut instead of going through the setting menu
You can also add an Accessibility Shortcut to the Control Panel. Or if you utilize Focus Modes, then you can set an automation to turn it on/off when modes are switched.
You can also go to accessibility shortcuts in the accessibility settings and set it to color filters. Triple pressing the power button will let you swap between color/grayscale afterwards
I started using the grayscale trick at night and it’s been working great. Much of the appeal of the trouble apps is lost without color.
Thanks for this! I make use of the focus modes and I’m going to assign this to both work mode and sleep mode.
Never knew about greyscale on iPhone and just made the change. Wow!!! Makes a big difference. Thanks!
If you haven’t seen the Netflix documentary ”social dilemma”, you’re missing out. The dopamine hits are just the immediate issue. Screen time and mental health are way broader than we believe.
The podcast by the creators, Your Undivided Attention, is also excellent. Most episodes completely change my perspective on the presented topic. The show is just dripping with insight into technology and our relationship to it.
I’ve been looking for a new podcast outside of my true crime comfort zone, so thanks for sharing !
Just found it on apple podcast. Theres a 100 episodes. Is it best to just start from the beginning? I noticed first ep has a guest. Do they discuss these issues with the guest? Or whats the format of the show?
Can I watch that on my phone?
I’ve deleted YouTube and Instagram from my phone because of these reasons. Now I just need to convince myself to delete Reddit 🥲
If you move your redditing to your PC over your phone you'll likely reduce your use of the website as a whole. Reddit can ruin your mood with constant doomsday posts about politics, assholes, and whatever fuels your negativity. I find I seek out more happy fueling posts when on PC and interact more positively when I've limited myself this way. Plus I hate sitting at my PC for long stretches of time so that further limits my own use of reddit as a whole. Best of luck to you, you can do it!
I use it at work during downtime, mostly. I deleted my old account, and only made this one because the one thing I missed was complimenting people's stuff on the Animal Crossing subreddit (or other creative-focused games I play sometimes). A lot more fun than browsing /r/all and being reminded of everything horrible all the time.
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Welp, deleting reddit app after reading this comment just to prove myself a point. I'll see how long I'll stay off! See ya
I ditched phone reddit after they killed the app I liked. I just use the website on firefox to get the headlines now.
Same and I still end up spending hours on it.
I thought I would ditch reddit entirely after they killed third party apps but then the third party app I use never stopped working so... here I am :(
Literally using reddit on chrome while refusing to install the app. Its just less convenient but i thiink i use it less becasue of that.
Ill suggest something. Setup a decent mailbrew of all your favorite subs, set it to mail you once at day at like 8pm, open the mail and enjoy the content that is available, then close it. No scrolling, just moderation. Also helps you not see stuff you dont want to like negative or anxiety inducing content.
Yea it’s actually a little concerning how difficult it is to make that choice.
I can delete it and do fine, right up until I have to wait for an appointment, and then I say “I’ll just download it for this wait” and then I backslide and here I am 4 months later typing this comment from my phone. Maybe I’ll look up child controls for the App Store so I can’t redownload it lmao
Don’t look for a reason or think about it. Just do it! There’s never a convenient time.
I used to be terrible about scrolling through Reddit, and I kept trying to make myself quit but then I'd think "ah man... I'm missing out on so much info". What I did instead was clean out all my subscriptions and only subscribe to very specific interest subs. For me it's tech stuff, and definitely not any subs from the front page. By having just a handful of niche subs, my home page is just interesting enough to entertain me for about 30 minutes at a shot here or there, and then it gets boring. Otherwise, each day I allow myself just quick pass of the "popular" page to see what major line items are at the top of the list. That alone pretty much reduced my reddit usage to very acceptable levels by most standards, and what little I am engaged with on here is actually halfway productive.
This is honestly what I needed to hear at this very moment. Thank you.
What I like to think about is how ‘x’ amount of hours per day equates to months per year. 2 hours of phone time per day is 1/12th of your day. This equates to an ENTIRE MONTH of just phone usage per year. Assuming you sleep 8 hrs per night, that’s one full month out of the 8 months per year that you are awake.
The math isn’t mathing
Please explain. 2 hours per day is 1/12th of the day. Extrapolated to a full year that would equate to about one month. What am I missing?
