Ask HN: Mobile phone addiction help?

Would an android emulator work?

TBH I'm not sure if it is a good idea for teams.

For me, the idea of being offline is just a way to:

1. Get away with distractions

2. make side projects enjoyable and avoid burnout because it doesn't feel like another job

3. make steady progress because of 2

Because the major problem for side projects or solo developers is not productivity, it's they either get distracted or burn out then abandon projects.

People who work in teams mostly have fewer of these issues because they are usually being accounted. Plus modern technologies did drastically improved how organizations exchange information, as opposed to pure productivity gain (just try to compare modern organizations with Office-like software and Internet connections, to paper-based government systems a century ago). So you probably need technologies to efficiently exchange information in teams, but not so much as an individual.

If your mobile only bank account is the only thing stopping you from ditching your iPhone, I would suggest switching your bank account.

Yes, a retail bank might have higher fees. But if spending 10 bucks a month can get you rid of your addiction that's a great deal. They will definitely help you with the transition to gain a new customer.

Hey there, Thank you so much for sharing this, it's super important to realize how smartphones are impacting us every day and how almost all social media platforms and distracting apps are designed to steal as much of your attention as possible and keep you as hooked as possible.

I'm working on an iOS app called Opal (https://opal.pm/hn) which can help you lock/brick distracting apps on a set timer or all day long in the background while still keeping essential apps like mobile banking active. Think of it as a smarter airplane mode that's designed to help you be more intentional with how you choose to use your phone.

We believe that better and more humane tech is ironically an actual solution to the problem tech has created for all of us. With Opal, it's all about building a healthier relationship with your phone and using everything in limits. It's not about drastically reducing your screen time but you can totally achieve that too if that's what you want to do. We want to make people feel good about the time that they do spend on their screens and not feel guilty that they've spent X hours on their phone this week etc.

I truly believe this can help you get "un-hooked" from apps that are distracting to you and help stop the doomscrolling.

Let me know if you do give it a try as we want to make it work for you and for anyone else in a similar position :)

One could argue that your "rational brain" is in fact an extension of your limbic system for longer timeframes than immediate - I think I heard that line of reasoning in Sapolsky's lectures.