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WhatsApp already has statuses and it will get more "distractions". If things like "Brick" will be successful, ad companies like Meta will work around them by di

WhatsApp already has statuses and it will get more "distractions". If things like "Brick" will be successful, ad companies like Meta will work around them by distractifying essential apps. It's better to think about what we did twenty or thirty years ago. Ad companies of course prefer their "product" not to think about this. It's quite simple (but difficult to execute): just don't pick up your phone this often. Understand that ad companies are actively fighting you because they want you as a "product" sheep consuming ads. Some tools, tricks and stratagems are helpful: - Configure notifications not to vibrate or make a sound - Airplane mode for some time-out, for example when hiking - Leave the phone home and learn to embrace the helplessness - Learn not to think too much about it and live in the now - If you return home, don't open your phone immediately but do something else - Leave the phone in a different room when sleeping - Understand if you say you cannot that these are psychological tricks by ad companies - Understand that it is an addiction and accept if you binge - Don't try to find perfect solutions - Everybody is different, so try to find your own tricks, tools and stratagems, but stick to simple things - Adapt when something changes like unwanted features added to an app - Generally smile, relax, understand, let it go and enjoy life

fvdessen 2y ago
I put my phone in airplane mode last weekend and friends thought I died & called the cops. Said I should have notified them before I did this …
- _nalply 2y ago
  > - Generally smile, relax, understand, let it go and enjoy life
camhart 2y ago
My phone is on do not disturb 24/7. I do miss some calls occasionally, but in general its been a big improvement. Been doing it for the past 8+ years. The phone is there for me, I'm not there for the phone.
- kioleanu 2y ago
  You can have it on DnD and still allow calls though. I have the same on iPhone but 1 contact (my wife)is whitelisted and I always get notifications from her and _all_ calls go through because I never know from which number they call from the bank or school
- nunez 2y ago
  I use Focus modes to the same effect. It gives me all of the notifications while I'm at work but basically none otherwise.
kristiandupont 2y ago
>If things like "Brick" will be successful, ad companies like Meta will work around them by distractifying essential apps. That seems like a very hypothetical situation and no reason to dismiss the product. I have tried (and apply) most if not all of your "tricks" and I still could see this as helpful. Whenever I have to apply willpower to something, it's like I have a little less of it for other things (similar to the concept of decision fatigue). If this thing could remove the choice in just a few situations, that would be positive.
- _nalply 2y ago
  It's not hypothetical. WhatsApp statuses are already here to pave the way for more advertisement. https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/7/23950795/meta-whatsapp-status-ads-sales-advertising-plans https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/7/23950795/meta-whatsapp-st...
  - kristiandupont 2y ago
    Sure, just about every app has or will have ads. How is that an argument against blocking them?
safety1st 2y ago
I used to be on my phone for six hours a day and after realizing that it was virtually all wasted time I started trying to cut back. It was hard to break the addition but after years of experimentation I succeeded. My strategy these days is very simple. * All notifications are on silent all the time except for a tiny class of things - e.g. actual phone calls, and delivery apps. * When I'm at home the phone sits on my toilet. When I'm at the office it sits in my bag. At night it's turned off and charging. That's really it. <2 hours of phone time per day with no downsides. I bring it out of the toilet temporarily if I'm eating a meal alone, sometimes. Physical separation from the device has been the key for me, whenever possible, it's simply not on my person, so my attention rarely goes to it. I like the symbolism of this shitty device only having access to my attention when I'm taking a dump.
- _nalply 2y ago
  Happy to read that something works out for you. Everybody is different and the key is to find your own solution even if it is not perfect. Every second not wasted is a win.
em500 2y ago
The same rule applies to phone apps as to work email and meetings: the usefulness to you is likely proportional to the time/effort spent by the sender devoted specifically to you. Heuristically, it's inversely proportional to the number of recipients/participants. So in messaging apps like Whatsapp I silence all notifications to groups (but not 1 on 1), and for email I read the contents of those addressed to me personally, but for dept/company wide email usually just the subject line.
Animats 2y ago
> Adapt when something changes like unwanted features added to an app "Adapt" as in "just bend over and take it?
- _nalply 2y ago
  At worst, delete the app.
mlok 2y ago
Also : - Delete the app, use the web version only (Social Networks and many others...) webapps versions are often less practical on purpose (to make you switch to the app) and that's a good thing : it makes the experience less rewarding and we end up less hooked. Example : Messenger was removed from the web mobile version of FB. At first it made me angry. In the end, I use FB less :)
- stevage 2y ago
  The downside of using the web app is it's harder to block yourself.
  - j_bum 2y ago
    At least on iOS, you can set time limits for specific websites. E.g., I have a 15 minute limit for Twitter, as I refuse to download the app.
  - shanedrgn 2y ago
    My solution to this was to switch to Firefox and download the LeechBlock extension. Had to disable Chrome but this has worked great for me so far
ben_w 2y ago
> Understand if you say you cannot that these are psychological tricks by ad companies In my case, biggest limit is the 2FA for work stuff. Still want to have a "no phones in bedroom" rule when moving. Clear problem with it in the same room and much worse when it's handy from the bed itself. And that's despite no notifications for almost anything (exceptions include banking), even just web browsing alone is an issue.
konschubert 2y ago
I use parental controls with time limits on myself and stash the code in an inconvenient location. Works extremely well.
seba_dos1 2y ago
> ad companies like Meta will work around them by distractifying essential apps Which "essential apps" are being controlled by Meta?
nunez 2y ago
This is like telling an alcoholic to not drink as much, or, more aptly, like telling a heroin addict to try _not_ doing heroin. These apps are designed from the bottom-up to be extremely addictive to many people.
- _nalply 2y ago
  I agree. But we can't expect help from the ad companies. So what can we do? One wrote in this thread that they use parental control against themselves and put the code for the parental control in an inconvenient place to get to. Everyone is different. It is difficult but not impossible.