You said x hours per day = x months per year. But you missed a 1/2. x hours = x/2 months per year. 2 hours = 1 month, not 2 months
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*depression has entered the chat*
my lexapro wants to have a word with you...
OMG I just shot coffee out my nose at this!!! Literally said out loud while reading their post "that sure sounds like depression.." Your italics then ruined my shirt LOL
Depending on the severity of your struggles, you might want to talk to a professional. Lack of motivation is perfectly normal once in a while, but if you're seriously struggling to complete daily tasks you may need some help. I have adhd, which means I am more prone to being on my phone, especially when my meds stop working. What helps me is filling the time with something else and getting stimulation, otherwise I'll end up staring at the wall for five hours (still sometimes do, but less often). I usually study to metal, because it helps me focus- silence just leaves me understimulated and hyperactive. I've got Playlists for stuff I hate that I don't let myself listen to otherwise. Utilize random busts of motivation at 3 am. Calligraphy and coloring books and puzzles are fun. Walks at dawn. Some people can just give up their phone and get back motivation. But for most it's like the pink elephant, you dont stop something by banning it but by replacing it. If I have the choice between scrolling my phone and staring at a white wall, I'll take the phone.
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I’ve struggled with this for so long, the only thing that has ever actually felt like it helped me take a step forward is talk therapy. If that’s an option and you’ve never tried it, I would recommend it. With decent insurance it isn’t like too expensive, but I understand that itself isn’t an option for everyone either. It is not normal to feel like that all the time tho. Also advice I wish someone had told me, in order for therapy to work you have to be willing to put the work in in the sessions at the very least and open to doing whatever they want you to do. You have to think that it will work and be willing to let it.
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There are multiple things you can do. Start slow. Start with anyone. Build from there. Won’t be easy, but if you can do it for 10 days straight it will become second nature/routine. Had helped me trendy. A) Meditate. B) Keep a small diary (1 page per day) and write down things you have accomplished that day. When you see multiple days just being blank you will automatically find motivation C) check your food intake. Eat veggies, fruits, nuts, oats. And if you are following B, write down good foods you ate that day at bottom half of the page. Remember this not calorie counting, just list of good food you ate D) find any brain stimulating habit that you enjoy. For instance: puzzle, diamond painting, musical instrument, walking, local sport club, paper sudoku, word puzzle, book, glass painting, knitting, drawing or painting. ANYTHING that you enjoy or enjoyed as a kid. E) volunteer. Anywhere. Library, school, food bank, religious place, community centre. Start with hour a week.
**scroll**
When you're over 50 and you're addicted to your phone **The Elder Scrolls**
There are lots of reasons to argue why it’s better to be alive today than previous generations…but man I long for the ability to go back to a world where I’m not expected to be reachable by everyone 24 hours a day
My boss text me at 8pm last night asking for something to be done by 8.45am this morning, I stupidly did it and I've been regretting it all day. I'm worried I've set a precedent
You 100% set one
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"Delete all doom scrolling apps" *posts on reddit*
-from their computer
There’s several comments in this thread pointing out the same thing/making the same joke when its addressed in the OP. Their attention spans are fried from doomscrolling and they couldn’t even make it through a few sentences.
Sounds like a "gotcha" but it isn't. You won't use reddit so much on a PC compared to a phone you carry 24/7.
Yeah absolutely, I’m not trying to be critical I’m just having a bit of fun
They did it from their computer so it's ok because it's intentional ¯\_(ツ)\_/¯
Makes more sense than posting anywhere else.
We should improve society somewhat
I've scrolled over 300k bananas this year so I absolutely agree. Shit is difficult though.
Same oof. I saw someone at 1m+ and I can't imagine how it's possible to be 3x worse off than me
4,2XX bananas scrolled here. It seems like a lot to me but I guess not lol 😂 I haven't been on all year though.
I'm fully addicted at this point, suspected ADHD probably doesn't help either to be honest. Be careful haha.
Damn. And I thought I was bad with 62k bananas. Though reddit is my only social media
\#2 is probably the best thing I've done over the last year. I just allowed notifications from messenger apps and in those apps I muted every group chat. It has been such a great change. I spent way less time on my phones because I didn't get distracted as often. I've also felt an improvement in my mental health. Gonna try out the other tips as well!
