Dumber phone • Hacker News Board

Re: Dumber phone

#301

Post by watwut » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 10:13 AM UTC

white-flame wrote: post #237

dasyatidprime wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll be much happier for it, but can you afford it? If you've got the kind of social life and communication you need, great. And I agree that many people who are in an accidental too-much-FOMO situation probably didn't need all the extra tweets and whatnot flung their way and it's mostly junk. In that case, just turning most of it off is a reasonable idea. But if you're in a position where the communities you need…

Are these some sorts of business communities where you're actually working for a tangible reward to further your career? Even if they are, this sounds really crazy and wrapped around an axle to me, if this is your steady state level of interaction, especially if this is multiple communities you're talking about. If you're bootstrapping yourself as part of a marketing or sales push, you can dedicate a time slot to wor…

This assumes that only things worth any value in life are those with "tangible reward to further your career". I dont really agree.

Re: Dumber phone

#302

Post by ibz » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 10:49 AM UTC

allenrb wrote: post #243

It's been about a month since I pulled the SIM from my iPhone, snipped it in half, sync'd the latest photos (mostly my daughter, or cats), ran a factory reset, and stuck it on a shelf. I bought an LG flip phone the next morning. Since then, I've felt like parts of my brain are growing back. While I'd cut down significantly on smartphone usage over the prior year, I'd started to realize that the mere act of exercising…

Pretty much my experience. Been like this on and off though. On a dumb phone for about a year, then got a smart phone for a year, realized it's a distraction, back to the dumb phone. And yes, the only dissatisfaction is not having a camera with me all the time. So what I ended up doing is actually carrying the smart phone (with very few apps and no SIM card) around whenever I think like I might want a camera. Sure, it's harder with 2 phones than with one, but it's still lighter than phone + camera. This seems to work best. I sometimes still check instagram when I'm on wifi, or listen to music, but really not much else. The addiction seems to be gone when I decide that the phone is really just a camera that also lets you post to IG when you have a nice picture and you're on wifi.

Re: Dumber phone

#303

Post by qrbLPHiKpiux » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 11:05 AM UTC

allenrb wrote: post #243

It's been about a month since I pulled the SIM from my iPhone, snipped it in half, sync'd the latest photos (mostly my daughter, or cats), ran a factory reset, and stuck it on a shelf. I bought an LG flip phone the next morning. Since then, I've felt like parts of my brain are growing back. While I'd cut down significantly on smartphone usage over the prior year, I'd started to realize that the mere act of exercising…

Me? Is that you? Did you write this in your sleep?

Re: Dumber phone

#304

Post by croon » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 11:34 AM UTC

mozzarella wrote: post #170

peacetreefrog wrote: post #125

There are a lot of "hacks" in this thread (put your phone in grayscale, put variable reward apps in a folder, turn off fingerprint sensor) but in my experience the mindset is by far the most important part. What's worked for me (and the article talks about this too) is viewing my phone as a tool with a limited set of functionality. For me, that functionality is: calls, texts, Google maps, Spotify, Audible, podcasts,…

When my dad decided to quit smoking, he didn't throw out the pack of cigarettes he was currently in the middle of. Instead, he put them up on the shelf next to his work desk. The pack wasn't totally in his face, nor was it out of sight. Despite the visual reminder being present, he broke his years' long pack-a-day habit. Eventually - long after he stopped smoking - he threw the pack out, as part of his usual housekee…

I've never smoked, but I did the same thing with snacks when I deliberately quit years ago (I don't avoid it now, but I'm more healthy about it).

I kept a pint of ice cream in the freezer and a bag of chips in the cupboard. The reasoning for me was: I'll never impulse buy snacks while at the store, because I already have it at home.

And if I haven't eaten out of my pint of ice cream, then I haven't eaten any ice cream.

It's like knowing you have these traps to avoid, but if you just keep one very close, that's the only one you need to consider, and then all the other ones disappear. It's definitely a focus thing for me, don't know if it was the same for your dad.

Re: Dumber phone

#305

Post by jamiethompson » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 11:35 AM UTC

I might try this. I've been exclusively using a Nokia 2G dumbphone for 2 years now. Just calls and texts (and snake, oh and it also has a flashlight)

There are obviously times when I would benefit from Google Maps or being able to listen to music on my phone though. Not having a camera in my pocket all the time has been the only thing i've truly missed though. Being able to take a photo of something and maybe instantly send it to someone is useful. "Hey can you pick me up some X"... "Sure i'm in the shop now, are these the right ones?" That kind of interaction is just useful.

