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YouTube addiction, one month sober

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Re: YouTube addiction, one month sober

#61

Post by amarant »

data_ders wrote: post #11

I’m so addicted to the internet that when I block social media, I find I get quite the similar fix from work Slack. Like browsing channels I have no business being a part of and constantly checking for validation of my comments via emoji reactions. Does anyone know of ways to be a successful work-from-home knowledge worker while also locking down Slack to not be another slot machine?? Does anyone else feel conflicted…

This might be controversial, but I've found that micro-dosing psilocybin removes the urge of such distractions, and allows me to focus on what needs to be done.

I've been told I might have undiagnosed ADHD tho, not sure if relevant. Anyway, YMMV, but it could be worth a shot!

Probably a good idea to combine with exercise and/or mindfulness exercises.

Re: YouTube addiction, one month sober

#62

Post by swozey »

hermitdev wrote: post #43
data_ders wrote: post #11

I’m so addicted to the internet that when I block social media, I find I get quite the similar fix from work Slack. Like browsing channels I have no business being a part of and constantly checking for validation of my comments via emoji reactions. Does anyone know of ways to be a successful work-from-home knowledge worker while also locking down Slack to not be another slot machine?? Does anyone else feel conflicted…

My new job we use Teams (which sucks), but has configurable quiet-hours. I have mine set to only notify my phone between 7a-7p, and only when I'm not active on the desktop. Helps quite a bit, except I do sometimes miss notifications. So it goes. If it's _that_ important, they'll call.

7a-7p is a very long window to get slack notifications. I'd tell an eng to cut it to 9a-430pm or something if I heard they did that (assuming a usual 8-5 / 9-5ish).

I never acknowledge any slack message before 9am my time. I did that at one company and realized how absolutely miserable it would make me when I was getting dressed in the morning to see some fire going on or request or anything work related before I was "on," even if I wasn't really involved.

Gotta keep my mornings pure and innocent now.

Re: YouTube addiction, one month sober

#63

Post by SamBam »

bombcar wrote: post #55
futureshock wrote: post #46

It’s bit weird, but I feel like this conversation about screen time and digital addiction dropped out of the public consciousness during Covid, never to return. Apple released their screen time features in 2018, so this issue was just starting to hit critical mass right as Covid hit and dumped us all deep down the digital rabbit hole. Now I notice even more social proof to keep going deeper into the digital life. Pub…

Covid and work-from-home normalized screen time. The same thing has happened in the past (an old Wodehouse school-story has a kid being yelled at for reading "trash" (David Copperfield) during class instead of the Latin he was supposed to be working on.

I think that suggesting it's no different from people thinking that reading books was going to rot people's minds ignores the very real increases in teen depression, loneliness, and suicides over the past decade, as well as increases in adult depression and isolation, and the credible research that says that social media and screens are probably strongly contributing to it.

Re: YouTube addiction, one month sober

#64

Post by Aurornis »

data_ders wrote: post #11

I’m so addicted to the internet that when I block social media, I find I get quite the similar fix from work Slack. Like browsing channels I have no business being a part of and constantly checking for validation of my comments via emoji reactions. Does anyone know of ways to be a successful work-from-home knowledge worker while also locking down Slack to not be another slot machine?? Does anyone else feel conflicted…

You won't get very far by only playing whack-a-mole with negative behaviors. You have to start introducing deliberate, positive behaviors. Structure your home, workspace, and workday around what you choose to be doing.

The little tricks to limit things and set timers can help, but the root problem is that you're describing yourself as being on autopilot: You get magnetically pulled to the next time waster.

Work on being more deliberate in your choices. Fill your time with things that provide a sense of accomplishment and remind yourself throughout the day what the goal is. If it helps, write the goal out on sticky notes and put it on your monitor, then review it throughout the day.

When you're tired and need a break, get away from the computer. Go for a walk or just stretch. Don't let your autopilot draw you back into the default easy time waster yet again. Create an array of positive activities to fill your time with so that you have more things to choose from, not just another round of scrolling something on a screen.

Re: YouTube addiction, one month sober

#65

Post by chezui »

data_ders wrote: post #11

I’m so addicted to the internet that when I block social media, I find I get quite the similar fix from work Slack. Like browsing channels I have no business being a part of and constantly checking for validation of my comments via emoji reactions. Does anyone know of ways to be a successful work-from-home knowledge worker while also locking down Slack to not be another slot machine?? Does anyone else feel conflicted…

Biggest for me was realizing this behavior is rooted in escaping discomfort and boredom. When I was writing my thesis I would go into a ton of internet "research" rabbit holes like bushcrafting or electronic music production or video games but after I defended, I found that these things no longer have much appeal to me, something that I surfed the internet for obsessively seems boring now.

Becoming comfortable with discomfort was huge -- the thing that I'm avoiding is probably the thing I need to do and will feel great afterwards.

Sometimes the anxiety is high and I find working with another person helps, either sitting beside them or actively. In the WFH era I found FocusMate to be super helpful, you pair with another person and share what you plan to do to in that time block via video chat and then go on mute and check in after the session to see how much progress you've made.

I find this alleviates a lot of anxiety and having a block of time where you verbalize your goals makes it manageable.

You can try for free and do up to 3 sessions per week. I did it and found it helpful so I bought the year subscription.

Here's my referral link: www.focusmate.com/?fmreferral=Tj3Vcqqaei

Or if you don't want to use that just www.focusmate.com

Re: YouTube addiction, one month sober

#67

Post by lynx23 »

data_ders wrote: post #11

I’m so addicted to the internet that when I block social media, I find I get quite the similar fix from work Slack. Like browsing channels I have no business being a part of and constantly checking for validation of my comments via emoji reactions. Does anyone know of ways to be a successful work-from-home knowledge worker while also locking down Slack to not be another slot machine?? Does anyone else feel conflicted…

It sounds like you need to work on your self control. I think that is not really related to a specific compusive behaviour like too much screen time. Its a personality trait people affected by need to work on to get more peace. The internet is just a way to vent, prior to that, you'd have found other things to compulsively do.

Re: YouTube addiction, one month sober

#70

Post by Aurornis »

sph wrote: post #59
Aurornis wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> YMMV. Very glad you found something that helped, but this is a good place to warn people that everyone is different. In some people, stimulant treatment can actually kindle problematic behaviors like the one you escaped. For some, they enhance focus but that results in more focusing on the hobbies, distractions, and side projects. I bring this up because while ADHD medication is great for some, there's a growing pr…

> Very glad you found something that helped, but this is a good place to warn people that everyone is different. In some people, stimulant treatment can actually kindle problematic behaviors like the one you escaped. For some, they enhance focus but that results in more focusing on the hobbies, distractions, and side projects. Certainly. On dexamfetamine, focus has a distinctive sticky quality to it. I need to be ver…

> But then again, good routine and schedule are relatively easy to set up once medicated.

Much easier to set up, yes, but many people learn about ADHD and medication from the internet lately (TikTok especially) and assume it's a complete fix in a pill.

You're a perfect example of doing it right: Setting up routines, setting up guardrails, maintaining the old techniques for discipline. Unfortunately that's not what happens with a lot of people who skim internet comments and then get a prescription from their doctor.

This problem isn't unique to ADHD. There's a similar problem with depression where people get SSRIs and assume they don't have to make any efforts any more, then wonder why they're still somewhat depressed. It's a difficult problem to solve when people only see their doctors for a small window of time but then consume hours and hours of low-quality internet advice from Reddit and TikTok every day.

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