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The app looks nice and the concept sounds interesting. But this worries me a little bit: "I also needed a distraction" - is it really a good idea to treat our
by jakubmazanec 2y ago
The app looks nice and the concept sounds interesting.
But this worries me a little bit: "I also needed a distraction" - is it really a good idea to treat our brains this way? Why do we need distractions all the time? Why is boredom so intolerable? Also, you can simply just think about stuff, you don't have to feed your compulsion loop.
- jeffhuys 2y agoBoredom is a bad feeling “by design” - it makes us go out and find new experiences. If, in this current world, you’re in a situation where you really can’t get out of, we instinctively try to find distractions. Thinking about stuff is also a distraction. And for some people there’s nothing to solve, really, as they’re okay where they’re at in life. That’s why I feel like you’re projecting a bit; it’s not intolerable, it’s just… nothing. So if you have no other option, why not play a game? I’m currently not in the camp of “nothing to think about” - I could sit for hours and do nothing except think. But there were (and will be) times in my life where that would not feel good - I wanted experiences!
- appsDev 2y agoI agree thinking can be a nice distraction sometimes, even to the point that we lose all focus on what's happening in front of us. Depends on everyone's preference what they wish to use..:)
- j_maffe 2y ago> So if you have no other option, why not play a game? That's the question though, do you not have any other options? Things that are more gratifying and contribute to your development than some brain-dead game?
- zeta0134 2y agoAmong other things, "needing a distraction" is why I pretty much always have music playing. It's something my brain can do as a background task, and it's tremendously effective at suppressing the otherwise strong desire to investigate whatever just made that weird sound. I don't know if I could have survived in an office environment without my headphones.
- appsDev 2y agoI feel you - I have music playing almost all the time that I can too, even when working. Don't know if it's good for me all the time, but sometimes I think it is honestly helpful. Issue is for when you can't have earbuds in or something, which is why I made Tik! :)
- bayindirh 2y agoI don't think its boredom. It's keeping racing and insisting thoughts, the uncomfortable things at bay, and this is worse than not allowing one to get bored. When you take everything from the brain, and sit silently, it starts to remember. Oh, the plants, the presentation I'm going to give, financials for the month, remaining tasks at the office, etc. Maybe some worse issues which bother you but you try to ignore. Escaping into some distraction from these uncomfortable thoughts is always marketed as the norm, the way it should be, but it's not. One should prioritize mental discipline over fidgeting and dopamine hits, IMHO. I know not every problem in life have a solution, and battling with some problems is hard. But running away from any and every problem is not the solution.
- appsDev 2y agoI agree that we definitely should not run away from uncomfortable thoughts and make time to deal with them mindfully. Tik! is honestly meant for times though when you wish you had something to do, almost like having an upgraded fidget toy. Using it in moderation should help, but of course if someone is using it to escape their life issues that is a separate issue.
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 2y agoSome peoples brains are so much better/fun/non-linear that they need walls or delimiters. A physical activity that keeps you in the present sounds good, and it sounds like discipline too.
- appsDev 2y agoThanks for bringing this up, and I completely agree. Needing a distraction all the time isn't healthy, and I was thinking about this while making the app too. The way I look at it though, we should be intentional with our time, making space for time to do nothing / meditate. However, sometimes when we are stuck in a boring situation, it's less about being meaningfully free and more about feeling stuck with nothing to do. In this kind of a senario, Tik! would be a better option and less stimulating than something like instagram for example, since although your mind is busy, it's not overstimulating your brain with information. Just my thoughts on the topic, please let me know if you agree or have anything to add on :)
- colechristensen 2y agoYou're basically implying that it is immoral to have ADHD. In many ways ADHD isn't so much a disease as an incompatibility with modern office life. It isn't "healthy" for most people to sit in an office all day, but ADHD-like people, it is a very real struggle. One mitigation is distracting a part of your brain with some activity while doing something else. There is nothing at all wrong with this. You might as well be saying writing with your left hand is unhealthy and recommending exercises to force yourself to write with the "correct" hand.
- robertlagrant 2y ago> You're basically implying that it is immoral to have ADHD. I don't see where the commenter mentioned morality. Where do you see this?
- appsDev 2y agoThx, yes I was just responding in context to the original comment
- sickofparadox 2y agoPlease learn to read people's words more charitably, and maybe to act a little less weird. I have ADHD as well and think that the incessant need for distractions is a decidedly unhealthy part of the malfunction.
- latexr 2y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0ETAVxXtec&t=6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0ETAVxXtec&t=6
- summermusic 2y agoI'm certain you didn't mean it this way, but it is ableist to assume that because you don't need distractions that others don't. Some people living with ADHD, intrusive thoughts, autism, etc. actually do sometimes need a distraction.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- smabie 2y agoOr maybe they don't need an abstraction and just think they do because it's easier than the alternative.
- johnisgood 2y agoAnd the alternative is?
