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Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#181

Post by intellectronica »

In periods when I don't have much excitement at work or in my personal life, I also tend to consume internet information compulsively, but then I notice that when I do have interesting things to do or work on, consumption takes a back seat and I accumulate months worth of books, blogs, podcasts, and YouTube "watch later" items I never get to.

Focusing on what yes is a lot better than focusing on what not. And when we figure out what we want, the rest is just something that stands in the way and easier to avoid.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#182

Post by aon249375 »

You wouldn't find it very easy to quit smoking if you kept a full pack of cigs in your pocket at all times; the easiest way to stop using these habit-forming things is to prevent yourself from accessing them.

This could be via many means from parental-lock style apps and firewall setups to uninstalling problematic apps from your phone.

I recently removed the web-browser from my phone leaving no apps on it that aren't strictly for communication (with a few exceptions such as a camera app and file manager). This has been an excellent move, and I liked it so much I tore off maps and emails too - it feels pretty good to live in the real world again. (I accept this is a pretty extreme approach but I'll try anything once)

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#183

Post by sw104 »

flakeoil wrote: post #180
anilakar wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> get a dumb phone I've found a simple "productivity apps only" policy to be enough. Instant messengers, browser, email, banking app, bus ticket.

But the browser has everything.

Then you put a 10 minute timer on the browser. Enough for lookups, not enough to waste time.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#184

Post by 7speter »

I remember we live in an era where we are always optimizing ourselves, and seemingly being goaded to optimize ourselves by the media we consume. If I need a break I just take a break, because I remind myself of the articles I’ve read about how its beneficial to be bored.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#186

Post by LoganDark »

tastysandwich wrote: post #159
LoganDark wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This sounds simplistic/naive, but have you ever tried just starting a project? looks at my troves and troves of unfinished projects Starting projects is a bad habit >:(

Ha. Fair enough. For some people that's the case but OP seems not to have started any hence the (admittedly naive) suggestion. I bet you have fun though!!

> I bet you have fun though!!

I did! And I do. Just not doing the things I love anymore, due to ADHD. Maybe once I'm medicated I'll be able to code again.

For now just perpetually existing on Discord and a few other places (such as HN) is good enough.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#187

Post by lobocinza »

goldfeld wrote: post #147
whywhywouldyou wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the top comment/advice on HN about how to avoid information overload is to collect a list of information to remind you to stop addictively collecting information. Sounds about right.

I know it's weird but here has been my ANALOG solution to HN information consumption and even to tab overload (a chronic incurable autoimmune disease I acquired when just leaving my teens, during college life, which may have impeded my growth). I write much, sci-fi and always draft some articles (but never publish), so that keeping up with HN is a sort of reference material building activity, other than it I don't go…

I do something but on the computer. I issue `j w` on the terminal, which means journal write, to create a new time coded entry and open it on an editor where I copy the URL and any immediate thought I have in my mind. Most people will just bookmark and forget which I also do often. Anyway, we replaced a tab overload problem with a notes/bookmarks overload.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#188

Post by zoom6628 »

labrador wrote: post #11

I handle it by collecting quotes that tell me to knock it off. I've since started to focus on just the things I really care about: The purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge. ― Aristotle Knowledge isn't free. You have to pay attention ― Richard Feynman "Information is not truth" ― Yuval Noah Harari If I were the plaything of every thought, I would be a fool, not a wise man. ― Rumi Dhamma is in your mind, not i…

I try to deal with it by action. But the best thing for me has been running. Get physically away from devices.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#190

Post by saiya-jin »

Spend weekend time in nature, walking/hiking takes away your mind from electronics, so don't introduce them by purpose, maybe just to snap a picture but keep it offline. If you can, sleep there too, camping is fantastic and it connects us with the ways our ancestors lived.

That may be a good kickstart, another step is reducing phone and social media exposure during week. Just uninstall those apps, me removing FB few years ago was great step in this direction (plus saving tons of battery life since it was draining it even when unused)

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