I spend too much of my life behind a computer screen, which I only notice when I take a long break. Working remote doesn't help either.
Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
511–520 of 685 posts
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#512Has anyone tried?: * Using an apple cellular watch and leaving your phone at home * Using a smaller phone like an iphone mini * Using a lower tech feature phone * Using screentime And found success that way?
I tried an Apple Watch. It had a couple of issues that prevented it from working for me. When it's on LTE the battery only lasted me about 5-6 hours. It's just not designed to be used away from an iPhone for more than a couple hours. So you have to carry an Apple Watch charger with you, and it can only charge if you take it off your wrist. Also while iMessages would come thru, text messages would not reliably get sen…
The original iPhone SE from 2016?
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#513Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe that’s true, but it doesn’t provide me with any comfort. I’m only going to live once. When I’m old and bound to a chair (hopefully due to frailty and not because a psychiatrist strapped me to it), I want to feel like I achieved something more than a passive human existence. All these hours spent consuming forgettable garbage on Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, and in video games… these are hours not spent learning re…
You’re saying one thing and doing another. It’s not on anybody but you if you end up living a passive human existence. Either change what you’re doing or accept that your dreams will stay dreams.
Their comment doesn't blame anyone for their situation.
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#514Don't say the Internet. There are tons of good information/tutorials/reads/etc on the Internet.
You have a social net addiction. You spend so much time on it b/c it is designed for that: catch your attention, sell ads.
I already see the parallels between social nets and tobacco. We are at the stage where we realize it is harmful. Eventually, it will be regulated.
But then again, you do not need to wait for it to be regulated. Quit now. Be disciplined. Find a hobbie that is offline. Become a maker.
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#515About a year ago another HN commenter really helped me out with this and recommended an application called Cold Turkey [1].
It lets you lock yourself out of specified websites and applications for a scheduled period of time. You can break out of it by either rebooting or setting a long string of random text you have to enter, but it basically stops impulsive browsing.
It helps me a fair bit to stay on task at work. I whitelist only the sites I need for work and take away the ability to randomly alt-tab into a browser "just for a minute".
If your looking for a way to discipline your computer habits, I highly recommend this program. It's not a cure, but it does help.
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#516A week ago I deleted my Twitter account. Today I'm deleting my Reddit account. I'm keeping Facebook simply to stay in touch with family and a few friends, otherwise it would definitely go. I'm on the fence about HN, but it will probably go as well. These online communities are a net negative in my life, and I'm done.
I deleted Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and other social accounts five years ago. Now I am refreshing HN all day, and other sites too. This problem really not about the platform, its about the consumer here.
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#517Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mate, if you haven’t already, go talk with a therapist. I’ve struggled with avoidance my entire adult life – avoiding awkwardness, pain, risk, “bad”emotions, difficult conversations, conflict – and talking with a professional has really helped me.
Any tips on what type of therapist (psychologist, therapist, counsellor, etc.) and/or treatment you found effective? Sounds like talk therapy -- but did you go through other stuff as well?
Talk to a licensed therapist with a PhD or PsyD that specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). There are masters level therapist, however most of them don't have as much training as people with PhD's or PsyD's (it can be hit or miss with masters level clinicians). But really it's about finding someone that you can connect with.
CBT focuses on challenging behavior that goes against your goals and building an arsenal of cognitive tools to maintain behavior that helps you achieve your goals.
It's what most people with these kinds of problems need.
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#518I don't think it's bad to spent so much time on the internet.
Let suppose you have a 9-5 job, after travel and basic hygiene, cooking etc, there's around 2-4 hours before needing to sleep (8-10 hours).
So what's wrong with spending time on your favourite leisure activities?
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#519There is no bottom to it.
Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?
#520My completely unprofessional opinion is that almost everyone that uses the internet throughout the day has developed some form of undiagnosed ADD/ADHD. The modern internet has broken our slowly evolved brains. We are not built to cope with these types of attention destroying activities and media. At least 20 years ago you had to sit down at a specific place and use a chunky computer. Smartphones have made it 1000x wo…
ADHD is a developmental condition which is highly genetic and relates to neurotransmitter brain chemistry (Dopamine / Norepinephrine). People with ADHD have it their whole life, it's not something you can develop in adulthood. However, people can be (commonly are) diagnosed in adulthood, especially for the inattentive subtype which has less outward symptoms. What can change or develop over time is the life circumstan…
> it's not something you can develop in adulthood
I disagree, from my own personal experience.
According to the CDC/DSM-5, people with ADHD simply have enough of the described ADHD symptoms, and most importantly "interferes with functioning or development."
We don't yet know enough about the brain besides that people have different brain makeups and respond to different stimuli differently. We don't quite know what causes ADHD but we can group the overall symptoms together to try and treat them.
That said, plenty of the criteria in the DSM-5 can be as a result of our modern lifestyles. I talked to multiple psychiatrists/therapists who had consensus that I had ADHD. I tried all the different meds, none of them really helped. The only thing that did was changing my lifestyle. Completely eliminating some addictive habits that wrecked my response/reward circuits (porn and addictive video games) (still a work in progress but it helps). Structuring my life for more consistency and setting up a system that would prevent me from dropping into the negative ADHD habits.
I recommend reading ADHD 2.0 by Dr Halowell. Everyone's journey is different and I don't want to take away from people who get serious improvements from traditional ADHD treatments. But ADHD is a spectrum, and it's unfortunate that many of the traits that come with ADHD cause negative outcomes for our modern society, but it's really just a different functioning of the brain. Some activities exacerbate the negative outcomes, and some can reel them in. Like most other things, I believe ADHD is partly genetic and partly behavioral. The weight differs from person to person. One of those you can't control, and one you (sort of) can