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Ask HN: How to deal with internet addiction?

• mbrock 8y ago
  Try going on a "trip" away from the internet, while staying at home. I mean turning it off for a while, and making a little kind of ceremony about it. It's almost like meditation. In fact I think temporary internet deprivation is a decent way to describe meditation to most people in this era. But it's not just a deprivation because you'll probably find it quite interesting. Maybe you'll feel a bit restless, but then remember you're on a trip, it's like you're camping, you need to amuse yourself. Maybe have a bath. Tidy a bit. Maybe even clean your downloads folder. Light a candle. Sit on the floor for a while. See what happens. Offline life is a pretty good place to enjoy some coziness. The internet usually isn't very cozy. And coziness is nice. It's not like without internet you'll be actually suffering. It's kinda nice. And then it's "just" a matter of habits. Getting acquainted with the niceness of offline life seems like a necessary first step to start forming any kind of offline habit.
  • amelius 8y ago
    > The internet usually isn't very cozy. I'm curious in what ways the internet could be made more cozy (?)
    • franky47 8y ago
      Maybe by having less of it shoved in your face in the form of endless lists of vaguely related content engineered to keep your attention. In a sea of pushed content, I actually find harder to find things I'm genuinely interested in. This may have turned a generation of curious minds into passive consumers. For example, the paginated list on HN's home page is great: I've never needed to move to page 2, whereas if it has been an infinite list, I'd probably spend way too long there.
      • dorchadas 8y ago
        That's honestly one thing I love about Wikipedia. It's so easy to just keep clicking links and going to new things.
    • claudiawerner 8y ago
      I feel as though cozy on the internet is a place where things are right and people generally don't argue, they discuss (if that), where you're around people who know and appreciate you, or otherwise engaging in a community sharing the same jokes and knowledge. Where the technology just works and you don't have to mess with Javascript settings, and when you've helped someone out with an issue on your favorite language's IRC channel. Where you watch a wholesome cookery/historical/science video on Youtube... I expect it varies from person to person.
      • franky47 8y ago
        I'd say arguing is a good thing as long as it's done in a polite and respectful manner. Unfortunately the lack of context when using text-based communication leaves interpretation errors wide open, and with it come the emotional responses we know and loathe (from angry texting to trolls to flat earthers). Therefore since the internet is mostly text-based, it's probably better to leave the arguing off it for the moment. But I think the problem is not limited to the internet.
    • deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    • mbrock 8y ago
      Yeah... I think it’s hard. Instant access to global data just isn’t cozy, somehow. Coziness usually involves seclusion of some sort. (Gil Fronsdal talked nicely about this in the second part of his currently ongoing course on concentration in meditation.) McLuhan wrote that ever since the telegraph we’ve hooked up our nervous system to the global system in a way that creates dread.
• franky47 8y ago
  I had the same issue. Being able to recognise it's a problem is already a big achievement, acting on it only follows naturally once you've realised how much time you waste. For social networks, I blocked them at the DNS level in /etc/hosts (along with other annoyances) [1]. I've had the muscle memory to CMD+T , 'F', Enter for a few weeks after quitting cold turkey, but seeing the "Could not connect to host" message on the browser reminded me of why I did that. A few months down the line, I don't regret my choice. Sure it's harder to keep up with friends, but it's a small step in making them realise what a social hazard those platforms are. [1] https://gist.github.com/franky47/6835b4a7ca5c072e4b75efa08bc40422 https://gist.github.com/franky47/6835b4a7ca5c072e4b75efa08bc...
  • lawlorino 8y ago
    > Being able to recognise it's a problem is already a big achievement, acting on it only follows naturally once you've realised how much time you waste. I suppose this means I might have bigger problems if I recognise how much of a waste of time it is but don't feel massively compelled to change behaviour.
• Mangalor 8y ago
  I remove bookmarks, and obfuscate where things are on my phone to keep me from mindlessly opening another thing.
• hellerup89 8y ago
  Altering a habit by means of will-force is not easy. One simple route can be to make checking some sites more difficult, so that you need to make an effort to log into e.g. Facebook. For example, you can use Temporary Containers [1] so that all cookies are deleted when you close a tab. Hence, every time you open a new tab and go to facebook.com you will need to make the effort to log in. As a side effect, this approach reduces tracking by third parties. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/temporary-containers/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/temporary-con...