I fell like now I've well and truly broken my smartphone addiction that it might be safe for me to reintroduce a smart phone into my life. I feel as though I would now have sufficient will power not to just install Facebook one night and start mindlessly scrolling again. I don't believe I could have achieved that without transitioning first to a completely dumb phone. I imagine that's true of a lot of other people

Re: Dumber phone

#306

Post by dm319 » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 11:47 AM UTC

When I got my Nokia E90 back in 2007, I loved the power of having GPS, internet, maps on-tap. But it never intruded on me, and I wasn't addicted to it. I just used it when it was useful.

But something has changed since then. I'm not sure whether it is with me, or with 'them'. The article talks about the rewards of posting to facebook - and I now see this same reward for posting here, reddit and any other forum you might be part of.

Re: Dumber phone

#307

Post by marci » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 11:51 AM UTC

e40 wrote: post #229

peacetreefrog wrote: post #125

There are a lot of "hacks" in this thread (put your phone in grayscale, put variable reward apps in a folder, turn off fingerprint sensor) but in my experience the mindset is by far the most important part. What's worked for me (and the article talks about this too) is viewing my phone as a tool with a limited set of functionality. For me, that functionality is: calls, texts, Google maps, Spotify, Audible, podcasts,…

I'm older than most of you here. I'm constantly amazed at the lack of self control related to phones. I do exactly as you said, use my phone as a tool. Walking to work and think of something I don't want to forget? Whip out the phone and write myself an email. At home on a weekend and I'm in offline mode? DnD turned on until the alarm on my phone the next morning. I never feel like my phone is controlling my behavior…

If you want to understand, see it as an addiction, especially a slot-machine/pachinko-like addiction. It just shows how widespread it is. When we're free from one, it is easy to say it is =only= a matter of self control.

Like other types of addiction, some of us may be weak to those generated by the smartphone era (associated with a certain socio-cultural mindset based on fame, social validation/gratification).

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/smartphone-add...

Re: Dumber phone

#308

Post by jimmy1 » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 11:56 AM UTC

hawkice wrote: post #279

imwally wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> letting myself get bored enough to stimulate serious creativity. I think this is another key takeaway. We're so scared of being bored that we instantly reach for our phone as a means to fill this seemingly unwanted void. As if boredom has this negative connotation attached to it.

It is shockingly unpleasant. But our lives should contain some unpleasantness, I think. Some difficulty.

We fear death and we overvalue productivity. This is a cycle for never-ending anxiety -- the itch to always do something. We value productivity almost to the point where it is considered virtuous. We look at someone who is productive and think, "wow what a great person, must really have their life together".

Re: Dumber phone

#309

Post by binarnosp » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 12:02 PM UTC

Two months ago, after a smartphone induced rage (my ear touching the screen caused deezer to start playing a song during a phone call) I bought a nokia 3310 and ditched the smart phone. Best decision ever.

Now I noticed how everybody else is constantly watching their smartphone: sometimes they pull it out of the bag but they don't know why, they just browse up and down through the apps until they tap on a random one, just to close it few seconds later.

Re: Dumber phone

#310

Post by charris0 » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 12:05 PM UTC

croon wrote: post #304

mozzarella wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When my dad decided to quit smoking, he didn't throw out the pack of cigarettes he was currently in the middle of. Instead, he put them up on the shelf next to his work desk. The pack wasn't totally in his face, nor was it out of sight. Despite the visual reminder being present, he broke his years' long pack-a-day habit. Eventually - long after he stopped smoking - he threw the pack out, as part of his usual housekee…

I've never smoked, but I did the same thing with snacks when I deliberately quit years ago (I don't avoid it now, but I'm more healthy about it). I kept a pint of ice cream in the freezer and a bag of chips in the cupboard. The reasoning for me was: I'll never impulse buy snacks while at the store, because I already have it at home. And if I haven't eaten out of my pint of ice cream, then I haven't eaten any ice crea…

> It's like knowing you have these traps to avoid, but if you just keep one very close, that's the only one you need to consider

Love that roundup of this technique. Coincidentally enough my dad also used this same aid to quit smoking. I saw some slight sense but never enough to unpack it myself.