- monkpit 2y agoThis is very prescriptive thinking and not constructive. Is there anything wrong with having a distraction, other than just your opinion? It’s like telling someone with depression/anxiety to “get over it”.
- appsDev 2y agoI agree if someone has a condition then that is different. I think the original comment was talking in reference to doomscrolling and people using their phones all the time when they don't need to, etc..
- lolinder 2y agoI have ADHD and have a really hard time focusing in Zoom meetings at work unless I have something to do. I keep a fidget spinner by my desk and use it constantly during calls. My brother uses a Rubik's cube for the same reason. This game is basically a digital fidget—it doesn't actually prevent you from being there in the meeting, but it does provide the little bit of background simulation that some people legitimately need in order to stay sane working a desk job.
- the-dude 2y agoDo you use an 'ADHD pillow' at your desk? I can recommend.
- world2vec 2y agoCan you elaborate, please? Googling that term has left me a bit confused.
- the-dude 2y agoCushion! Pardon my French : https://www.amazon.com/adhd-cushion/s?k=adhd+cushion https://www.amazon.com/adhd-cushion/s?k=adhd+cushion (No affiliation)
- Ladsko 2y agoHuh! I use these to keep my spine musculature busy, not my mind. Am I doing it wrong?
- otteromkram 2y agoYes, you need to balance it on your head for the full effect. /s
- bubblesnort 2y agoSomething like this??? https://www.amazon.com/Wenqik-Cushion-Vibrator-Pressure-Activated/dp/B0CM6NF7BL https://www.amazon.com/Wenqik-Cushion-Vibrator-Pressure-Acti... That's enough wtf for me, I'll leave the Internet for a while.
- swiftcoder 2y agoFolks have used fidget spinners and other such toys for decades to help them focus and keep symptoms of ADHD and/or anxiety at bay
- appsDev 2y agoThat is a great point, using the app actually reminds me a lot of a fidget toy sometimes! This just keeps your mind a little more active!
- zeroonetwothree 2y agoFor in person meetings I usually doodle on a piece of paper. It actually helps me to pay attention better, it’s not exactly curing boredom but more like inattention. People usually don’t mind because it looks like I’m taking notes. For VC meetings that doesn’t work as well though because then it looks like I’m not watching since they can’t see what I’m doing.
- hahamrfunnyguy 2y agoI had a special notebook I used to take to the Monday sales meetings at my previous jobs job. A good chunk of the meeting was often taken up with reviewing department/sales updates which were by and large the same as the previous week. This notebook was filled with cartoons and illustrations representing what occurred during the meeting and it looked like I was diligently taking notes. Definitely helped me focus and stay tuned-in to what was going on in the meeting.
- appsDev 2y agoThat is a great idea - sometimes doodling can seriously help! Thx for the comment :)
- appsDev 2y agoI have tried that before too lol. Works fine if thats your best option sometimes!
- sim7c00 2y agoYou are right sir. !!This is obviously not meant towards people with an actual professional diagnosis of something that doesn't allow them to 'sit still' or 'have a still mind'!! 90% of people who claim adhd, add, autism, ocd, ptsd or other 'neurodivergence' these days either self-diagnose, or let themselves be conditioned to think this by feedback from other people and their arm-chair diagnoses. This is a damaging state of mind. Either get professional evaluation or free your mind and learn to be still. You can't imagine how much time and effective use of that time you can get from simply learning to do nothing without being bothered by it. Diagnosing these things is _very difficult and takes a lot of time_ even for a professional with tons of experience. For some people, they need multiple different professionals to evaluate them over a period of (many) years before a somewhat accurate diagnosis is yielded depending on the ailment!
- smabie 2y agoActually in reality these so called professionals will diagnose you almost immediately
- micromacrofoot 2y agomodern life requires doing lots of boring stuff to continue living
- appsDev 2y agoTrue
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- csomar 2y agoDifferent people will do different things ie: Chewing gum, games, Sibha [1], Tiktok, etc... I'd say the traditional distraction methods are much better (than social media) since they don't produce any outrage or addiction. They are a small distraction to relax your brain and avoid burning by constantly thinking into stuff. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misbaha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misbaha
- appsDev 2y agoI have seen this tool before, definitely a great pick! I tried to make Tik! less stimulating than traditional social media, but of course physical objects are even more disconnected and have their own charm as well :)
- GTP 2y agoThis podcast episode [1] by a psychology professor is exactly about what you're talking about. [1] https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/how-i-stopped-fearing-boredom https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-la...
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- appsDev 2y agoI completely agree with the sentiment. The way I think about it is that we do need mindful periods of rest and boredom, but they should be intentional. But sometimes it is worth it to want to have somme fun and not be bored, and in those kinds of scenarios Tik! can help! It is also a good alternative to staring at a screen since it is not as stimulating, so it can be used at a time where someone would normally scroll instagram for example if the user wants to use it like that.