[HN Gopher] Ask HN: Mobile phone addiction help?
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Ask HN: Mobile phone addiction help?
Hey HN I'm looking for advice and/or suggestions on how to
"lockdown/brick" my mobile (iPhone 8) phone to only be able to do a
select number of things. I currently suffer with OCD and anxiety,
and my addictions to my phone is making me lethargic and causing
regular migraines and eye strain issues. I do have a second "dumb
phone" (Nokia flip 2720) but due to having a "mobile only" bank
account I have to have access to my iPhone. I only really want to
be able to text (not WhatsApp) call, and have access to 3 banking
apps. I have tried everything, but when I'm feeling "good" or
sometimes when I'm feeling rubbish - I will always end up
downloading "scroller" apps - Twitter, Instagram, Shopping apps etc
- and I quickly waste days and days hooked to it, before prying
myself away from it again. Any advice would be hugely beneficial.
Thank you
Author : swen-rekcah
Score : 143 points
Date : 2021-05-02 18:50 UTC (1 days ago)
| foofoo4u wrote:
| I put parental controls on my phone to block all but only the
| most vital apps. Only my wife knows the password to unlock. Maybe
| something similar will help you out.
| RotaryTelephone wrote:
| My wife already knows all the passwords to my banking apps and
| I'm pretty much locked out all the time anyways. All I have to
| do is just go to work. It's great.
| xedrac wrote:
| About once a month, I abstain from all electronics (phone, tv,
| computer, consoles) as well as food for an entire day. This helps
| me guage what my addiction levels are at, and although it's not
| typically a pleasant experience, I always feel _significantly_
| better the next day - everything just seems better and easier to
| deal with. For some reason it 's easier to abstain completely for
| a day than it is to only partially limit myself.
| cle wrote:
| Any technical advice about how to block yourself is beating
| around the bush IMO. Not only is it easy to bypass most of that
| stuff, but you'll be way better off learning how to deal with
| this psychological issue directly instead of trying to avoid
| triggering it.
|
| Edit: They are not mutually exclusive by any means, I just mean
| that you will benefit in the long-run by addressing the
| psychological problem that leads to this behavior and manifests
| in this way. It probably manifests in other ways too, outside of
| phone addiction.
| [deleted]
| tasssko wrote:
| I agree with you, technical tricks could instead evolve into
| the person worrying constantly about not looking at their
| phone. Mindfulness and preparation make this easier, however it
| is not easy. Personally I deal with this by putting the phone
| down, using DND mode and have most notifications off. That
| doesn't stop me thinking about 'whats happening on HN' or in
| the news or on social media. It's a constant process that needs
| work. I'm not an expert so I won't pretend to know any more
| than this but I have also recently started telling myself that
| there isn't anything important that can't wait.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| kelnos wrote:
| Agreed. I would suggest OP speak to a licensed mental health
| professional about this. Blocking access to most of the phone
| is treating the symptoms, not the underlying issue.
|
| Of course, some technical countermeasures to block some access
| might be a (short-term?) part of the treatment.
|
| Another short-term option: switch bank accounts so you can
| access it from your laptop, and ditch the iPhone entirely.
| luto wrote:
| I managed to get rid of multiple unhealthy online habits like
| excessive reddit browsing using very simple network blocks.
| They help a lot even though I am able to trivially circumvent
| them.
| rasputnik6502 wrote:
| Is it possible to edit hosts file on iPhone?
| ryandrake wrote:
| You can run dnsmasq and point your phone to it. Then block
| whatever you want.
| rasputnik6502 wrote:
| Run it where?
| ryandrake wrote:
| I currently run it on a little raspberry pi sitting in a
| closet. Every device in my home points to it, allowing me
| to filter out undesirable stuff (mostly ads) from one
| place. Doesn't help you when you're out and about on your
| cell data plan though.
| tmerr wrote:
| I see no reason not to combine willpower with psychology
| tricks. I think of it as playing a game between my rational
| brain vs limbic system. Yes, my rational brain might be ahead
| for a while, but limbic system is always there to find me in
| moment of weakness. So I remove opportunities for it to take
| control. Turning off PC before work, laptop in the closet,
| phone across the room, ringer on. Simple and effective.
