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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

#131

Post by wincy »

davidscolgan wrote: post #50
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…

If you figure out a way to solve this problem, please let me know - as someone who works from home, internet distractions are the biggest thing that stand between me and success. I've heard the advice for writers of "turn of your wifi and just write without distractions". But, coding requires the internet in most cases. Hacker News is simultaneously enriching and distracting for me. Youtube is the source of all knowl…

Self Control helps. The app. https://selfcontrolapp.com/

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#132

Post by paxunix »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #59
SllX wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The answer is discipline. That’s not the answer people generally like , but it is real and honest. I wake up at the same time every day, have the same routine every day, and have the same commute most days. To an extent, software has made it possible to chuck my own bad habits in the bin and start anew, but it doesn’t have a say in how I spend my time. I read Hacker News and comment here because I like to, but if I n…

The answer is discipline. If the OP had discipline then they wouldn’t be asking the question. That response is as useless as telling a fat person not to eat so much.

It's not useless at all. That the answer is simple does not imply the journey to fulfilling the answer is also simple.

If a person lacks discipline, it is generally within their control to look at themselves and their choices and figure out how to become more disciplined. If they cannot figure out some way, it is generally within their control to figure out how to ask someone for help about how to build discipline. I recognize that there are people with a mental makeup for whom asking for help is extremely difficult.

I do not know what to tell those people, but to continue to make progress in their lives means they have to overcome those blockers somehow.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#133

Post by PavlovsCat »

radicalriddler wrote: post #95
PavlovsCat wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fine, so they can also downvote me so that I can magically realize what was so terribly wrong about comment, I forgot about that.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html > Please don't comment about the voting on comments. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading.

I'm aware of that, but I find downvotes without reply so much more boring. It's not like HN seems to care about the abuse of that, at all, it's just a mechanism for double standards and intellectual dishonesty.

Can you tell me what in the world is wrong with my comment? I don't have a smartphone, I joke around with people about it, that's a fact. Maybe not super interesting, but I just wanted to support the person I replied to with literally the only practical experience I have with what they were talking about... so was genuinely stumped, and because I don't see why I would beg for someone to please explain (that only gets you people who didn't downvote guessing at the motivation of people who won't respond).

It also kinda fits the topic: people mostly in their own heads, clicking buttons, thinking that means something, but being unable to articulate what that might be. I guess that comment deserved to be downvoted because it got downvoted, and I'm not supposed to talk about it because I'm not supposed to talk about it.

A voting system itself makes for boring reading and for boring discussion, because people think if in doubt, they can just tag team people and then the numbers speak for themselves. It's like one-click sophistry. I don't care about the karma, I care about the form of communication that is, and what kind of person I would have to be to tacitly approve of it. The guidelines also talk about a sense of community, but I guess that's just a word, like thoughtful. But have an upvote because you just tried to help :P

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#134

Post by rasz »

everdev wrote: post #33
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…

I attended a basketball game recently and saw multiple people playing arcade puzzle games and one person watching a YouTube video of another basketball game. All of this was happening while the live game was in play!

Cant blame them - you cant fast forward boring bits IRL.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#135

Post by rasz »

epx wrote: post #12

I've always loved to read, any kind of book would do, but recently I've been unable to sit down and read a book, even technical ones. Guess I got used to the instant gratification that Reddit & friends give to the brain. Considering to ditch the smartphone as well. Actually, I can't ditch the WhatsApp because it is the new phone company these days... Using a very weak smartphone with small screen, too small and slow…

I can read just fine, as long as YT video plays in the corner of second monitor and I have 3-4 other tabs to quickly switch to when I get bored :P :(

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#136

Post by gukov »

yazboo wrote: post #30
DKnoll wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't much else to do on public transportation. You either fumble around on your phone or stare blankly at the wall. When I took public transit regularly I would read sometimes but there was too much noise and movement around me to really focus. Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders.

It’s a miracle people suffered transit at all in the years before the invention of handheld networked devices.

Boredom leads to inventions. Transit must've led to so many great ones.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#137

Post by gukov »

Tiktaalik wrote: post #124
DKnoll wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't much else to do on public transportation. You either fumble around on your phone or stare blankly at the wall. When I took public transit regularly I would read sometimes but there was too much noise and movement around me to really focus. Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders.

Before there was the iphone people would read the newspaper. People having their attention glued to some 'thing' is nothing new.

But were people mindlessly flipping the pages the same way?..

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#139

Post by Aromasin »

allochthon wrote: post #117
legionof7 wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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, repeti…

I don't think that's necessarily true. The quality of writing hasn't change, but the formatting has been perfected. The short burst of dopamine we get from completing 10-30 minute videos, articles and the like are much more achievable, and therefore we naturally spend time consuming that, even though in hindsight it often doesn't make us as happy as reading a book does.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#140

Post by keypress »

darkerside wrote: post #119
keypress wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Oh I've totally got an Internet problem regarding my laptop. So understand how that could translate to a mobile. Mine is just a little less conspicuous. I can type relatively easily on a keyboard after many years, whereas the barrier to text entry on a mobile is far higher for me. I think that's part of it. I notice my passivity more on the mobile. Or perhaps I think I'm more busy on the laptop. Whereas probably both are equally futile.
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