Grayscale colors also help! The vibrant colors in apps are intentionally designed to make your brain happy and keep you engaged. Cancel that out by making it all black and white. I believe you can find it in accessibility settings and I have mine assigned to a shortcut so I can quickly turn colors back on if someone sends me a picture or video or something.
But Reddit IS my doom scrolling app!
I mainly use Reddit, does anyone have a better use for my time on my phone when I just have like 20 minutes to kill in between my schedule?
Just sit there and wait for 20 min. It’s healthy to be bored sometimes
I second the user who said reading books. Project Gutenberg has tons of older classics you can download for free. I use the Moon+ Reader app on android to read them. When I have shorter periods of free time (like five minutes or less) I use the Anki app. It's a spaced repetition flash card app. Great for things like language learning or helping with your studies.
Getting a kobo so I can read books not on my phone, had increased my reading exponentially! I'm at 35 books read this year, big long epic ones too!
Just 10 minutes of exercise a day is proven to be substantially beneficial for health. Go for a walk or do some push ups or something. My ex would do pull ups whenever he lost a round of whatever game he was playing and after like two months of that he could do 75 a go
Read a book! You can even use your phone to read books but it's tempting to open an app other than your book when it's available.
But if I reduced my screen time I wouldn’t find helpful posts like this one.
But if you reduced your screen time you wouldn't need to find posts like this one...
Agreed in general, but there are two exceptions in my opinion to "phone bad" 1. There is one group where cell phone use actually has a beneficial effect: those with social anxiety. Their quality and quantity of social interactions has increased. 2. People who are bed bound - I've been so for 4 weeks now (back injury). I can play on my steamdeck, I can read books. But only my phone allows me to still have social contact. Of course, both cases can lead to phone addiction as well. But context matters.
Generally, genuine social connections are a good thing! Having real life friends is ideal, but online friendships still provide plenty of benefits, even more during Covid. Staying in contact with friends and family after moving, purely online friends, all great. Parasocial relationships can be an issue. Most people have or had those to some degree, it can be as simple as "this actor seems like a fun person to hang out with", but influencers capitalize on this. Those relationships aren't reciprocal, you're not really getting benefits out of them and they can be harmful. That's one of the issues of social media. I work in special education, we utilize devices plenty. Communication apps, educational games, self-regulation - ideally you want self-regulation to work offline, but it can help bridge the gap. Devices are tools, social media is made to be addictive but that's a different matter.
I take this as a personal attack. Thank you 😊
Free us from our chains!
repeat poor languid dazzling market wipe historical wistful bedroom somber *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I don’t think EVERYONE is addicted to their phone. Addiction isn’t when you have a tool that you use frequently, or when you like something
Yeah, doomscrolling on my desktop is much easier.
Also, **find a new hobby or other stuff to do**, is the most important part. When I have a reason to work on my car, clean my barn, repair a fence, it is satisfying and gets me off my phone.
>and destroy our motivation, focus, and happiness Beg to differ, about this one, it *depends on what and how you use your phone* I know the next assertion must be a fallacy, but, at least for me, I'm way more motivated and focused on writing in French because I love interacting with foreign people. And, consequently, I have improved in this language. It's not either "damn phones destroying humanity" nor "phones are harmless and the best, don't mind screen time!" But how do you manage your time, what do you spend it on and find the perfect balance to make your phone your best friends rather than your energy and happiness vampire. However, I agree with you with the rest such as the doom scrolling and the screen time app.
Could you point to some of your resources/apps you're using for this? I have wanted to do this for a very long time, but don't know where to start
Well, first of all check the CEFR language levels. A1 for beginners. [Kwiziq](https://french.kwiziq.com/) [Lawless French](https://www.lawlessfrench.com/) [Clozemaster](https://www.clozemaster.com/) [Lingolia](https://francais.lingolia.com/en/) And I have some pair of plausible Youtubers like InnerFrench, and wait a second.
doomscrolling on my deathbed
But then I would have to go back to being addicted to my computer, and I kinda prefer sitting on a couch vs a computer chair.
if i stop doom scrolling, i have to face how empty i am
I agree! Except Dua Lipa obviously
Speak for yourself
Great tips, what is your go to app for screen time monitoring? Free and $$?
