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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

#111

Post by DKnoll »

egypturnash wrote: post #105
DKnoll wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We think from the moment we're born to the moment we die, whether it is conscious or not. There is a false premise in this thread that states staring idly at a phone screen means there are no other thoughts going through your head. Being deep in thought doesn't transport you into higher plane of existence. You still need somewhere to fix your eyes so you don't look like a lunatic on a packed commuter train where peop…

There are a lot of different sizes and kinds of thoughts. With very few exceptions I find that my staring-at-the-phone thoughts are small, fast thoughts. When you get into the habit of filling every bored moment with whatever you can find in the phone, you start to lose the ability to stare off into space - maybe out of the window, maybe close your eyes - and let your brain put together bigger thoughts. It doesn’t he…

I hope I am not the only one who appreciates the irony of people posting statements in opposition of unproductive smartphone use from their own smartphone or PC into such a deeply nested comment thread that maybe 5 people will read it.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#112

Post by drivers99 »

drivers99 wrote: post #25

There was a period a few years ago, where I went without a smartphone, and used a flip phone instead. (My iPhone 4 became too slow after upgrading iOS too many times, and before I got an iPhone 6.) Phone service without a data plan is a lot cheaper too. From the article: “A phone-free weekend involved some complications. Without Google Maps, I got lost and had to pull over for directions. Without Yelp, I had trouble…

Self-correction: Where I wrote “It’s not decide-specific” should say “It’s not device-specific.”

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#113

Post by AQuantized »

ath0 wrote: post #67
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…

Let's dive into the "discipline" advice and get practical: 1. Find ways to create cues for yourself to separate the two kinds of activity, and use those cues to hint yourself - create that half-second of separation that gives you a chance to stop, recognize what you're about to do, and make a personal decision about whether you want to continue. For example, split by device: your phone is for addictive and fun activi…

My "problem" with this is that I don't know how to separate activities into fun vs. enriching. I've gleaned a ton of valuable advice/information from Hacker News and similar sources, and also wasted an awful lot of time on them, and it's difficult to know which I'll end up having done on a given day.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#114

Post by mrfusion »

I’m really interested ingetting a weekly “digest” for each of my subreddits. That way I can just block reddit and stop wasting time but I can be sure I won’t miss anything important. I just want to see the top ten posts of the week for each subreddit.

I guess that wouldn’t be that hard to code up. I think they have an. API.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#116

Post by ravedave5 »

sleepinseattle wrote: post #29

I got a cellular Apple Watch and leave my iPhone at home. Productivity at work went through the roof, and meetings aren’t as painful anymore because I have no choice but to pay attention and participate. It does all the smart phone essentials, including maps and Uber and two-factor auth, but the tiny screen staves off the addiction.

Watches are the worst, I find people with them look at them far more than phones. Its like they think it's not distracting for them to look down 15 times in a 10 minute conversation.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#117

Post by allochthon »

legionof7 wrote: post #87
cyberferret wrote: post #84

I am amazed at how my brain's ability to focus on long term tasks has been diminished over the past few years. I used to be a voracious reader, but lately have struggled to read (offline) more than a few pages at a time. I won't blame smartphone usage entirely, but it certainly has been a large contributor to that. This year, I've begun a concerted campaign to reduce my phone time. The latest iOS screen time tracker…

Yeah, I've noticed this too. I used to be able to finish pretty long books in one sitting and be completely absorbed in them, but now I struggle to finish a chapter.

I wonder whether there's something deeper going on here in the world. The explosion of content on the Internet in the past 15 years has resulted in a great deal of high quality articles and long form journalism becoming readily available. Perhaps books were what we put up with when there was just less quality writing within reach. But now with heightened expectations we grow tired with the occasional rambling, repetition and longueurs that previously we would just power through out of habit.

I'm not arguing this is the case. But it's something I've wondered about as a possible explanation for why books are less appealing to me now.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#118

Post by superkuh »

pdimitar wrote: post #81

IMO we should fight to consume the modern Web and apps in ways that benefit us and not somebody else. Throwing away the devices is a radical and unrealistic measure for many. If you need to live on a lonely island somewhere in the Pacific for 18 months then by all means, do so. I quite like it in the civilization when I am focused and not constantly distracted though. And that's achievable.

> IMO we should fight to consume the modern Web and apps in ways that benefit us and not somebody else.

That's kind of a self-defeating statement. The modern web and it's requiring the end user to blindly run third party code to even get text to show on a webpage is the problem. And 'apps' on locked-down, proprietary computer devices like smart phones only makes it worse.

My solution to the problem was to not start. I have never owned a smart phone that connects to a telco network. Only in the last year or two have I bought a ($15) smart phone to use over wifi with my custom 910 MHz wireless ethernet bridge between my home network and car network. But in the end I never used it since my thinkpad laptop was so much more powerful and better for getting actual work done.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#119

Post by darkerside »

keypress wrote: post #77
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…

That's interesting, I'm similar. I've just gotten my first smartphone. Weirdly I'm not that drawn to it. It feels a bit too passive for me compared to my laptop. And it's just too large and clunky. Used it twice for walks/maps so far. Which is the biggest draw for me. Many people around me are stuck in their phones. I do find reading on the laptop difficult, and thought the better screen on the smartphone might be ea…

It's funny, I feel the same way about smoking when I first tried it. What's the big deal? Why can't anyone just stop? It's only after years of building habits and life rhythms that you realize how deeply ingrained these things become..

I no longer smoke, but my relationship with my device is very choppy. Sometimes healthy (I'm in control, and I use my phone when I want or need to), and sometimes not.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#120

Post by xmb »

I've found it effective recently to push my chair out from my desk or to shove my phone back into my pocket as soon as I realize I am about to engage in a distracting activity. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing, meditating if you will, until I feel the temptation pass. It might help to build some concrete habit to replace a bad one rather than focusing on eliminating the bad habit directly.
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