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Question: I've been deliberating getting a smartwatch so this is good timing. However, I've been trying to cut down on screen time and distractions. Is getting

by vvvv 10y ago

Question: I've been deliberating getting a smartwatch so this is good timing. However, I've been trying to cut down on screen time and distractions. Is getting a smartwatch a good idea?

programmer_man 10y ago
I use mine solely to make sure I don't miss calls texts, and appointments. But you know yourself. Would you be tempted to load flappy bird onto it right away? Would you forward your facebook notifications to it? Fortunately, there isn't enough screen real estate and input methods to get a lot of gaming going.
marricks 10y ago
I have a time and whenever I get a email or text I can read it on my watch first and determine if it's worth getting out my phone for. Before, whenever I got a notification I'd have to take out my phone and could get drawn into other things on it. It depends on how you use it, but I find it really good for that exact purpose.
rtpg 10y ago
Pebble Time owner here: The watch has reduced my "take out the smartphone and fiddle" occurences from 40+ to maybe 4 or 5 times a day. Notifications are no longer an excuse to glue the phone to my body, so I just put my phone somewhere in the house/on my desk most of the time.
kbd 10y ago
> I've been trying to cut down on screen time and distractions. Is getting a smartwatch a good idea? You make it sound like those desires are at odds, when in fact a smartwatch supports your goal. Thanks to my Pebble, I only take my phone out of my pocket when I intend to use it. I don't even take my phone out of my pocket to reply to text messages sometimes now, since I can do it from my Pebble. Ditto for changing/pausing the song on Spotify, or of course checking the time, which I used to use my phone for before I got my Pebble (first first gen, then Time). Not to mention it's great to be able to send calls to voicemail if I don't want to answer them or don't recognize the number, and I can do that without stopping walking. I'm sure I'd frequently fire up Twitter or Hacker News if I had my phone in my hands after replying to a text, so I think my Pebble saves me from a lot of distractions.
teekert 10y ago
I think it can be depending on the way you use it. It allows you to instantly see if something is worth attention or not. If not, push the button on pebble and the notification will remain open on your phone. This means you will be reminded to respond when you do have the opportunity to get your phone out. I mute my phone, Pebble is all I use for disturbance and it is less severe than a phone. If the pebble would do 3G an I could answer calls? I think I'd even hardly ever use my phone anymore.
CrackpotGonzo 10y ago
What have you tried so far to cut down on screen time / distractions?

by vvvv 10y ago

Question: I've been deliberating getting a smartwatch so this is good timing. However, I've been trying to cut down on screen time and distractions. Is getting a smartwatch a good idea?

programmer_man 10y ago

I use mine solely to make sure I don't miss calls texts, and appointments. But you know yourself. Would you be tempted to load flappy bird onto it right away? Would you forward your facebook notifications to it? Fortunately, there isn't enough screen real estate and input methods to get a lot of gaming going.

marricks 10y ago

I have a time and whenever I get a email or text I can read it on my watch first and determine if it's worth getting out my phone for. Before, whenever I got a notification I'd have to take out my phone and could get drawn into other things on it. It depends on how you use it, but I find it really good for that exact purpose.

rtpg 10y ago

Pebble Time owner here: The watch has reduced my "take out the smartphone and fiddle" occurences from 40+ to maybe 4 or 5 times a day. Notifications are no longer an excuse to glue the phone to my body, so I just put my phone somewhere in the house/on my desk most of the time.

kbd 10y ago

> I've been trying to cut down on screen time and distractions. Is getting a smartwatch a good idea? You make it sound like those desires are at odds, when in fact a smartwatch supports your goal. Thanks to my Pebble, I only take my phone out of my pocket when I intend to use it. I don't even take my phone out of my pocket to reply to text messages sometimes now, since I can do it from my Pebble. Ditto for changing/pausing the song on Spotify, or of course checking the time, which I used to use my phone for before I got my Pebble (first first gen, then Time). Not to mention it's great to be able to send calls to voicemail if I don't want to answer them or don't recognize the number, and I can do that without stopping walking. I'm sure I'd frequently fire up Twitter or Hacker News if I had my phone in my hands after replying to a text, so I think my Pebble saves me from a lot of distractions.

teekert 10y ago

I think it can be depending on the way you use it. It allows you to instantly see if something is worth attention or not. If not, push the button on pebble and the notification will remain open on your phone. This means you will be reminded to respond when you do have the opportunity to get your phone out. I mute my phone, Pebble is all I use for disturbance and it is less severe than a phone. If the pebble would do 3G an I could answer calls? I think I'd even hardly ever use my phone anymore.

CrackpotGonzo 10y ago

What have you tried so far to cut down on screen time / distractions?