• stabbles 8y ago
  What worked for me: find things to do where you can't be on your phone / laptop, such as running (track your progress with a sports watch and get addicted to something worthwhile). Or find a job in Finland where it's mandatory to have sauna's.
  • ryanlol 8y ago
    I've yet to have a laptop/phone die in the sauna, sometimes they turn off/complain about the heat but that's about it.
• deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
• nikivi 8y ago
  I block websites I deem to be a waste of time during my automated Pomodoro sessions with Focus app. Works beautifully for me. https://wiki.nikitavoloboev.xyz/focusing https://wiki.nikitavoloboev.xyz/focusing
• albertgoeswoof 8y ago
  Like all addictions you should look at the underlying causes for your behaviour. Are you procrastinating? Anxious? Compensating for something else?
• evolutionas 8y ago
  I had same problem few years ago but after installing StayFocusd[1] plugin in chrome I solved this issue. I set allowed time per day to 40 minutes to visit such websites as: reddit, fb, 9gag, youtube. If I need to watch video related to work/studies I use viewpure[2] that way I only watch only that particular video and don't lose my binge time. I also communicate with my friends a lot using fb so I just use messenger website instead of having fb opened directly. [1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji?hl=en https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankej... [2] http://viewpure.com/ http://viewpure.com/
• hirundo 8y ago
  >> Reloads "How to deal with internet addiction?" story repeatedly to read new posts. <<
• ncfausti 8y ago
  I have the same issue. I’ve installed a browser extension that allows me to set redirects for any url. I’ve setup Facebook to go to khanacademy.org (I’m trying to learn more about linear algebra/calc) and reddit to go to wikiroulette.co So far it’s been working to stop my sub-awareness level typing of these URLs and wasting time. Another approach would be to look into mindfulness so that you become more aware of your actions/habits. As an aside, if interested in the topic of awareness/attention, I was just listening to a great podcast that’s sort of related to your question: https://smartdrugsmarts.com/episodes/episode-123-consciousness-graziano/ https://smartdrugsmarts.com/episodes/episode-123-consciousne...
• cityzen 8y ago
  My guess is that you're not busy enough or that you're not busy enough with rewarding work. Believe it or not, being happy and engaged is a lot of work. Write down a list of things you want to learn, try and/or do and just start doing them. Take a sailing class, get your motorcycle license, learn a new technology, build a workbench, start running. You don't have to have a hobby but the more things you try the more likely you are to find something you enjoy more than watching the world burn online. Building lego sets takes a ridiculous amount of time but the tactile response I get from putting blocks together is pretty fulfilling, more than sitting at a computer. I am also a developer and I've found one thing that I've enjoyed recently is revisiting old projects where the client and I disagreed on the execution and building it out the way I wanted to. It's fun to test your assumptions and also gives you more perspective when you build things in the future. If you use AWS, sign up to acloud.guru for a couple of months and get an AWS certification. Bottom line is that change isn't easy. Just make a list, get dressed, leave the house and go do something. Eventually you'll see wasting time online as exactly that, wasting time.
• hannob 8y ago
  I occasionally temporarily redirect certain sites (twitter, HN, reddit) to 127.0.0.1 via /etc/hosts. This is helpful, though occasionally it creates conflicts when there's a mixup between "lazy pages" and things I want to get done (e.g. sometimes twitter DMs are the way I reach people).
  • yzb 8y ago
    Just put the domains in your ublock origin list. That way, if you visit those pages, you will be displayed a page that says that the site was blocked but you have a button to temporarily override the block.
• b_b 8y ago
  For people who use YouTube and would like to remove distractions, I use the simple CSS script below along with the CSS styler extension Stylus to remove distractions and stop me from jumping mindlessly from video to video. /* Hide the Distracting Comments */ #comments { display: none; } /* Hide Livestream Comments */ #chat { display: none; } /* Hide Related Videos */ #related { display: none; }
  • FiveSquared 8y ago
    What about this. https://duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2F5906775%2Fhow-to-fix-all-of-your-biggest-youtube-annoyances-hide-comments-turn-off-autoplay-and-more https://duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacke... It helps a lot!
