A guide to reduce screen time • Hacker News Board

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#11

Post by Funes- » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:42 PM UTC

StefanBatory wrote: post #9

yapyap wrote: post #8

I’ve scrolled through the article and another tip would be: Have an alternative. You can’t just go from screentime to no screentime if you have nothing to do off the screen, plan some activities.

Been there, done that. Listen to the person above me. I tried to do that in the past when I my depression was more severe. I thought that'd help me, but I replaced staring at my screen with staring at wall or just sleeping.

>I replaced staring at my screen with staring at wall or just sleeping

So you just tried to replace your compulsive use of your devices with nothing, like the poster you replied to advised against. Great.

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#12

Post by StefanBatory » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:44 PM UTC

nullderef wrote: post #10

StefanBatory wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been there, done that. Listen to the person above me. I tried to do that in the past when I my depression was more severe. I thought that'd help me, but I replaced staring at my screen with staring at wall or just sleeping.

What do you mean -- you couldn't find something else to do?

Yes, exactly. I had no idea what to do with myself, and thus all I did was browsed Internet. I thought that getting rid of it will "fix" me (to be honest, I think I confused cause and effect). And so, I tried.

But I had nothing to replace this with, and I didn't magically became a disciplined or productive person. And then I would go back to my bad habits, just feeling even stronger self-hatred.

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#13

Post by StefanBatory » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:45 PM UTC

Funes- wrote: post #11

StefanBatory wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been there, done that. Listen to the person above me. I tried to do that in the past when I my depression was more severe. I thought that'd help me, but I replaced staring at my screen with staring at wall or just sleeping.

>I replaced staring at my screen with staring at wall or just sleeping So you just tried to replace your compulsive use of your devices with nothing, like the poster you replied to advised against. Great.

Yeah, which is I'm saying that's why you should listen to the poster above - to prove their point.

Unless I wrote it in a confusing way, in which case I do apologise

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#14

Post by sureglymop » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:46 PM UTC

These apps are interesting. Another good one is "Block" (with a green icon).

But, does anyone know of any alternatives for degoogled phones? E.g. from F-Droid?

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#15

Post by nullderef » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:46 PM UTC

StefanBatory wrote: post #12

nullderef wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean -- you couldn't find something else to do?

Yes, exactly. I had no idea what to do with myself, and thus all I did was browsed Internet. I thought that getting rid of it will "fix" me (to be honest, I think I confused cause and effect). And so, I tried. But I had nothing to replace this with, and I didn't magically became a disciplined or productive person. And then I would go back to my bad habits, just feeling even stronger self-hatred.

How did you end up overcoming the problem?

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#16

Post by chadhutchins10 » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:47 PM UTC

You probably see it enough already in your ads, but this has been the most effective app blocker for me: https://getbrick.app

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#17

Post by nullderef » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:47 PM UTC

sureglymop wrote: post #14

These apps are interesting. Another good one is "Block" (with a green icon). But, does anyone know of any alternatives for degoogled phones? E.g. from F-Droid?

There's TimeLimit on F-Droid. I found it hard to set up, though.

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#18

Post by Gasp0de » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:49 PM UTC

I already moved away from the reddit app, but now I have the problem that I can not set up time-based constraints that don't block the rest of the browser.

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#19

Post by nullderef » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:50 PM UTC

Gasp0de wrote: post #18

I already moved away from the reddit app, but now I have the problem that I can not set up time-based constraints that don't block the rest of the browser.

Some apps like ScreenZen allow you to block websites, if you're on Android. Pretty much any iOS app will let you restrict websites (because it's easier to implement there).

Re: A guide to reduce screen time

#20

Post by hombre_fatal » Wed, Apr 09, 2025, 12:52 PM UTC

nullderef wrote: post #2

Another tip is that even HN has some screen time features. If you go to your profile, you can play around with the "noprocrast", "maxvisit", and "minaway" options. When noprocrast is on, you may only view HN for maxvisit minutes at a time, and must stay away for minaway minutes before returning. (taken from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3677504 )

I find that it's hard to waste time on HN after your first salvo of the day since the day's frontpage topics are kinda set early on and they change pretty slowly. (Unless, of course, someone is wrong about one of Your Topics and needs your corrections throughout the day.)

And I don't see the point of going past the frontpage unless you want to bicker with someone on yesterday's topics that nobody will ever see. So just get it out of the way early.

— Suddenly selfaware guy who realizes he writes 5 comments a day on HN, kinda like a fat guy giving you weightloss tips. You see, the trick is to not moderate your intake at all.