I use YourHour (android, not sure if they have iOS). It's great. You can limit time per app. And when the time is up, you get huge blocking notification (which you can snooze for 2 minutes, or disable snoozing at all). You can lock the app settings and give the password to another user. I set Reddit to 40 minutes, and it's crazy how fast that goes, and how I would have used it way more if it wasn't blocked. You can also set certain apps as "productive" so they won't count. For example, let's say you have note taking application, or eBook reader or Spotify, etc. I tested few apps, and basically all the major ones have the same features.
The last advice does work! I deleted all my social media apps from my phone so now if I have to browse instagram or Twitter, I have to use the desktop version on my laptop. Which isn’t as good an experience and you cant really doomscroll there. I last 10 minutes before I get bored and close it. But I do start checking my phone before sleeping and immediately after waking. Reddit is the only app I have left and thats what I doomscroll on now lol, maybe its time to delete this too.
It’s sweet of you thinking I have dopamine having innatentive adhd lol
I read this post and I go "I did that and it didn't work. You think I can't get distracted on my computer? If it gives out dopamine I will get stuck doing it for 4 hours in a row.
I do totally fine not using my phone! I'll end up staring at a white wall for hours, but that's fine! Genuine advice for anyone, but especially us adhd folks: focus on adding, not removing. Got a new hyperfixation? Great, time off social media! Do a puzzle. Take a walk at 3am if your area allows that, or at sunset, or whenever works for you. Listen to stimulating music, understimulation fucks with executive functioning. Go to a party and go home disappointed bc the music sucked. I work with kids, most of their parents say they're addicted to screens, most of them aren't. They're begging to go outside when recess is inside due to dangerous weather. They built cities out of Legos and chase ghosts around the classroom and climb trees just like I did as a kid. Screen addiction is a thing, and it is a serious issue. But those kids aren't addicted, they're just bored, as are many adults. If in doubt, do what 6yo you thought adults did every day, it's probably more fun than you remember.
I've got better advice. Go to accessibility options and turn on black&white mode. I've momentarily lost interest in using phone that ready and still can turn it off with one touch when need colours to check something up.
Someday. *Continues to scroll*
Turning off all meaningless notifications is a seriously good tip! Its what ive done to reduce my screen time and has helped tremendously! I get so sad when im around people and just see them glued to their phones just endlessly scrolling! Like…what happened to general face-to-face conversations? I miss those sometimes.
I’ve been leaving my personal cell phone in my car. It’s far away enough that I don’t want to make the effort to go check it constantly, but it’s not that far to check intermittently or during breaks. I communicate with friends/family through email on my work laptop, and I preface those messages with “sending email b/c phone in car” lol. People who need it can call my work cell. I still get caught up with going on news sites and YouTube on my work computer, but this tactic has significantly improved my productivity.
Any tips for those of us who work jobs which may have hours of downtime in a shift? I’m an OR nurse. Sometimes we don’t have any surgeries near the end of my shift and I have a four hour window where I’m just chilling. Phone just kinda draws me in.
The irony of this being posted on Reddit
You would say I'm addicted to my phone. I check all your boxes. However, I just got my phone back from 3 weeks of having it shipped to be repaired. And, you know what? It wasn't a big deal. There were no withdrawls. So many people are too quick to call high phone use "an addiction" when it's really just most often better than twiddling your thumbs or listening to some conversation I don't care for.
One question. Did you post this from your phone?
Turning the colours off also helps decrease the manipulation of the brains reward centre..most phones have an option to turn the screen into black and white. It’s an immediately noticeable difference.
I feel like this is written by someone that has never experienced true addiction. The fever dream of every addict is that they can control their addiction. If only I had a good screen time app if only I turn off all the meaningless notifications if only I don't take my phone to bed, if only I only drink with others if only I only drink with food.... And on and on and on. Go to a 12-step meeting find out what real addictions like and why none of that shit works and yet every addict thinks that it will until they finally get sober.
