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Regaining control of your attention

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Re: Regaining control of your attention

#41

Post by [deleted] »

iak8god wrote: post #7
vorotato wrote: post #3

Regaining control of your attention doesn't mean not using your phone. It means being self-aware. The author is relying on a crutch. Not using the phone is just removing a single source of distraction, it does nothing to actually help attention regulation. It's like saying, I fixed my impulse issues by never walking in to gas stations, so now I don't have to worry about buying lottery tickets! You didn't fix your imp…

The "impulse issues" are reinforced by the phone. I've very often noticed when I've set aside my phone for a few hours (the rest of the evening until bed or whatever) that I have to literally set it aside at some distance from myself because otherwise it ends up in my hand without my even consciously deciding to check it. It's like a reflex. And then once it's safely at a distance, I repeatedly experience the urge to…

[deleted]

Re: Regaining control of your attention

#44

Post by graeme »

tdaltonc wrote: post #43

We just finished making an app for people looking to use apps less and in a more intentional way. http://YouJustNeedSpace.com We had to launch it as a web app because Apple said an app that encourages you to use other apps or your phone less is not appropriate for the app store.

>We had to launch it as a web app because Apple said an app that encourages you to use other apps or your phone less is not appropriate for the app store.

Really? That's the sort of app I'd pay for. Ideally, I'd spend less time on my phone, and more time on my (apple) computer.

Pretty shortsighted of apple.

Product feedback: I don't really know what it does, or how it does it. I accessed this on a computer, so I couldn't preview.

Just got my ipad, so I had a look. Interesting idea. I actually switched to launching all apps via spotlight typed commands though, so I don't think I can use it. The spotlight method did reduce a lot of impulse use though.

Re: Regaining control of your attention

#45

Post by halspero »

vorotato wrote: post #3

Regaining control of your attention doesn't mean not using your phone. It means being self-aware. The author is relying on a crutch. Not using the phone is just removing a single source of distraction, it does nothing to actually help attention regulation. It's like saying, I fixed my impulse issues by never walking in to gas stations, so now I don't have to worry about buying lottery tickets! You didn't fix your imp…

Hear. Hear. Such habits are only bad if they are used as a means to avoid important problems. Attend to those problems! Then the habit will continue or die away according to its merits.

Re: Regaining control of your attention

#46

Post by hrayr »

tdaltonc wrote: post #43

We just finished making an app for people looking to use apps less and in a more intentional way. http://YouJustNeedSpace.com We had to launch it as a web app because Apple said an app that encourages you to use other apps or your phone less is not appropriate for the app store.

> Space only runs in iOS Safari.

What is it about this web app that requires iOS Safari?

Re: Regaining control of your attention

#47

Post by johnchristopher »

michaelchisari wrote: post #23

Mario is finite, bounded. The edges are clear. You pay once, and there’s no other way for Nintendo to extract money from you. No single player is a mark. There are no whales. In Mario you can not only see the end but get there. My favorite games to play on my phone are those made by Square Enix. Final fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, lots of classic remakes. They range from $6.99 to $20.99, which made people ba…

> Once again, cheap is better than free. Pay a few dollars and never get bothered again by ads or pay-to-play, but most importantly, you don't feel like you're being manipulated by a never-ending game that starts to feel much more like work than play.

But old school/classical ff games always have that grinding and levelling part where it also feels more like work than play. Games from before were also designed to be addictive (whether it was intentional or not).

Re: Regaining control of your attention

#48

Post by beat »

vorotato wrote: post #3

Regaining control of your attention doesn't mean not using your phone. It means being self-aware. The author is relying on a crutch. Not using the phone is just removing a single source of distraction, it does nothing to actually help attention regulation. It's like saying, I fixed my impulse issues by never walking in to gas stations, so now I don't have to worry about buying lottery tickets! You didn't fix your imp…

A better analogy is alcoholics who go completely sober. You could argue that it's merely a matter of self-discipline to just have one drink and not get hammered, but... if it's easier to just stop drinking altogether, what's wrong with that?

Quitting the internet on your phone is much the same. It's no merely a matter of discipline, it's a matter of addiction.

Re: Regaining control of your attention

#49

Post by sverige »

iak8god wrote: post #34
sverige wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Early next week I'm switching to a 2G feature phone with no camera. I'm sure I'll be visiting HN (and a handful of other sites) much less, I'm sure there will be some withdrawal, but I'm also sure that I won't miss anything and that I'll be much calmer and more focused. I've thought about this for a few years, really since i first got a smartphone, and I'm persuaded that they are a problem, not a solution.

I've been seriously considering this lately. The camera and a location-based game that gets me out walking around periodically throughout the day are the two things I'm not sure I can give up at this point.

There are lots of feature phones with cameras. In fact, it's hard to find phones without them.

No GPS was a difficult feature to find as well, but desirable for reducing the data footprint available to third parties.

I go walking without a phone now.

Re: Regaining control of your attention

#50

Post by hrayr »

rwc wrote: post #8

Admittedly off-topic, but why add unnecessarily ignorant asides (in the first sentence to boot): "...I lived on the grounds of an old estate down in central Virginia, next to a town called — terrifyingly — Lynchburg..." ...when a 10-second Google search reveals the less-than-terrifying reality: First settled in 1757, Lynchburg was named for its founder, John Lynch, who at the age of 17 started a ferry service at a fo…

Presumably to create mood and context for his story. He's telling a story not publishing a research paper, a little creative license is appropriate.
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