|
| I have had better luck with physical impedances, and don't
| bother with tech ones now unless they're simple (uninstalling
| distracting apps). Like you say most software is easily
| circumvented.
| idrios wrote:
| One of the steps for overcoming alcoholism is getting the
| alcohol out of your house. Phone addiction is the same way, it
| definitely takes hard work and discipline on the part of the
| user, but there needs to be a way to get rid of your phone or
| at least the functionality that makes it addictive, without
| losing essential utility like keeping in contact with people,
| or in OP's case a mobile-only bank account
| rchaud wrote:
| The distracting sites mentioned in the OP exist on desktop as
| well.
| crazypython wrote:
| I've been using https://www.getintention.com/
|
| It's the only "blocking app" that's been helpful. Some apps do a
| hard block, but that just tempts you to disable. Some apps add a
| delay, but it's annoying so I disable it. Instead Intention
| reminds you of how much time you spent, asks you how much time
| you want to spend, and regularly reminds you to stop. A soft
| block, so to speak.
| HaloZero wrote:
| If you have a M1 powered mac computer, you can see if your
| banking app allows you to run things on your Mac.
|
| Another thing I found useful was to Grayscale the app, it puts a
| damper on any scrolling apps.
| https://www.wired.com/story/grayscale-ios-android-smartphone....
| dschep wrote:
| And if you have a Chromebook, that might be able to run the
| Android app.
| mlac wrote:
| Read "digital minimalism" and try a detox using the Screen Time
| tip mentioned in another comment.
|
| Make it black and white and as uninteresting as possible. Then
| find something else to do with your time that is actually solid
| recreation.
|
| I go in cycles on this and tend to flip from the extremes.
| Recently bought a 12 Pro Max solely for the camera so I would
| have the best possible iPhone camera to take photos of my family
| and a bigger screen to access work resources on the go. But it's
| leaking into other areas as well. So I'll just need to do spring
| cleaning and delete apps soon. I find email and all
| communications channels get cluttered if you don't cull them or
| put guardrails around them.
|
| I'd love to know any other tools people recommend for dealing
| with this.
| trilinearnz wrote:
| Can vouch for the monochromatic UI, a friend put me onto this.
| More details here: https://betterhumans.pub/how-to-make-your-
| iphone-black-and-w...
|
| Have also had good experience with deleting apps, which forces
| you to login to them via the browser, which is a much clunkier
| / less addictive UI.
| lizardmancan wrote:
| prepaid without data bundle i just managed to pay 2 euro to
| almost send a message. it ran out just in time to not send
| anything
| kumarsw wrote:
| My solution to this has been to get a cheap Android phone and
| keep social media apps on that, leaving my iPhone with only
| "useful" apps for navigation and work-related stuff. This has
| worked out well for two reasons: (1) It makes my decision to
| diddle about on social media a more deliberate one (2) I only get
| "useful" notifications on my iPhone - no fake DMs for Pinterest,
| etc. trying to get me to on the app.
| paulsutter wrote:
| Limit Twitter to 30 minutes a day. It works, actually better than
| deleting it. It takes a bit of exploring the find the feature on
| iOS, but its well worth the effort
| blisterpeanuts wrote:
| I deleted my Twitter & Facebook accounts, and removed the apps.
| Have not used those platforms in months now and no ill effects.
| They are so brilliantly addictive that for me at least, the
| only solution was to go cold turkey.
| _carbyau_ wrote:
| I say this honestly without snark.
|
| Visit a library if you can and "waste days" reading books
| instead. You don't have to borrow the book, just take it off the
| shelf, read some, and put it back.
|
| I only reacquainted myself with my local library recently, and it
| is amazing to find a space that provides you with free utility,
| without any ads and without any attempts to pry money from you.
|
| I have to consciously lower my "cynic/suspicion" filter whenever
| I get there.
| swiley wrote:
| You should find a different bank. Being forced to use a
| particular platform to access your money is absolutely
| unreasonable and unacceptable. All three US banks[1] I've used
| don't do this.
