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My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

alexanderell.is

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Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#151

Post by quinnjh »

eointierney wrote: post #30
vedtopkar wrote: post #3

It’s honestly so bad. No matter how hard I try, I find myself re-downloading TikTok or Reddit (Apollo) every month and then wasting away all my free time for a week or two before re-deleting them out of disgust. I truly don’t know what the solution is. I would just get rid of my smartphone if life wasn’t quite inconvenient without it.

Read books I'm not joking, it's the best antidote to the thought-theft of "social media". Pick a subject in which you're interested, find a representively excellent text, and read. And then re-read, because unless you're a genius you won't absorb everything first time. Also it's wonderful to just curl up with a book and a cup of tea and let time pass you by as you ... learn the considered thought of others! This is c…

Ooh yes anecdotally im with both of u on this. Found it very hard to quit but category theory by emily riehl was a great offramp to begin "thinking more seriously"

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#152

Post by eyelidlessness »

hooande wrote: post #134
sodality2 wrote: post #24

I'm still young so maybe my mind hasn't matured enough to where I can combat this well. So I went heavy-handed - I have a button on my desk that when I press it, my server's DNS server (through which all my devices and router resolve) begins rejecting requests to reddit, instagram, twitter, hackernews, news.google.com, etc. For the next two hours, there is nothing I can do outside of SSH'ing through my mobile device…

This is like saying "I cured my alcoholism by throwing all the liquor out of my house". The problem isn't the availability of the stimulus, it's the lack of control over your desire for it. You can't cure a need for distraction by blocking domains. There isn't a cure. You have to learn to live with it, like alcoholism. The good news is that major life events tend to be great for breaking the distraction seeking patte…

> The problem isn't the availability of the stimulus, it's the lack of control over your desire for it

…

> pushing the button

It’s possible you just didn’t recognize the way they’re exercising control over their desire for it. If you’re framing it in terms of alcoholism—speaking from experience here—you don’t come up with convenient ways to get away with not drinking, just convenient ways to go right on drinking even when you know you shouldn’t and wish you wouldn’t.

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#153

Post by jbmny »

llasse wrote: post #23

I even have this problem when just sitting in front of my laptop to look something up - I end up on completely different websites procrastinating a lot . Another behavioral hack was told to me by someone els: write down on a piece of paper what you want to look up/do on the computer before you sit down in front of it and check if you have done it as much as possible.

I use a sort of inverse tactic. While working, I often find that trivial questions pop into my head, and I get tempted to look up the answers and distract myself for a while. Stuff like "what does the word 'ducky' mean" or "what are the lyrics to the verse of that Blur song" or "what is the capital of Albania". I keep a text file open on my computer called "later", and when one of these questions comes up, I write it in the file, promising myself that I can look it up later. The truth is that I hardly ever do. The questions seem so burning when I want to be distracted. When I have the free time to look them up, I realize how silly they actually were.

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#154

Post by [deleted] »

sodality2 wrote: post #67
Aeolun wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you stop yourself from just grabbing your phone and 5G?

The DNS server is set in my phone as well (still works over data). But even if it wasn't, I live in a third-world country that still has crude data caps (the United States) so consuming video would probably quickly approach it.

[deleted]

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#155

Post by insaider »

sodality2 wrote: post #38
herval wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This could seriously be a good commercial product!

Hey, don't beat me to the punch! I thought about it right after posting too, that might have to be my next side project.

I was gonna say drop your twitter, then the irony hit me

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#156

Post by abvdj2 »

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #150
sodality2 wrote: post #24

I'm still young so maybe my mind hasn't matured enough to where I can combat this well. So I went heavy-handed - I have a button on my desk that when I press it, my server's DNS server (through which all my devices and router resolve) begins rejecting requests to reddit, instagram, twitter, hackernews, news.google.com, etc. For the next two hours, there is nothing I can do outside of SSH'ing through my mobile device…

My /etc/hosts file on the machine I work on all day blocks 68k hosts 24/7. No social media sites at all except Twitter. No ads. Meanwhile, the Leechblock browser add-on stops me from using the few things I do otherwise (bits of Reddit, HN) allow between 09:00 and 17:00 which is not perfect but it's a start. Except ... I disable it a lot :(

would you share the hosts file by any chance? 68k seems better than what I have

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#157

Post by skydhash »

LiquidPolymer wrote: post #111

I’m curious what the generational divide is for this. I’m 57, love tech and enjoy the positive side of the internet in limited doses. But I find most social media boring. There is incredible and AMAZING art, accidental moments, serious discussion and fascinating analysis of the world to be found online. But without grounding myself in genuine experience in the stinky, cruel real world of human interaction, nature, an…

Similar to me. I’m 26, but only got on the social train in 2015 or so. I scroll for a few minutes, but I’m just seeking for something interesting to learn about. To distract me, a video or article need to trigger that thirst of knowledge. And it’s not something you find on most social platforms - which is why I check HN more than anything else these days.

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#158

Post by [deleted] »

hooande wrote: post #134
sodality2 wrote: post #24

I'm still young so maybe my mind hasn't matured enough to where I can combat this well. So I went heavy-handed - I have a button on my desk that when I press it, my server's DNS server (through which all my devices and router resolve) begins rejecting requests to reddit, instagram, twitter, hackernews, news.google.com, etc. For the next two hours, there is nothing I can do outside of SSH'ing through my mobile device…

This is like saying "I cured my alcoholism by throwing all the liquor out of my house". The problem isn't the availability of the stimulus, it's the lack of control over your desire for it. You can't cure a need for distraction by blocking domains. There isn't a cure. You have to learn to live with it, like alcoholism. The good news is that major life events tend to be great for breaking the distraction seeking patte…

[deleted]

Re: My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll

#160

Post by djKianoosh »

abvdj2 wrote: post #156
PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My /etc/hosts file on the machine I work on all day blocks 68k hosts 24/7. No social media sites at all except Twitter. No ads. Meanwhile, the Leechblock browser add-on stops me from using the few things I do otherwise (bits of Reddit, HN) allow between 09:00 and 17:00 which is not perfect but it's a start. Except ... I disable it a lot :(

would you share the hosts file by any chance? 68k seems better than what I have

it's probably something like this: https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts
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