171–180 of 188 posts
Choosing "dumber" technology has drastically helped my ability to stay focused when reading longform articles (including this one!) while retaining more useful information. I wrote an iOS Shortcut that converts a web page to PDF and sends it to my reMarkable tablet. It works very well.
I want to throw my phone away and switch to a "dumb" phone so I can rid my addiction to it, but I have become dependent on several core apps such as Google Maps. I wish Android would allow me full control to delete every app on there but the ones I most need. But unfortunately, its restrictions prevent me from doing so. For example, I want to delete all web browser apps so I am not tempted to the addiction of the int…
The Android Debug Bridge allows disabling packages and APKs. There's a walkthrough on XDA Developers [1] that (I assume) is more than enough for any HN reader. If not, shoot me a message and we can walk through it together :)
[1] https://www.xda-developers.com/disable-system-app-bloatware-...
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Yes I agree, Drugs are point of last resort since from I have inquired in the field and apparently going one can lead to a stack of them later on in life as the loose effectiveness and way they work.
I would not be so quick to throw away "drugs" as they have the strongest efficacy compared to any method shared here. Anecdotally, I used to follow a lot of these methods described here, but more specifically: - Keeping a journal - Reducing blue-light before bed - Diet & excercise - Meditations I do agree that there is merit in each one of them, but absolutely nothing worked better than the "drugs" that was prescribe…
I want to throw my phone away and switch to a "dumb" phone so I can rid my addiction to it, but I have become dependent on several core apps such as Google Maps. I wish Android would allow me full control to delete every app on there but the ones I most need. But unfortunately, its restrictions prevent me from doing so. For example, I want to delete all web browser apps so I am not tempted to the addiction of the int…
I'd actually appreciate anyone's opinion or advice on this... I grew up on computers and the internet (absent, technophile parents made that very easy) and by the age of 13 or 14 my computer really just felt like an extension of myself. When I was in undergrad, I realized that the only way I'd ever actually properly study is if I had someone on my dorm floor take my computer from me and refuse to give it back for som…
- have a daily tracking system where you have clear simple goals (such as going to bed at a certain hour, the first thing you do in the morning should be productive...) and try to have "winning streaks". I use an google sheet for this and color red/green tiles based on success/failure.
- Find a buddy to work with. Since I started working with a cofounder next to me, my productivity shot up simply because I feel bad doing crap while he is working.
Take a walk, cook, read a book, talk to a friend, build a birdhouse... all options, I guess, but it seems really easy to find yourself with large chunks of time with nothing to do. Just ate, it's too hot outside, eyes are tired, friends are busy-- now what?
I know this is a failure of imagination on my part. Has anybody made a database of offline activities? (See, I need my beige box to even figure out what to do without it...)
It makes me feel sad and pathetic that I don't know how to actually live life outside of the internet.
I've been living in a beige box for so long that I honestly don't even know what to do without a computer in front of me. How do you occupy the time? Take a walk, cook, read a book, talk to a friend, build a birdhouse... all options, I guess, but it seems really easy to find yourself with large chunks of time with nothing to do. Just ate, it's too hot outside, eyes are tired, friends are busy-- now what? I know this…
Of course without access to a library of book store, you might have to use the internet to buy the books in the first place!
Good luck!
Choosing "dumber" technology has drastically helped my ability to stay focused when reading longform articles (including this one!) while retaining more useful information. I wrote an iOS Shortcut that converts a web page to PDF and sends it to my reMarkable tablet. It works very well.
I'd love instructions on how to set this up for myself. I've ordered the reMarkable 2 and this is definitely the use-case I have in mind.
Accepts: URLs
- Set variable input to Shortcut input
- Get contents of webpage at input
- Make PDF from Contents of Webpage
- Set variable file to PDF
- Open file in reMarkable (toggle Show Open In Menu to off)
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Families I know in India 10-ish years ago used to be against the whole technology wave and were concerned with the effects of electronics. Now that they have gotten their hands on smartphones and other devices: oh man they will put the American stereotype of being obsessed with the screen to shame. 24/7 Whatsapp, Instagram, and mobile games. They will come to the same realization as we are though. Just a matter of ti…
It isn't just the phone. We as a species seem to be mesmerized by visual screen-based media of any kind. For example, here's an article about a Russian family that retreated deep into uninhabited parts of Siberia during the Stalin years and lived a Middle Ages lifestyle until they were discovered in 1978: >> "Karp Lykov fought a long and losing battle with himself to keep all this modernity at bay. When they first go…
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Something that I've heard of people doing is getting a timer box. Basically what it is, is something that locks for a designated period of time. When you're done work you can pop your stuff in it, set a timer for 16 hours or whatever is necessary then you can't access these things at all. Here's a rough link to what I mean ( https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Safe-Locking-Container-Height... )
Amusingly, I tried this approach. What I found is that I would make up any excuse to not lock my device in the timer box. Seems like my addiction runs very very deep.
Even if you fail every once in a while, it'll be an improvement to what you're describing now.