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I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

nytimes.com

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Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#31

Post by Infinitesimus »

DKnoll wrote: post #19
tannhaeuser wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my current job I'm almost daily going by subway and see most people fumbling on their phone all the time. Many can't even stop when hopping on/off the train. Now when I carefully look at just what it is that captures their attention, it's mostly cheap games or endless-scroll taboola-style crap. A guy sitting next to me the other day simultaneously phoned and frantically clicked on random crap on his phone with no…

There isn't much else to do on public transportation. You either fumble around on your phone or stare blankly at the wall. When I took public transit regularly I would read sometimes but there was too much noise and movement around me to really focus. Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders.

There are also those rare moments when you can strike up a conversation with someone else on the train and those can be nice if that's your cup of tea

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#32

Post by hx2a »

tannhaeuser wrote: post #11
grecy wrote: post #3

I'm 37, and I have never really had a smartphone, because I don't want one. I know I tend to be addicted to the internet (I can't resit my laptop when it's nearby with wifi), so I think it's more healthy for me to just not have a smartphone than to resist temptation (like an alcoholic simply not going into bars). I'm a Software Engineer and I've never downloaded or used an "app" on a smartphone. I did buy a new Andro…

In my current job I'm almost daily going by subway and see most people fumbling on their phone all the time. Many can't even stop when hopping on/off the train. Now when I carefully look at just what it is that captures their attention, it's mostly cheap games or endless-scroll taboola-style crap. A guy sitting next to me the other day simultaneously phoned and frantically clicked on random crap on his phone with no…

I live in NYC and see the same thing. Many people seem to be reading emails in addition to the other stuff.

For me being on the subway is quiet time for me to think about software projects. When I give my mind a chance to wander I come up with good solutions to problems or new ideas to try. I have no interest in taking out my phone and ruining that.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#33

Post by everdev »

grecy wrote: post #3

I'm 37, and I have never really had a smartphone, because I don't want one. I know I tend to be addicted to the internet (I can't resit my laptop when it's nearby with wifi), so I think it's more healthy for me to just not have a smartphone than to resist temptation (like an alcoholic simply not going into bars). I'm a Software Engineer and I've never downloaded or used an "app" on a smartphone. I did buy a new Andro…

I attended a basketball game recently and saw multiple people playing arcade puzzle games and one person watching a YouTube video of another basketball game.

All of this was happening while the live game was in play!

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#34

Post by everdev »

DKnoll wrote: post #19
tannhaeuser wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my current job I'm almost daily going by subway and see most people fumbling on their phone all the time. Many can't even stop when hopping on/off the train. Now when I carefully look at just what it is that captures their attention, it's mostly cheap games or endless-scroll taboola-style crap. A guy sitting next to me the other day simultaneously phoned and frantically clicked on random crap on his phone with no…

There isn't much else to do on public transportation. You either fumble around on your phone or stare blankly at the wall. When I took public transit regularly I would read sometimes but there was too much noise and movement around me to really focus. Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders.

> Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders

Observing people can be quite fascinating and illuminating.

In Europe the outdoor seating at cafes face the street so you can easily people watch without straining your neck.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#35

Post by avip »

grecy wrote: post #3

I'm 37, and I have never really had a smartphone, because I don't want one. I know I tend to be addicted to the internet (I can't resit my laptop when it's nearby with wifi), so I think it's more healthy for me to just not have a smartphone than to resist temptation (like an alcoholic simply not going into bars). I'm a Software Engineer and I've never downloaded or used an "app" on a smartphone. I did buy a new Andro…

I was like you until I had kids. Then suddenly no phone implied me not knowing soccer was cancelled, my kids missing birthdays etc. At some point, too much of "real life" moved online, and the consequences of not having a phone overweighted my not very coherent "ideology". But I seriously applaud your efforts!

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#36

Post by Mirioron »

honzzz wrote: post #26

How do you separate the enriching part from the addictive part? To me the problem is that my laptop and my phone are magical doors that lead to both smart people at HN and some niche subreddits/blogs that really make me think, change my opinion, make my life more interesting... and right next to it there are social media bubbles, overwhelming stream of news and insight porn that I can read/watch for hours anxious tha…

I find this weird. The main thing I do on my phone is HN, some subreddits and books. Most other things fail to engage me on a phone for some reason. I find surfing the web to be way too frustrating to do it on a phone.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#37

Post by Mirioron »

Infinitesimus wrote: post #31
DKnoll wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't much else to do on public transportation. You either fumble around on your phone or stare blankly at the wall. When I took public transit regularly I would read sometimes but there was too much noise and movement around me to really focus. Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders.

There are also those rare moments when you can strike up a conversation with someone else on the train and those can be nice if that's your cup of tea

Depends on where you live. Doing this here would irritate most people a lot.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#38

Post by ryl00 »

open-source-ux wrote: post #18
grecy wrote: post #3

I'm 37, and I have never really had a smartphone, because I don't want one. I know I tend to be addicted to the internet (I can't resit my laptop when it's nearby with wifi), so I think it's more healthy for me to just not have a smartphone than to resist temptation (like an alcoholic simply not going into bars). I'm a Software Engineer and I've never downloaded or used an "app" on a smartphone. I did buy a new Andro…

I have a smartphone. A Windows smartphone. I'd say at least 60% of websites fail to render using the (obsolete) version of Internet Explorer on the phone (but Hacker News renders fine). Windows Phone OS support ends in December 2019 so I'll have to switch to a new phone at some point. Why do I keep using it? Familiarity and I like the simplicity of the OS. It does have a few essential apps like offline maps. Windows…

Are you me? :)

With my Windows Phone I am immune from websites continually trying to push me to use their app ( take that, reddit! ;) ).

And it makes a great smartphone for my son... just enough capability to stay connected, but a lot of distractions are just not possible to indulge in...

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#39

Post by Nextgrid »

yazboo wrote: post #30
DKnoll wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't much else to do on public transportation. You either fumble around on your phone or stare blankly at the wall. When I took public transit regularly I would read sometimes but there was too much noise and movement around me to really focus. Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders.

It’s a miracle people suffered transit at all in the years before the invention of handheld networked devices.

Weren’t people reading books/newspapers before, or playing paper-based games (crossword, sudoku, etc)?

In most public transports the noise would make any conversation impossible anyway even if it would be considered acceptable and normal.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#40

Post by Mirioron »

CPLX wrote: post #5

I followed almost the exact same track as this guy, slowly realizing that my phone was a problem, then the problem, and coming to the conclusion that real drastic intervention methods were necessary, something that went beyond vague "trying to do better" efforts. I started a daily life 90% detox for a week or two then also did a completely phone free weekend, in my case at a Zen Buddhist monastery (and also in the Ca…

One of the main things I do on my phone is read fiction. I find that using a phone focuses my attention on one thing more than almost anything else. Particularly reading in a dark room or when walking outside when it's dark. It's so easy to ignore distractions while doing so. I am pretty much unable to read fiction when it's not on my phone.

It's interesting how we basically have the opposite experience.

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