|
| Also, as someone prone to this sort of thing it helps to have
| constructive hobbies that are a bit "mindless." Lego kits are
| awesome (also great for "lockdown dates.") If you're ok doing
| them by yourself (because other people are very likely to get
| bored) Amazon is full of weird raspberry pi/arduino robot kits
| that take days of work to put together and I can totally
| recommend that for getting yourself out of a slump (whats best is
| doing it while in a medium sized discord call, you get to be
| around people and have some social stimulation while also doing
| something with your hands.) Surprisingly I've found Factorio can
| even help get me out of the slump but you should be careful with
| it since some people report the opposite affect.
|
| [1] Essex, Suntrust, and USAA "FSB."
| rchaud wrote:
| App-only banks that don't let you access or manage your account
| on a website on a real computer should be against the law.
| FinanceAnon wrote:
| Delete all apps. Put blocker plugins on your browser with a
| timelimit (e.g. 30min per day). Start reading books and subscribe
| to a quality newspaper (e.g. The Economist) to get your news. Too
| much noise on the internet.
| choeger wrote:
| There is a theory that addiction works by learning some
| behavioral patterns so good that you can execute them without any
| effort whatsoever. Like on autopilot.
|
| If that theory is true, you could see an effect by forcing you to
| use your weak hand on it. This should force you to concentrate
| much more on every task and thus disrupt your habit.
| jhhh wrote:
| Find something you like doing more than doomscrolling. You
| probably have no hobbies or creative outlet. Also turn off all
| notifications so you don't get sucked back in while you're doing
| other things.
| retrac wrote:
| I am inclined to agree with the others than a technological
| solution is not likely what you need. The trick is to segregate
| these areas mentally, so that you are acutely aware of when you
| are "on forbidden ground". The "rubber band" trick has been
| mentioned here already, and it's based on helping to re-enforce
| that awareness. Technological solutions can help do this. Timer
| apps that give you a regular notice to "GTFO THE PHONE FOR 15 MIN
| NOW" for example, are building the same kind of awareness, just
| as a software tool to do so.
|
| In my case these bad habits predate the iPhone's existence. What
| we call phone addiction now was the "Internet addiction" of 15
| years ago. Some strategies that have helped me, I think:
|
| One: The phone never comes to bed with me. It never comes out in
| real-life social interactions either.
|
| Two: During the day I keep it physically separate from me if
| possible. In my drawer at work. Just on the table on the other
| side of the room here at home right now. Checking it requires
| physically standing up and walking over. More likely this will
| percolate up into conscious awareness.
|
| Following from that, stand when you're on the phone. Don't sit
| down and slump and relax.
|
| Three: Purge all the dopamine-ticklers. In my case, if you'll
| excuse the bluntness, that means: No Twitter or other clickbait
| feeds. No outrage-driven news. No porn. No hookup apps. No
| endless-browsing online shopping.
|
| Hell, even Hacker News warrants some caution. You're just such a
| rewarding bunch.
|
| And this is not just on the phone. In all of my life. As a
| general mental cordon sanitaire. I cross into the quarantined
| zone often, I must admit, but the key is to be aware, to have a
| niggling sense of unease, when you're in the danger zone. Check
| your dosimeter regularly and have a planned exit.
| throwaway_kufu wrote:
| >tand when you're on the phone. Don't sit down and slump and
| relax.
|
| I like this and though I rarely talk on the phone, when I do
| the vast majority of the time I pace back and forth. Even at
| the office I'd close the door and do the same. Never thought
| about these actions at all until now.
|
| Maybe somewhat related growing up my older brother used to do
| push-ups (usually 20) every time he opened the refrigerator.
| Watching that day in and day out while he was in high school
| left a lasting impact on me. No doubt it is odd, but I'd do
| push ups in all sorts of situations, for example playing disc
| golf if I had a really bad throw, I'd drop and do push-ups.
| Maybe something OP could do every time the phone opens, just
| don't look at it like a punishment, rather something healthy
| that helps build discipline and genuine thought to your
| actions. Plus inevitably it will open the door to openly
| discussing it with others.