fvdessen 2y ago

I put my phone in airplane mode last weekend and friends thought I died & called the cops. Said I should have notified them before I did this …

_nalply 2y ago
> - Generally smile, relax, understand, let it go and enjoy life

camhart 2y ago

My phone is on do not disturb 24/7. I do miss some calls occasionally, but in general its been a big improvement. Been doing it for the past 8+ years. The phone is there for me, I'm not there for the phone.

kioleanu 2y ago
You can have it on DnD and still allow calls though. I have the same on iPhone but 1 contact (my wife)is whitelisted and I always get notifications from her and _all_ calls go through because I never know from which number they call from the bank or school
nunez 2y ago
I use Focus modes to the same effect. It gives me all of the notifications while I'm at work but basically none otherwise.

kristiandupont 2y ago

>If things like "Brick" will be successful, ad companies like Meta will work around them by distractifying essential apps. That seems like a very hypothetical situation and no reason to dismiss the product. I have tried (and apply) most if not all of your "tricks" and I still could see this as helpful. Whenever I have to apply willpower to something, it's like I have a little less of it for other things (similar to the concept of decision fatigue). If this thing could remove the choice in just a few situations, that would be positive.

_nalply 2y ago
It's not hypothetical. WhatsApp statuses are already here to pave the way for more advertisement. https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/7/23950795/meta-whatsapp-status-ads-sales-advertising-plans https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/7/23950795/meta-whatsapp-st...
- kristiandupont 2y ago
  Sure, just about every app has or will have ads. How is that an argument against blocking them?

safety1st 2y ago

I used to be on my phone for six hours a day and after realizing that it was virtually all wasted time I started trying to cut back. It was hard to break the addition but after years of experimentation I succeeded. My strategy these days is very simple. * All notifications are on silent all the time except for a tiny class of things - e.g. actual phone calls, and delivery apps. * When I'm at home the phone sits on my toilet. When I'm at the office it sits in my bag. At night it's turned off and charging. That's really it. <2 hours of phone time per day with no downsides. I bring it out of the toilet temporarily if I'm eating a meal alone, sometimes. Physical separation from the device has been the key for me, whenever possible, it's simply not on my person, so my attention rarely goes to it. I like the symbolism of this shitty device only having access to my attention when I'm taking a dump.

_nalply 2y ago
Happy to read that something works out for you. Everybody is different and the key is to find your own solution even if it is not perfect. Every second not wasted is a win.

em500 2y ago

The same rule applies to phone apps as to work email and meetings: the usefulness to you is likely proportional to the time/effort spent by the sender devoted specifically to you. Heuristically, it's inversely proportional to the number of recipients/participants. So in messaging apps like Whatsapp I silence all notifications to groups (but not 1 on 1), and for email I read the contents of those addressed to me personally, but for dept/company wide email usually just the subject line.

Animats 2y ago

> Adapt when something changes like unwanted features added to an app "Adapt" as in "just bend over and take it?

_nalply 2y ago
At worst, delete the app.

mlok 2y ago

Also : - Delete the app, use the web version only (Social Networks and many others...) webapps versions are often less practical on purpose (to make you switch to the app) and that's a good thing : it makes the experience less rewarding and we end up less hooked. Example : Messenger was removed from the web mobile version of FB. At first it made me angry. In the end, I use FB less :)

stevage 2y ago
The downside of using the web app is it's harder to block yourself.
- j_bum 2y ago
  At least on iOS, you can set time limits for specific websites. E.g., I have a 15 minute limit for Twitter, as I refuse to download the app.
- shanedrgn 2y ago
  My solution to this was to switch to Firefox and download the LeechBlock extension. Had to disable Chrome but this has worked great for me so far

ben_w 2y ago

> Understand if you say you cannot that these are psychological tricks by ad companies In my case, biggest limit is the 2FA for work stuff. Still want to have a "no phones in bedroom" rule when moving. Clear problem with it in the same room and much worse when it's handy from the bed itself. And that's despite no notifications for almost anything (exceptions include banking), even just web browsing alone is an issue.

konschubert 2y ago

I use parental controls with time limits on myself and stash the code in an inconvenient location. Works extremely well.

seba_dos1 2y ago

> ad companies like Meta will work around them by distractifying essential apps Which "essential apps" are being controlled by Meta?

nunez 2y ago

This is like telling an alcoholic to not drink as much, or, more aptly, like telling a heroin addict to try _not_ doing heroin. These apps are designed from the bottom-up to be extremely addictive to many people.

_nalply 2y ago
I agree. But we can't expect help from the ad companies. So what can we do? One wrote in this thread that they use parental control against themselves and put the code for the parental control in an inconvenient place to get to. Everyone is different. It is difficult but not impossible.