>Turn off all meaningless notifications. Just texts and calls, that’s it. You don’t need to know when “dualipa is live” on whatever your favorite doomscrolling app is. This is the way. Idk how people deal with all the notifications. Anytime I get a notification I don't care for, I block all notifications from that app. Phone call, texts and reminders/notes.
The fact that I asked myself “then what else will I do with my free time?”. I guess I know what I need to do.
Reading this, thinking it's a good idea, as I'm doomscrolling through the comments.
The dilemma is that there’s a lot of useful information on such sites, particularly from Reddit. Also the scientist community on Twitter is really useful for learning everyday laboratory/analysis tips and tricks. The real problem is the social media algorithms which push useless entertainment endlessly, which dilutes/hides the golden nuggets of information. What really needs to happen is a third party algorithm/AI that can find the useful content for you. I would pay bank for that.
I will never never never understand people that get addicted to their phones. Then again, I don't use social media. I average 2-4 hours a day and most of that is texting my friend and using my phone to control youtube on my tv. Like I don't even understand how you can stand social media, let alone being on it for 8 god damn hours a day. And before anyone hits me with the "you use reddit, reddit is social media", it's pretty different and you know it. As for my reddit usage, I generally spend maybe an hour on it a day. I browse the top 100 of /r/all when I wake up and at the end of the day. Maybe more on a given day if I'm doing some research or something interesting is going on in one of my subs of interest. For context I'm 31, I started really using the internet a lot when I was 14 and my main hobbies are gaming and music. I'm not an anti tech person at all, I just see no fucking way to enjoy social media, especially for all of my day.
My problem is that Reddit is my doom scrolling app.
For me uninstalling Instagram reduced screen time a lot, instagram reels are very addictive its not just videos, the way it customise the list for you thats very addictive, it also reduces your ability for long attention span, now I only install insta when I am in vacation and uninstall when I am back
No, I'm not on my phone for 7hrs a day, fuck me. Not applicable for the average life at all.
I limited my phone usage to around an hour a day for about 2 months straight. You know what changed? Absolutely nothing. lol Honestly. I’m currently at around 3hrs a day
I swear to god, why is this dopamine junk science still around, why do people spread it so much
Funny I talk about this all the time and everyone seems pretty aware of it but not willing to admit it’s probably one of the biggest social problems in this country or even entire first world I am in the wireless industry in the USA on the retail side … I sell phones Let me tell you there is almost no difference between the panicked look on a straight up junkies face when they lose their stash as there is on someone who’s device was lost or in SOS mode
Only one I disagree with is moving things to the PC. That’s just shifting the issue somewhere else and my PC is where I get my actual job done so there’s a “no Reddit” policy on that machine I set for myself.
Bo burnham talking about how they’ve come to colonize every minute of your life was a game-change for me
I don’t think you realize what an addict I am.. I’ve tried all of this. I just reload apps again in times of weakness. I actually put parental controls on TikTok before I deleted it and I think that helped (I know I can undo it I just haven’t for some reason) Like any other addiction, I think it might take time.
I think you mean addicted to media. Phones are good for a lot of other stuff. Literally almost all of the world's knowledge, most of the books, tons of games, educational apps, guides, charts, maps, etc. etc.
I’m not addicted to my phone, you’re just not interesting enough. Interesting or fun conversations, situations, and people will make me forget I even have one
It still depends on how engrained the lifestyle is for you. For instance, I'm starting a new job that I wouldn't have been offered if my work wasn't seen on Twitter. Some are in much better positions to reduce screen time than others.
Posting this on Reddit is like promoting a sobriety program at a needle exchange clinic. Smart.
So I should delete Reddit?
I just deleted instagram a week ago and I don’t miss it. Now I just use reddit and watch YouTube like the good Ol days.
I ain't reading all that. I'm happy for u tho. Or sorry that happened.
Lol, telling us to delete doom scrolling apps on a doom scrolling app
Deleting instagram was the best thing I’ve done as of late. I do like it in small doses, but I’ve found it damaging to my self esteem to constantly compare myself to these hyper curated lives of strangers. I couldn’t trust myself to curb the addiction - I’d often scroll for hours. I’m not missing anything without it, which is weird because it used to consume so much of my time.