• aasasd 8y ago
  You'll quit Reddit when you begin getting annoyed with how predictable and repetitive it is. I'm not kidding. People who got addicted to World of Warcraft and then quit it, recommend migrating to another server. It gets boring to grind again (or whatever happens, I'm not a player).
• thejacenxpress 8y ago
  Back in mid-October I needed to make a drastic change in my life. I spent a lot of time doing the following: - Mindlessly browsing the internet (FB, YT, HN, Reddit) - Dating apps - Nintendo Switch online My wake up call happened when a few recruiters from big companies, that I'd love to work for, reached out to me about interviewing. It was then I realized how undisciplined I had been. I had no chance at either of these companies because I constantly wasted my free time instead of working on coding projects or bettering myself. So I made a change: - Added the Stayfocused browser extension and limited my internet wasting time to 30 min a day on weekdays - Deleted all my dating apps (this by far gave me the most sense of freedom and clarity which surprised me) - Stopped playing Switch altogether That's it! My goal was not "go to the gym", "journal", "go on walks", "read more books"...but guess what...that's what happened! When I stopped/limited doing all of these time wasting activities I created a new void in my life. I suddenly had a lot more free time every day. My natural reaction was to go waste it, but now I could not...so I started going on walks instead. I started doing coding challenges and reading coding books on topics I knew I was weak in. I started journaling more and went to the gym 4 times a week. Let me tell you, it has been an absolutely AMAZING life change. I highly recommend everyone take up this challenge for a month or two and see the difference in your life. If you're like me you'll never want to go back! Good luck out there! PS. In case it helps motivate anyone, one of those companies was Google. I passed the phone screen :). I know that may be easy for some people here but I was completely unprepared when I was approached and I know this life change 3 months ago made the difference.
• spython 8y ago
  Like any addiction it might be a signal of deeper underlying problems - lack of meaning in your work, lack of feeling that it matters, general dissatisfaction with how your life is going. One way to approach it could be a slow morning, as discussed on hn a few weeks ago - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18857090 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18857090 - take your time to arrive in the day, to remember what is important to you, and then do the most important things. If browsing the web is important to you, reserve a certain amount of time to do just that and stop once the time is up.
• awb 8y ago
  Environment plays a huge and under appreciated role in addiction. Try changing up your physical space: go to a coffee shop, a friend's house, the library, etc. and just observe if the same desires arise. Also, it might help to know that your body is craving the immediate dopamine rush it gets from Facebook or news. The trick is to find something more rewarding and that usually comes from starting as small as possible. Try doing 1 pushup, reading 1 page of a book, taking a 5 min walk, etc. Sometimes these little pattern disruptions can be the spark that lights the fire. It's not easy to change our behavior, but it is possible if you want to and it sounds like you do. Here are some resources I found useful: Wait But Why - https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrasti... (visuals / cartoons) Stoic Philosophy - https://youtube.com/watch?v=A0XxceO4qX0 https://youtube.com/watch?v=A0XxceO4qX0 (step by step process)
  • rando444 8y ago
    Speaking of environment.. in this case, computing environment should be considered as well. If you're mindlessly switching to websites to browse them, it could be best to just block them on your work computer. If you really want to catch up with the news, use your phone or a different computer. Separating the environments will help you keep your focus where you want it to be.
    • jolmg 8y ago
      It might be worth mentioning that unblocking the sites should be setup to be difficult or bothersome. It probably wont help much if you just need to hit a shortcut key to unblock them or even just a command you can pull from history. An idea to make it more difficult might be to setup a firewall on a separate device (that's linking your computer and your uplink) and maybe setup authentication to that device to require a yubikey or even just a flash drive with an key inside. That way you must do the physical act of pulling out that key if you want to unblock those sites. Wherever you put that key, try to forbid yourself from reaching for it.
    • afarrell 8y ago
      Some tools for doing this which you can install are SelfControl.app, Freedom.app, Forest, and ColdTurkey. I use SelfControl and it is life-changing.
