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It's definitely a problem. I'm not sure how to fix it. The crux of the addiction is that doing is hard and consuming is easy. I can watch a YT video on homotopy type theory (I'm not a mathematician) and feel good about myself and how much I'm learning and how I'm going to use this newly found knowledge. The reality of the situation is I'm probably not learning very much and just procrastinating. The moment you sit do…
Find out if your addiction is because you find the world boring, or if you're trying to escape from something you fear. If it's the former, block the addictive content and replace it with other things you find fun (hobbies, books, movies, etc), paying attention to how it's more worthwhile to do so. If it's the latter, find out how to overcome such fear / anxiety and to stop using addictive content as a crutch.
This is what worked for me:
- Every week I unsubbed a subreddit until eventually there was only one left. It was so boring I stopped visiting Reddit.
- I installed an extension for Facebook and slowly unfollowed every one.
- I stopped posting to Instagram. Eventually stopped posting stories.
- Uninstalled Facebook and Instagram from my phone.
- Don't have TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit or any apps on my phone.
- Started using https://www.beeper.com so I can still chat with people on Facebook or Instagram.
- I turned off all notifications except vital ones (mentions on slack emails)
- I turned on screentime for news, financial stuff, everything really. Put it all for only 5 minutes a day.
This all has dramatically helped.
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 do still work on my projects though. I listen to the same music/stuff I've heard before while working.
Yes, I slowly unwound everything over time. Just realize it will be a slow gradual process and I think it's best to be patient with yourself. This is what worked for me: - Every week I unsubbed a subreddit until eventually there was only one left. It was so boring I stopped visiting Reddit. - I installed an extension for Facebook and slowly unfollowed every one. - I stopped posting to Instagram. Eventually stopped po…
Another thing: Spend time outside, sans phone (off or on mute is fine). Humans have survived for millennia without the glut of information we have now, and they did it by getting outside and spending some time with the planet. Try it. It helps.
Yes, I slowly unwound everything over time. Just realize it will be a slow gradual process and I think it's best to be patient with yourself. This is what worked for me: - Every week I unsubbed a subreddit until eventually there was only one left. It was so boring I stopped visiting Reddit. - I installed an extension for Facebook and slowly unfollowed every one. - I stopped posting to Instagram. Eventually stopped po…
Now that I live inside the biggest library in the world I feel alive, any and all knowledge I want is an instant away (so many times I liken it to the Matrix scene where Neo downloads new learnings and exclaims that he "knows Kung Fu")
I still look at "useless" information, but my interests in Politics, Computer Science, and to a lessor extent Economics are properly satiated.
It might be an addiction, but it's a hang of a lot better than drinking/drugs.