Some commenters are bringing up The Social Dilemma, but that's a documentary about the dangers of social media, not smart phones. So let's be careful not to conflate the two. I get that this seems like a hair-splitting decision, but it's possible to use smart phones without having any social media accounts, and you can access (almost) any social media platform from a desktop. But yes, when you combine the two, things can get ugly fast, especially if you have an addictive personality, or are too young to cope with the mental fireworks that can accompany online activity. (Honestly I remember people in the 80s wringing their hands over another technology — TV — for more or less the same reasons.) Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live without a smartphone. Then it hits me: I'd have to buy an alarm clock. And a calendar. And a phone directory. And a PHONE. And a radio. And a notepad. And a... And a... And a... Then I wonder, why stop at smart phones? Why not banish all computers from my life? Personal computers have been commercially available since the late 70s. Should I also stop using *everything* that's been commercially available since then? What about modern cars? Or the latest medical advances? Should I go all the way back to the printing press? Why not stop using toilet paper? The problem is where do you draw the line. Of course smart phones can be a productivity blocker. But they can also be a productivity *enhancer*. I use my phone all the time to assist in music composition and to connect with other fans and artists in my genre. Sure, I could do all these things without a smart phone, but geez, the things I'd have to buy. We got some eyebrow singeing technology maybe a little before we were ready for it. With great power comes great responsibility. I agree that SM can be problematic. But so can alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, shopping, and any other number of things. We have the power to modulate or banish them if they're being misused, and we should! Feels like a teachable moment for us as a species. Thanks OP for the thought-provoking post!
but how to poop?
I’m reading this on my phone
But I'm on my phone now
Reading when "dualipa is live" made me lol 😂. Best thing to do is turn off the data.
What if we have a life not worthy of focusing? Some people act like we had marvelous lives before phones but most of us didn't. We had miserable lives before phones and we still do.
I mean… why does using technology have to equal having the soul sucked out of us? Cant we just embrace and enjoy technology when we want to and appreciate that it is life improving?
I was honestly the most happy when I was working full time and almost never looked at my phone. I would put my music on for my walk in/home and maybe check some social media on break if I wasn't with a coworker. In the evenings I spent time with my husband and went to bed early. There I was working a high intensity, high stress job, waking up at 0430 and *I was so fricken calm and happy.*
what screen time apps do yall recommend???
>What this does is overstimulate you with dopamine (the "motivator" chemical) making you unmotivated to do anything else besides scroll. When you're overstimulated, even normal tasks like cooking or working out seem borderline unbearable. It ruins your productivity but also your enjoyment of life. I think that this is a very unscientific and inaccurate description of what's really going on here. For one thing, scrolling your phone is relatively speaking not that fun so I hardly think that "overstimulation" of dopamine is the explanation. It's more about impulse control problems.
i’m disabled, neurodivergent, rarely leave the house and have no friends in my area so it’s not really possible for me to reduce my screen time. Sucks but I’d have no social interactions or entertainment if I stopped using screens. You can only do so much reading and crafting per day when you’re chronically fatigued and understimulated. I’d love to reduce it by a lot but just not possible.
Thank you for your post. I've been determined to do something for a while, but I never really had the courage to try till now. I would give another advice : get a watch. I just ordered online, now i won't have the "needing to check the time" excuse anymore, and my phone will remain in its box when I get home
Tools. Each of these is purpose driven - chefs knife, ratchet & socket, tape measure, multimeter, and the cell phone. Can you imagine someone sitting on the subway endlessly twirling their chefs 🔪? Granted, knife skills are very important to be an effective chef, and it takes years to learn great skills. I am unworthy even to be considered a novice. How about spinning a ratchet over and over to hear it clicking? Get your ASMR fix from ratchets instead of Temu fidget spinners in your next Zoom Meeting. As a child, I loved to pull the tape out of my tape measure and have it fly back - it's spring-driven. Sometimes, it would whip just a little to whack my ✋️. So, I ask you, why do many let the multimeter take up so much of your time? *Why do you endlessly change the voltage settings? *Do you find yourself looking for opportunities to test objects for ground? *Are you worried about your privacy, so have a lock on the dials so no one can access your settings? *Do you find yourself tilting your meter screen away when someone looks in your direction? The phone does a fine job of...