• hairofadog 8y ago
  I employ various hacks: - I permanently deleted my Facebook account - I block certain sites in /etc/hosts. My /etc/hosts file also blocks several hundred Facebook tracking urls, and I scatter the “tempting” sites randomly throughout these so that unblocking them requires more than muscle memory - I change the passwords on the tempting sites to random strings but don't save them so the only way in is to do a password reset - I use content blockers - I excoriate myself in a journal entry each day (this hasn't worked yet, but I keep on doing it) These things sorta slightly work in that they slow me down for a second and give me a chance to consider whether I really want to visit [website]. However, my lizard brain tends to adapt pretty quickly, and disabling the blocks gets incorporated into muscle memory as well. So I think my solution will have to involve zen-like self-discipline as opposed to hacks. I keep telling myself I want to give it all up for good, to become a person who makes things instead of a person who consumes things, who reads books instead of surfing the internet. My solution will have to be simply deciding to change.
  • osrec 8y ago
    Would you mind sharing the list of sites you block? It would probably be a good starting point for others wanting to do something similar. Thanks!
    • dnhz 8y ago
      SelfControl is an app that comes with a decent starting blocklist that you can then add your own vices to. https://selfcontrolapp.com https://selfcontrolapp.com
    • hairofadog 8y ago
      Ok, here it is: https://github.com/jmdugan/blocklists/blob/master/corporations/facebook/all https://github.com/jmdugan/blocklists/blob/master/corporatio... That's not me, but it's the list I use.
  • EasyTiger_ 8y ago
    > I excoriate myself in a journal entry each day Fail to see how this will help
• deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
• imhoguy 8y ago
  Procrastination may be symptom of some deeper problem with motivation and planning. Maybe your tasks are too chunky, boring or too much undefined? Also to spoil a procrastiation pattern a bit I use Leechblock NG on FF. Sure you can unlock pages pretty easily but that one obstacle makes you remind your resolution.
• dnhz 8y ago
  I share the same problem. I use SelfControl on MacOS to block all the distracting sites. I've configured my computer at work to start SelfControl on a schedule (9:00-18:00) so I have no choice over the block. Still though, there are a lot of distracting ideas that come up as I work: what should I do for dinner? What's my routine for the gym tonight? What's the weather? How's the stock market today? I've started using a pomodoro app to make me psychologically less inclined to paying attention to distracting ideas as I work. Admittedly, depending on the difficulty of the task, it works more or less. Part of the problem comes from not being completely motivated about my work. It's an issue that is hard to address, so I try to cope by increasing discipline.
• anyonecancode 8y ago
  Seconding all the call outs about focusing on changing environment rather than relying on will power. In general, I think people have a tendency to expect to much on simply "willing" themselves into doing something, then feel guilty when it doesn't work, which erodes the willpower they stared out with -- recurse down to giving up. The specific thing I'd add to the comments already here is four things that have worked for me. These are more about phones specifically than internet addiction in general, but I think they help with that larger topic too: 1. I bought a travel alarm clock. At night, I leave my phone downstairs. Having an alarm clock means I can no longer use the excuse "I just need the alarm function on my phone." This also helps in the morning as I literally can't just wake up and go online. 2. I removed Facebook from my phone. If I were on twitter, etc I'd remove those too. Communication is better from a keyboard anyway -- I'm on social media less frequently, and when I'm on I have an input device that actually supports writing full thoughts and sentences. 3. For web sites, I stay logged off on my phone. Similar to above, though less drastic than making those sites completely inaccessible on my phone. I still browse, say, Hacker News, but there's now often a forced wait between reading and replying. 4. I have a small phone (iPhone SE). It feels "cozy" (to one commentor's point about making the internet a more cozy place) since it actually fits nicely in my hand and pockets. I guess I'll throw in another point too -- I experiment with different ways to change my environment. I think that's the real trick, more so than even the above -- I came to those through trial and error. Try changing something, and use the results of that to inform what you try next. Recurse to improvement. Good luck.
  • patrickxie 8y ago
    what are some detailed changes that have worked for you?
• vlunkr 8y ago
  If you work in an office, try to sit somewhere that others can see your screen(s). Knowing that my boss or co-worker will see me constantly re-opening obviously distracting sites is a big deterrent. This works better than blocking sites or using productivity apps personally, but others swear by them. You just have to find what works for you.