| [deleted]
| WrtCdEvrydy wrote:
| > No porn. No hookup apps. No endless-browsing online shopping.
|
| But... why even have a phone if you can't buy random shit
| online?
| HDMI_Cable wrote:
| Honestly, nowadays I only use my phone to call people. I
| don't use Amazon because I want to be frugal, and online
| shopping is the antithesis of that.
| fbelzile wrote:
| Apple goes out of it's way to make sure no app like this exists
| in it's App Store. If Screen Time is not good enough, you'll need
| a physical lock box like a few others have mentioned. Forest is
| good for helping create good habits though.
|
| On Android, you can use one called AppBlock. This is the most
| difficult app to circumvent on mobile. Others like Freedom can be
| easily bypassed.
|
| I sell desktop software (Windows/macOS) that blocks websites/apps
| so my customers and I have tried lots of solutions but Apple
| doesn't want to let third party developers compete with Screen
| Time.
| toast0 wrote:
| > due to having a "mobile only" bank account I have to have
| access to my iPhone.
|
| If using your iPhone is a problem for you (and it seems it is),
| having an account that requires it is a negative. Drop that
| account and use an account that works with you.
|
| Try keeping track of transactions and balances in a paper
| register, and reduce checking the online account or phone banking
| to once a week. In the old days, people would reconcile their
| account with a paper statement once a month, and that was usually
| good enough.
| reaperducer wrote:
| What worked for me recently is fighting tech with tech. And by
| that, I mean I got a hand-me-down Apple Watch. It's the Series 3
| (low end).
|
| It does enough to keep me connected (SMS, e-mail, music), but the
| interface isn't all-absorbing like a phone, so I don't waste
| hours of my life doomscrolling. I end up doing just what's needed
| and moving on.
|
| Note that if you need cellular connectivity, you'll have to get a
| used Series 3. Apple no longer makes a Series 3 with a cellular
| connection. Or you could get a Series 6 or an SE, if that's in
| your budget.
| yosito wrote:
| Something that worked for me: I bought an Onyx Boox Note, which
| runs most Android apps. I installed all of my news and social
| apps on that, and uninstalled them from my phone. When I want to
| consume content for entertainment, I use that. The e ink screen
| adds enough friction and takes away some of the stimulation, so
| it's far less addictive. My phone use has dropped to about 1 hour
| a day, just for necessary messaging, banks, maps, etc. My e ink
| tablet usage is probably 2 hours a day or less.
|
| This doesn't really prevent re-installing scroller apps. But if
| your phone is in your hand less often, and you have another way
| to check those apps from time to time, you won't have as much
| temptation to fight.
|
| I also leave my phone around the house instead of in my pocket. I
| put it on the table, or leave it on a shelf, etc, and forget
| about it. I also recommend going for a walk every once in awhile
| and leaving your phone at home.
| rchaud wrote:
| I have been considering this as well, as I was looking at
| ReMarkable and other e-ink options.
|
| Having a big-screen phone with a quad-core processor or
| whatever makes reaching for distractions too easy.
| Unfortunately I still need to keep a phone around for taking
| quick notes.
| yosito wrote:
| Yeah, the Onyx Boox Note works well for notes. The reason I
| didn't get Remarkable is because I wanted access to my cross
| platform RSS reader and other reading apps.
| mosseater wrote:
| Here's what happened to me. I dropped my phone at the bank, and
| it completely broke. The time to get a replacement was so long (2
| weeks) I had to come up with another solution. So now I have a
| google voice number, already synced with my google contacts. I
| can access the calls, voicemails, and texts on my computer. I
| have a gps app on my tablet. The only thing I'm missing is a
| prepaid tracphone in case I need to dial 911.
|
| It's not modern by any means, but do I -really- need 4G and
| calling where ever I go?
|
| Probably actually, this shit sucks.
| muhammadusman wrote:
| This is not going to be an easy fix but it is possible since
| phones are just a recent thing we've gotten addicted to.
