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Disconnect. Offline only

chris.bolin.co

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Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#61

Post by mooreds »

beat wrote: post #41

For those interested in managing online time and getting ourselves offline regularly, the book Deep Work , by Cal Newport, has some very useful ideas. One that I plan to start experimenting with is the idea of scheduled internet access - allow yourself to get online only at certain times of day. This isn't just for work. Even if you're, say, standing in line at the grocery store, you don't get to pull your phone out…

> As the author points out, we've forgotten how to be bored.

I find outdoor activity to be one of the best way to be 'bored'. You have to focus on what your body is doing, you're back in nature, you'll be getting exercise.

Leave the podcast/spotify at home.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#62

Post by ehnto »

avz wrote: post #55
beat wrote: post #41

For those interested in managing online time and getting ourselves offline regularly, the book Deep Work , by Cal Newport, has some very useful ideas. One that I plan to start experimenting with is the idea of scheduled internet access - allow yourself to get online only at certain times of day. This isn't just for work. Even if you're, say, standing in line at the grocery store, you don't get to pull your phone out…

> As the author points out, we've forgotten how to be bored. We need to learn to engage that part of our brain again. This sounds like a contradiction. Isn't boredom precisely the state that results when one fails to engage their brain?

Kind of. But you can see boredom as the desire for novelty, a cue to find something new so we can get that dopamine hit. Phones, internet and media are fantastic at giving us that little kick to keep us going, so we don't feel the need to engage our brain in more useful ways. Without that easy access to the dopamine treadmill that is your phone, you are encouraged to seek novelty elsewhere. This might be in wandering thoughts, seeking interaction with people or things around you, or some other endeavor.

To think a little further forward, doing this tends to increase the time until the next novelty, so you get practiced in not constantly seeking immediate gratification. It helps increase your ability to be patient and to concentrate, which in part is the ability to not switch tasks at the first hint of boredom.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#63

Post by norswap »

beat wrote: post #41

For those interested in managing online time and getting ourselves offline regularly, the book Deep Work , by Cal Newport, has some very useful ideas. One that I plan to start experimenting with is the idea of scheduled internet access - allow yourself to get online only at certain times of day. This isn't just for work. Even if you're, say, standing in line at the grocery store, you don't get to pull your phone out…

While I'm fond of "deep work the idea", the book was a real disappointment. It's mostly selling the idea instead of explaining how to do something with it.

I followed the author's blog for a while, and I'd say a few key blog posts are enough to get the point accross. Even there it gets repetitive quickly.

The idea is good, it just doesn't require so much elaboration.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#64

Post by edneypitta »

avz wrote: post #55
beat wrote: post #41

For those interested in managing online time and getting ourselves offline regularly, the book Deep Work , by Cal Newport, has some very useful ideas. One that I plan to start experimenting with is the idea of scheduled internet access - allow yourself to get online only at certain times of day. This isn't just for work. Even if you're, say, standing in line at the grocery store, you don't get to pull your phone out…

> As the author points out, we've forgotten how to be bored. We need to learn to engage that part of our brain again. This sounds like a contradiction. Isn't boredom precisely the state that results when one fails to engage their brain?

He meant we can't stand to be bored anymore. At the slightest chance we immediately look for distractions, like the internet.

I agree with this but would emphasize that this is just an exercise to get free from a distracted state in your mind all the time.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#65

Post by norswap »

While I sympathize, that would be forgetting all that the net and online-ness has done for me. I would be a fundamentally different (and, in my current estimation, worse) person if I didn't have the net. It's been an engine of personal growth much more than one of distraction.

It might not be the same for everyone, of course. But I still think going offline is giving up too much.

The pendulum doesn't have to swing all the way to the other direction. Couldn't we just focus on being more responsible in our net consumption and promoting the good benefecial stuff instead?

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#66

Post by bthallplz »

The point about chasing links in articles is interesting to me. One of my favorite activities is loading articles up in Pocket for all-but-offline reading and Pocket's Listen feature, which uses Android's text-to-speech (?), to listen to articles.

The point about articles being written differently according to whether the author expects that the article will be read offline or not interests me, though, especially if a decent amount of background/context provision is outsourced via providing a link to documents that cover such material.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#67

Post by lolsal »

Unbeliever69 wrote: post #45

I am probably one of the few techies in the world that does not own/use a smartphone. Since 2011 I have used a cheap Verizon flip phone for exactly this reason; I want more control over my life. NOTHING is that important that I need to be plugged in 24/7. My wife has a smart phone which is great for when we travel (maps, Yelp, Fandango, Uber, etc.) Don't get me wrong, I was standing in a long line outside the Apple s…

This seems a bit disingenuous - you definitely still use a smartphone, you just claim to not directly own one. You essentially said this:

> My wife has a smart phone which is great for when [I want to use a smartphone].

If you don't want to carry a smartphone around that's totally fine, but you definitely still use one. I carry a smartphone myself and only use internet-aware 'smartphone' features like maps, yelp and uber when I need to. I don't use social networks.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#68

Post by lolsal »

chrisbolin wrote: post #58
patatino wrote: post #2

Well done, I had the urge to google the second most commonly spoken language while reading the article. I turned my phone in some kind of a "dumb phone": - Deleted all games, news apps, basically all the apps I don't regulary need - Turned off email. It's still configured, I turn it on if I need to read an email - No push notifications at all Next step: Turn off mobile data for browser and only activate it if I need…

> I had the urge to google the second most commonly spoken language while reading the article. :) love it

This is a great example of the daily minor enrichment we get from being connected.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#69

Post by graeme »

schnevets wrote: post #50

Totally agree. Unfortunately, 90% of my work is development in a SaaS platform, so getting anything done will require my device to remain online. Does anyone know of a Chrome Plugin/hack that might block all but a few web pages? Then I can enjoy the silence of working without distractions while still plugging into the application that I'm working with.

This is what you're looking for. Blocks everything except whitelisted sites:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/whitelist-manager/...

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#70

Post by chrisbolin »

beat wrote: post #41

For those interested in managing online time and getting ourselves offline regularly, the book Deep Work , by Cal Newport, has some very useful ideas. One that I plan to start experimenting with is the idea of scheduled internet access - allow yourself to get online only at certain times of day. This isn't just for work. Even if you're, say, standing in line at the grocery store, you don't get to pull your phone out…

thanks for the recommendation!
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