• thoughtstheseus 8y ago
  I find a simple interim/transition trick is to say: If I do x,y,z tasks then I can do web browsing (any habit). Just make those other tasks things you want to work on and the web stuff a reward for working on it.
  • wool_gather 8y ago
    Agreed! I often find this kind of self-bargaining helpful, but I would suggest that you start really small with the thing you agree to do. Otherwise it becomes just another set of tasks to avoid/procrastinate over. I have used the Pomodoro technique on and off over the years, and I find it to be really useful for exactly what you suggested. I promise I will do just one Pomodoro, twenty minutes' of work, and then I can go do whatever. Twenty minutes is short enough to not trigger avoidance or distraction, but it's also long enough to really get rolling. Almost without exception, at the end of the twenty, I don't want to stop. I keep going and end up with a full set of four Pomodoros completed, and desire and energy to continue beyond that (if other responsibilities allow).
• rb808 8y ago
  Lol you shouldn't ask us. I work with really productive developers who have never heard of hacker news or even reddit. You should ask people like that. :)
• lawlorino 8y ago
  Along similar lines does anyone have ideas for transitioning away from consumption to production? I am coming from a similar place to the OP and after some reflection noticed my spare time is still dominated by media consumption (reading, podcasts etc.). Even though these are generally thought of as being more 'worthwhile' than scrolling through HN or reddit it still leaves me feeling pretty empty and unfulfilled. Edit: realised I should have left some tips for others in this thread as it's something I have been working on recently myself. Two things to add that I've found help: - Making the bedroom an electronics-free zone. Bought an analog alarm clock for waking up and leave my phone in another room to charge overnight. I also try and read for an hour before bed to cut down on screen time. - Installed the app Quality Time which has the ability to limit app and phone usage for scheduled times or when desired.
  • tomjen3 8y ago
    I think reading is on a different enough level (depending on what you read) that it shouldn't be compared with idling on youtube. Most of the people who have really great ideas have read thousands of books. As for podcasts, I listen to them when I am not in a position to be creative, e.g I am not going to write code when I am driving, or vaccuming the house, or shopping, etc.
• ivankirigin 8y ago
  How many folks on this thread are procrastinating right now? I know I am, and it's sad.
• kirarpit 8y ago
  I used to have same problem and I didn't even realize how often I was doing Ctrl+T and 'fa' until I redirected Facebook url in /etc/hosts to a local page which kept the count of number of visits to that page. It's like Reinforcement learning, everytime you hit the fb url, you are instead being shown "not found" and sooner you start thinking that fb is bad.
• Tade0 8y ago
  Like a number of others already said: there's probably some underlying problem and addiction is a symptom of it. To illustrate my point: two years ago my phone died so I figured it would be a good opportunity to wean myself off it(especially given that I couldn't afford a replacement at the time). I spent 9 months without a smartphone only to discover that pretty much all the symptoms of addiction came back once I finally bought one. In my case the problem was overwork combined with the inability to gather any savings and a somewhat uninspiring work environment. I started budgeting and switched jobs, which is helping, but there's a long way ahead of me. Which brings me to another point: it's usually a long process that requires daily work.
• WiseWeasel 8y ago
  Never log into any of your personal accounts on your work machine. If your work and personal computers are one and the same, create a different user account for work.
• lazyant 8y ago
  one "electronics-free" day a week
• m-appleton 8y ago
  Cold Turkey app has been a huge game changer for me on this front - https://getcoldturkey.com/ https://getcoldturkey.com/ Have Reddit and Twitter perpetually blocked for the next 6 months. Hacker news only accessible on weekends. It’s well worth getting the pro version for scheduled blocking as well. Plus it’s indie software so you get to support a the fantastic developer who built this!
• Inhibit 8y ago
  Instead of "what do I want to stop doing" frame it as "what would I like to be doing". Get more engaged in something particular. Build your own car, for example. But that might just be me. It's possible, that if you have free time to idle away reading, that your work isn't occupying as much of your time as you'd like. Shift that free time usage to something you find more personally rewarding or that involves more in person social interaction. It's tough. Bear in mind this is my own take and might not reflect the reality of your situation.
