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I'm an addict

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Re: I'm an addict

#21

Post by cyphar »

artemonster wrote: post #9

This hits hard. I recently counted hours watched on YT (via history export) and OH MY GD, it averaged around 3 hours daily throught the year, for several years. I just imagined WHAT IF I have spent this amount of effort and time on ANYTHING else: playing an instrument, learning a new language, coding a side-project. The thought scared me so much, aka the difference between current me and "potential" me that I have ab…

I started learning Japanese about two years ago now and now all of the time I used to waste watching YouTube is spent watching YouTube in Japanese as language practice. It's still the same activity but is at least somewhat productive. I barely go on Hacker News too, since it feels like more of a waste of time ("I could be studying Japanese right now!").

Re: I'm an addict

#22

Post by pjc50 »

artemonster wrote: post #9

This hits hard. I recently counted hours watched on YT (via history export) and OH MY GD, it averaged around 3 hours daily throught the year, for several years. I just imagined WHAT IF I have spent this amount of effort and time on ANYTHING else: playing an instrument, learning a new language, coding a side-project. The thought scared me so much, aka the difference between current me and "potential" me that I have ab…

> 3 hours daily throught the year, for several years.

So, less than the average amount of time people spend watching TV?

Re: I'm an addict

#23

Post by SnowHill9902 »

Knowing that HN is generally against it, I say it anyway: I recommend religion and religious teachings which address this and many other daily worldly issues perfectly. Christianity and Judaism both have excellent resources. Religious scholars have actually been the best psychologists but are generally dismissed by non-believers.

Edit: for those asking for specific recommendations. It’s always best to find your own path according to the religion of your parents and environment. However, I can suggest that you investigate Mussar and look up some books in English.

“Musar is a path of contemplative practices and exercises that have evolved over the past thousand years to help an individual soul to pinpoint and then to break through the barriers that surround and obstruct the flow of inner light in our lives. Musar is a treasury of techniques and understandings that offers immensely valuable guidance for the journey of our lives.... The goal of Musar practice is to release the light of holiness that lives within the soul. The roots of all of our thoughts and actions can be traced to the depths of the soul, beyond the reach of the light of consciousness, and so the methods Musar provides include meditations, guided contemplations, exercises and chants that are all intended to penetrate down to the darkness of the subconscious, to bring about change right at the root of our nature.“

Re: I'm an addict

#24

Post by bajsejohannes »

For youtube specifically, I found this great snippet for ublock origin. It removes (almost) all recommendations in youtube, which makes it much easier to quit after just one video:

www.youtube.com###secondary

www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="home"] #primary

www.youtube.com##.ytp-show-tiles.ytp-endscreen-paginate.videowall-endscreen.ytp-player-content.html5-endscreen

Source: https://pawelurbanek.com/youtube-addiction-selfcontrol

Re: I'm an addict

#26

Post by grumbel »

jimmydeans wrote: post #3

The internet was more addicting 20 years ago.

20 years ago you still had to go and search if you wanted to see something. Now you have endless streams of recommendations that do the thinking for you. All you got to do now is watch and consume. And of course 20 years ago we didn't even have Youtube, it was mostly all still mostly just text.

Re: I'm an addict

#27

Post by jstummbillig »

artemonster wrote: post #9

This hits hard. I recently counted hours watched on YT (via history export) and OH MY GD, it averaged around 3 hours daily throught the year, for several years. I just imagined WHAT IF I have spent this amount of effort and time on ANYTHING else: playing an instrument, learning a new language, coding a side-project. The thought scared me so much, aka the difference between current me and "potential" me that I have ab…

> I just imagined WHAT IF I have spent this amount of effort and time on ANYTHING else: playing an instrument, learning a new language, coding a side-project

This is a very unfair set of "ANYTHING else". I am sure you can come up with more real world list of what other people actually do after work, and that might make you feel a little more lenient about your own choices and needs.

> Any other ideas besides cold turkey?

/etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 youtube.com

127.0.0.1 www.youtube.com

Best of luck.

Re: I'm an addict

#29

Post by FeepingCreature »

michalstanko wrote: post #14

It scares me how much this reminds me of myself. I don't know how I was able to keep my job (and keep the roof over my family's heads) with my habit of not being able to concentrate on work at all because the minute I need to think a bit harder I immediately switch to reading news, HN or watching YouTube, only to finish my work late in the evening to save my ass (on good days).

High BPM music does it for me.

Re: I'm an addict

#30

Post by flycaliguy »

SnowHill9902 wrote: post #23

Knowing that HN is generally against it, I say it anyway: I recommend religion and religious teachings which address this and many other daily worldly issues perfectly. Christianity and Judaism both have excellent resources. Religious scholars have actually been the best psychologists but are generally dismissed by non-believers. Edit: for those asking for specific recommendations. It’s always best to find your own p…

I’m sure I’ve read a few dozen of the same old AA debates on HN, but, yeah it worked for my old man.

AA, in particular the serenity prayer, has at least some overlap with the more tech friendly pursuit of Stoic philosophy.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

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