5 ms·

To take it a step further, throw your phone away. I've been digital overseer/fear machine free for almost 2 years now, and can definitively say it's the best d

To take it a step further, throw your phone away. I've been digital overseer/fear machine free for almost 2 years now, and can definitively say it's the best decision a person can make for their mental well being.

Zachsa999 5y ago
How do you deal with the dumb crap related to not being connected when everyone else is? Do you have any records or writings documenting your experience?
- vondro 5y ago
  I meet in person people I care about, and talk to them. We exchange our recent life experiences, or not, depending on context. I don't care what people I don't care about do. For documenting my experiences, I have photo album on my phone. Can show it to someone physically, or send pictures on Whatsapp for example. Works for me, anyway.
indigochill 5y ago
This seems like a kind of overfitting. The phone itself isn't a problem, at least as concerns the fear machine. On the other hand, staying linked to Facebook is a problem. I make regular daily use of my phone, but the use is limited to: * Email * Select communication channels (Slack/Signal/etc) * Reading books offline (I download them in advance) * Bus pass * Flashcards * A couple of offline ad-free games I deny push notifications on all apps without exception. If someone needs to get hold of me, they have my number. With this approach, I feel like my phone is a value-adding tool rather than feeling like it's tethering me to anything I don't want to be part of.
- stjohnswarts 5y ago
  Flashcards? That's doesn't seem to have much to do with ending a phone addiction?
  - klipt 5y ago
    Never used Anki?
    - stjohnswarts 5y ago
      Yeah I use that style for some notes on Obsidian when I'm learning new things.
  - mlyle 5y ago
    Flash cards, in the sense of-- things that show you questions you're trying to memorize/learn the answers to. Not like, cards with flash memory on them. The person uses their phone for contained things that are not likely to cause a faux-social-reward-cycle.
    - stjohnswarts 5y ago
      Ah gotcha.
999900000999 5y ago
Thank you for the tip, even watching this thread. I'm tempted to argue with people. But I'm not, I left my phone at home and went for a walk. It's very peaceful to not have to argue with the entire world every single second of your existence. I'm hoping going forward to have phone free weekends where I just shut the thing off and listen to a simple FM radio on my walks.
- munk-a 5y ago
  It's a hard thing to do but it is possible to view the box strictly as a consumption device and refuse to publish content (outside of whatever might be a necessary communication for you phone/text/email/etc...). You have no obligation to engage with and correct the world, you can just do you and you'll probably be happier for it.
ska 5y ago
> nd can definitively say it's the best decision a person can make for their mental well being. No, you can only definitively say it's was the best decision you made for your mental well being. With the plausible suggestion that it might be good for some others, also.
- throwaway14356 5y ago
  for what it is worth it was great being the last person around without a smart phone. I dont know how old you are but people use to be alone with their own thoughts. Amazing things happen if you ponder situations until satisfied with your own conclusions. the delay made for wonderful long form conversations. exchanging text like we are doing here doesnt build relationships either. if i would die in the next 20 min you wouldnt blink an eye.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - ska 5y ago
    Versions of this comment were common when radio first was introduced. And television. Etc. It's fine to feel nostalgia for some aspects of past interaction of course, but a mistake to read too much into it. Generally an area to be aware of recency bias.
    - 1123581321 5y ago
      I’m afraid that’s just a meme. Each of these have tradeoffs. It’s not nostalgia to want to take the other side. You’ve probably encountered the popular movement to not watch television, and terrestrial radio is in decline. Podcasts are a sort of modern radio equivalent and there is plenty written about the downsides of filling too much time with them. Boredom and idle thought are recognized by physiological and psychological experts to have value. There is certainly value to resiliency and judiciously making the most advantage of each new trend in communication, however.
  - _carbyau_ 5y ago
mi100hael 5y ago
Says the person in the comments of HN...
- hutzlibu 5y ago
  So? There is a difference, between going online conscious, when you turn on the computer - or a stressful always being half online with the phone in hand or pocket. I have a smartphone, but I regulary have it off for longer periods. That helps.
Karsteski 5y ago
I feel like I achieved this by using a degoogled Android OS + never listening to news. My life is certainly a lot more pleasant being more or less entirely detached from mainstream social media and media in general. But I'm glad your decision worked out for you :)
diebeforei485 5y ago
I don't think this is practical. Say you need to get home at night. Without a phone, you can't call an Uber, you can't see if there's public transit still running (schedules have changed a lot over the past 1-2 years), you can't take pictures or videos of anything you witness, etc. In theory with a basic phone you have some inferior options (like calling a cab company and praying until the cab arrives), but in practice the world has moved on.
- zerocount 5y ago
  You're right about the world moving on. It's not practical for most people. I'm 51 and don't use it for much except texting and the hotspot, but I still take it with me if I'm expecting a call while I'm outside the house. When you grow up without a phone, you prepare more than you have to now. You just learn the streets so you don't need a map app. Bring a jacket in case you break down and have to walk. Carry a can of 'fix-a-flat' in the car or a plug kit to take care of flat tires. I'm too set in my ways to change.