• omarforgotpwd 8y ago
  You could start by getting out of this thread
• nzjrs 8y ago
  Go on holiday to a place with no internet or phone coverage. You will return in 2 weeks and notice that your absence didn't matter
• DoreenMichele 8y ago
  Years ago, studies showed that people who worked physically hard jobs spent many hours zoning out in front of the TV. They were too exhausted to do anything else. I think pointless browsing online has largely taken the place of zoning out in front of the TV. I am bad about it when I'm sick and exhausted. So, for starters, work on your general health so you aren't so tired all the time. Second, find more satisfying means to meet your needs. Because browsing twitter and the like is about like eating a single potato chip at at time all day long as your only sustenance. You never really feel full and you wonder why you are growing fatter. If you occasionally have the equivalent of Christmas dinner where you are so stuffed you couldn't eat another bite, then you can stop mindlessly eating potato chips. (as just one example:) Social media is frequently a substitute for a real social life. Establishing meatier friendships may have you less invested in refreshing Twitter all day long. (No offense intended to my twitter buddies, some of whom are delightful and really enhance my life.)
  • MuffinFlavored 8y ago
    > So, for starters, work on your general health so you aren't so tired all the time. This is tough for me. Any tips on how to bypass the contradiction that is "I am too tired to work out, but I am tired because I don't work out?"
    • DoreenMichele 8y ago
      Start with diet and hygiene. Improve your nutritional status and get nitpicky about cleanliness. Expect to initially have negative fallout before you start seeing gains. Anything that helps will have some kind of side effects. Then start walking more. Park a little farther out from the office or store. Take one flight of stairs instead of the elevator. Get a step counter to help you track your progress so it isn't invisible to you.
      • jolmg 8y ago
        In other words, baby steps. If the workout GP is thinking of is too much then do something you can pull yourself to do. In time, one should feel slightly more energized and be able to do increasingly more difficult forms of exercise.
• Antoninus 8y ago
  Block sites, pursue a hobby/craft that takes you away from the screen.
• curtis 8y ago
  It's dumb, but in the past when I felt I was wasting too much time on the internet, I added some entries like this to my /etc/hosts file: 127.0.0.1 reddit.com 127.0.0.1 www.reddit.com 127.0.0.1 m.reddit.com 127.0.0.1 old.reddit.com This is such a minor impediment, but I found in practice that it greatly reduced the time I was just fooling around websurfing. I don't think I ever disabled Hacker News, but I've rarely been able to blow multiple hours here, either.
• skydv 8y ago
  the same as you would deal with any serious addiction. You need to treat it seriously. Make a plan, take a wow or swear an oath whatever works for you. Important not to be too tough, but not to give up. In case of quitting smoking no one succeeds if they quit gradually, so I imagine an oath to quit all news and social sites would be a good start.
• bsaul 8y ago
  i’ve noticed that waiting after i’ve taken my breakfast before i read news on my ipad makes a huge difference for the rest of the day. But i started by doing a full 48h 100% offline. It made ma realize how much time i lost every day doing nothing online.all of the sudden i had so much time i had to fill that i started doing new things ( drawing, discussing things with people, etc)
• namank 8y ago
  Log out. When you end up on the home page anyways, it'll be your cue to pause, think, and then act. Decide that it is not a good idea to log in. Ctrl+tab to your work and keep trying to make progress. Repeat above till you make some actual progress. Take a step back and examine why are you craving this comfort -- what in your life is lacking that makes so uncomfortable that you want to soothe it with internet immediately.
• samblr 8y ago
  Disabling images helps a great deal while concuming content over internet. Look for under setting on how to disable.
• thisisit 8y ago
  One of the aha moments I had was - Thinking of good productive habits as light and unproductive habits as darkness. While you can dim the lights by doing good habits more and more but you cannot dim the dark by doing bad habits less and less. So, instead of finding ways to "lessen" darkness, I tried to increase light by adding more productive habits. For adding good habits, I use the BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits method. And it has helped so far.
• nuc 8y ago
  Since last week, I started leaving my macbook at the office. That made me to spent more time to other hobbies, and except a couple of times where I felt I really needed it (import photos from the camera, etc), the week was quite fine without it.
• saluki 8y ago
  Have you looked in to a parental filter? - @DHH starup school talk You actually should try redirecting sites you waste time on to something productive. https://sixtymeters.com/hack-your-productivity-by-editing-your-hosts-file/ https://sixtymeters.com/hack-your-productivity-by-editing-yo... That gives you details on redirecting sites to google, but I would redirect your time wasting sites to trello or your to do list.
• atiredturte 8y ago
  I found that going cold turkey never really worked for me. What I did find worked was tracking my usage and reporting on it each week. Most of my mindless usage happens on my phone, so I used the built-in Google Wellbeing app. Every week I'd write down my hours on key problem apps (reddit, facebook, youtube) and then comment on it. Perhaps I spent more time than usual on youtube this week, or I was able to cut things down. Recording this metric allows for several benefits: 1. Create correlations. For example, I found that I was weakest during weekends when I didn't have any plans to start my day. I then fixed this by ensuring I always had some kind of task/event first thing in the morning. 2. Allow for non-internalised judgement. Since everything is reflected on after the fact, you can judge your performance without beating yourself up. The bit of perspective really helps. 3. Allows for celebration. When you do improve, you are able to celebrate and feel proud of your achievement. I've found this boost to be really motivating.
• hate 8y ago
  Being raised in a virtual environment taught me that repetition is safe. Most people get a sense of comfort from browsing their favorite sites on a daily basis, which is completely normal. As long as it's not destroying your social life you're fine. You can always walk away or find another hobby such as reading physical books.
• TheLegend1402 8y ago
  I've written an in-depth article about this: https://findfocus.net/Overcome-internet-addiction/ https://findfocus.net/Overcome-internet-addiction/ Reduce proximity and exposure by design I discovered that overcoming my smartphone addiction was "relatively easy" while it was way more difficult to deal with internet addiction on my computer. Especially when I wanted to get work done and engage in deep work habits. For most people, the computer is still the place where we can work most efficiently. The big advantage of using a computer to access the internet is that it's LESS convenient and therefore easier to not use the internet too much. The whole approach is based on reducing proximity and expose to the internet and our smartphones. This will remove most of the triggers that start the addictive hooked model. It will also make it much more difficult to engage in the 2nd step of the model and perform the action tech companies want us to take. By designing an environment that removes the trigger or and makes making the action much more difficult, I was able to overcome my internet addiction. If you follow this you will be able to do the same. The secret ingredient I used is something I stumbled upon in Kelly McGonigal's book "The Willpower Instinct" and it's called Delay Discounting. Delay Discounting Delay discounting is a mind trick recommend by behavioral scientists. Researchers found out that the longer you have to wait for a reward (e.g. checking your favorite social media site or playing a game online) the less it is worth to you. The reason is that your brain chooses immediate gratification at the cost of future rewards because immediate rewards trigger the older, more primitive reward system and its dopamine-induced desire in the brain. To make this work and to delay gratification, the prefrontal cortex has to be forced to cool off the promise of the reward. The reason is that even small delays can dramatically lower the perceived value of any temptation. In practice that means your urge to visit Facebook, Reddit, Youtube etc. or playing a game has only a narrow window of opportunity to overwhelm your brain. As soon as there is any distance between you and the temptation, the rational part of your brain takes over. For example, even putting your phone on airplane mode and putting it in the drawer will work. For your smartphone: 1. Delete every app that is potentially addictive from your phone. 2.Download the app Appdetox and add times for apps that you have to use less often but cannot delete completely. 3. Download the app Applock for android to block the play store and your internet browser For your computer: The Approach That Worked For Me Using the FindFocus (https://findfocus.net https://findfocus.net) 1.Block distracting websites throughout the day. 2.White-list all the websites that you need to work and force myself to unlock the Internet (for max. 15min per session) if I want to visit a site that’s not needed to be productive. 3. Block email during the day, while still being allowed to send email without seeing the inbox. Works like magic for me! I can access almost any website (except proven distractions & email) all the time but for a maximum of 15min at a time.