Zachsa999 5y ago

How do you deal with the dumb crap related to not being connected when everyone else is? Do you have any records or writings documenting your experience?

vondro 5y ago
I meet in person people I care about, and talk to them. We exchange our recent life experiences, or not, depending on context. I don't care what people I don't care about do. For documenting my experiences, I have photo album on my phone. Can show it to someone physically, or send pictures on Whatsapp for example. Works for me, anyway.

indigochill 5y ago

This seems like a kind of overfitting. The phone itself isn't a problem, at least as concerns the fear machine. On the other hand, staying linked to Facebook is a problem. I make regular daily use of my phone, but the use is limited to: * Email * Select communication channels (Slack/Signal/etc) * Reading books offline (I download them in advance) * Bus pass * Flashcards * A couple of offline ad-free games I deny push notifications on all apps without exception. If someone needs to get hold of me, they have my number. With this approach, I feel like my phone is a value-adding tool rather than feeling like it's tethering me to anything I don't want to be part of.

stjohnswarts 5y ago
Flashcards? That's doesn't seem to have much to do with ending a phone addiction?
- klipt 5y ago
  Never used Anki?
  - stjohnswarts 5y ago
    Yeah I use that style for some notes on Obsidian when I'm learning new things.
- mlyle 5y ago
  Flash cards, in the sense of-- things that show you questions you're trying to memorize/learn the answers to. Not like, cards with flash memory on them. The person uses their phone for contained things that are not likely to cause a faux-social-reward-cycle.
  - stjohnswarts 5y ago
    Ah gotcha.

999900000999 5y ago

Thank you for the tip, even watching this thread. I'm tempted to argue with people. But I'm not, I left my phone at home and went for a walk. It's very peaceful to not have to argue with the entire world every single second of your existence. I'm hoping going forward to have phone free weekends where I just shut the thing off and listen to a simple FM radio on my walks.

munk-a 5y ago
It's a hard thing to do but it is possible to view the box strictly as a consumption device and refuse to publish content (outside of whatever might be a necessary communication for you phone/text/email/etc...). You have no obligation to engage with and correct the world, you can just do you and you'll probably be happier for it.

ska 5y ago

> nd can definitively say it's the best decision a person can make for their mental well being. No, you can only definitively say it's was the best decision you made for your mental well being. With the plausible suggestion that it might be good for some others, also.

throwaway14356 5y ago
for what it is worth it was great being the last person around without a smart phone. I dont know how old you are but people use to be alone with their own thoughts. Amazing things happen if you ponder situations until satisfied with your own conclusions. the delay made for wonderful long form conversations. exchanging text like we are doing here doesnt build relationships either. if i would die in the next 20 min you wouldnt blink an eye.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- ska 5y ago
  Versions of this comment were common when radio first was introduced. And television. Etc. It's fine to feel nostalgia for some aspects of past interaction of course, but a mistake to read too much into it. Generally an area to be aware of recency bias.
  - 1123581321 5y ago
    I’m afraid that’s just a meme. Each of these have tradeoffs. It’s not nostalgia to want to take the other side. You’ve probably encountered the popular movement to not watch television, and terrestrial radio is in decline. Podcasts are a sort of modern radio equivalent and there is plenty written about the downsides of filling too much time with them. Boredom and idle thought are recognized by physiological and psychological experts to have value. There is certainly value to resiliency and judiciously making the most advantage of each new trend in communication, however.
- _carbyau_ 5y ago

mi100hael 5y ago

Says the person in the comments of HN...

hutzlibu 5y ago
So? There is a difference, between going online conscious, when you turn on the computer - or a stressful always being half online with the phone in hand or pocket. I have a smartphone, but I regulary have it off for longer periods. That helps.

Karsteski 5y ago

I feel like I achieved this by using a degoogled Android OS + never listening to news. My life is certainly a lot more pleasant being more or less entirely detached from mainstream social media and media in general. But I'm glad your decision worked out for you :)

diebeforei485 5y ago

I don't think this is practical. Say you need to get home at night. Without a phone, you can't call an Uber, you can't see if there's public transit still running (schedules have changed a lot over the past 1-2 years), you can't take pictures or videos of anything you witness, etc. In theory with a basic phone you have some inferior options (like calling a cab company and praying until the cab arrives), but in practice the world has moved on.

zerocount 5y ago
You're right about the world moving on. It's not practical for most people. I'm 51 and don't use it for much except texting and the hotspot, but I still take it with me if I'm expecting a call while I'm outside the house. When you grow up without a phone, you prepare more than you have to now. You just learn the streets so you don't need a map app. Bring a jacket in case you break down and have to walk. Carry a can of 'fix-a-flat' in the car or a plug kit to take care of flat tires. I'm too set in my ways to change.