|
| First, don't blame your bank for the scroller apps. Those are two
| things that don't relate. You shouldn't need to lock down your
| phone to stop it.
|
| Start with why. "why do you want to quit or curb your phone use?"
| I believe you know this answer to this but write it down on a
| piece of paper. When you do this, your mind will play it back for
| you from time to time.
|
| You have an iPhone, download a meditation app. Don't sit down
| like a yogi and meditate, open the meditation app where you
| scroll on twitter/ig/amazon, whether that's your couch or your
| bed. Meditate for 3 minutes, that's it, not more for your first
| time.
|
| The meditation will be _really_ hard the first few times. It will
| feel silly too. Get an app where they guide you for meditations,
| e.g. Calm / Headspace (they are free to use for basic
| meditation).
|
| Your phone is a powerful tool, and just like any tool, it can be
| use for helping yourself or harming yourself.
|
| I am happy to guide you through more of this, please feel free to
| reach out to me me at contact@usman.xyz. I've been through this
| before, I know what it feels like and I can guarantee you that
| you'll get out of this!
| m3kw9 wrote:
| Quit some TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and fb for starters. They
| make are the "easy" drug dealers of the internet
| fergonco wrote:
| Three hard steps:
|
| 1) Remove your twitter, facebook, etc. accounts.
|
| 2) Throw the iphone through the window and buy a bad phone that
| works with your bank (or better, change bank). Silence all alerts
| except the critical (persons that may need your help urgently and
| you care, and stuff like that).
|
| With those two you'll end up scrolling through whatsapp profile
| pictures and stuff like that but that's not going to hook you for
| more than few minutes, believe me.
|
| 3) Find something appealing on the physical world. Something that
| does not need a mobile phone. It will be hard because, for
| example playing guitar doesn't have a team of engineers thinking
| how to make you practice forever, but at some point you'll start
| getting interested by life again. Program raspberries to turn
| lights on, or similar, if you definitely need some device.
| amelius wrote:
| Change banks!
| stunt wrote:
| If any app makes you feel bad, delete it and remove the stored
| credentials from your account. It worked really well for me.
|
| Make your phone less useful. I don't have my work e-mail & Slack
| on my phone. So I can't even check my work calendar on it.
|
| I used to have a few of the social networks apps and lots of
| utility apps that maybe I would use once a year. So I decided to
| delete them all.
|
| Now, I only have some of the default Apple apps + WhatsApp,
| Telegram, Bank, Spotify, Lockwise, Scanner Pro, Google
| Authenticator, Google Map, and a few utility apps to manage
| cameras, smart LEDs, and my vacuum robot.
| t-writescode wrote:
| OCD is going to find another outlet for you. For me, it
| transitions from AIDS to Rabies and then it'll find its way back
| to AIDS again, or maybe covid ... among many other issues.
|
| You need to go after the OCD head-on, rather than the symptoms.
| My counselor recommended Brain Lock for me. I need to read it
| again, myself; but, I believe it to be a useful book and always
| recommend it.
| Daily20 wrote:
| You can use Screen Time to prevent yourself from installing new
| apps. First, delete all applications aside from your banking
| apps. Next, go to Settings - Screen Time - Content and Privacy
| Restrictions - iTunes & App Store Purchases. From here, you can
| disable installing apps, which hides the App Store on your phone.
| You can also disable Safari from Screen Time. If you find
| yourself turning off Screen Time, have somebody else set a four
| digit passcode for you. You'll be left with a phone that can only
| text and bank.
| swen-rekcah wrote:
| Thanks for the suggestion re:screen time - I have attempted
| this multiple times, and even got my partner to set the
| passcode. However I just bypass it and reset it via forgot
| passcode and my Apple ID password
| soledades wrote:
| When they set up screen time passcode, have them enter their
| apple id and password. Then you will not be able to reset it
| with yours.
| ninjha01 wrote:
| Perhaps you could have your partner set your Apple ID
| password? Or you could change it to a very long string that
| is a pain to enter, write it down, and store it in a place
| where it is mildly inconvenient to access.
| ntnlabs wrote:
| I have locked down one of my phones this way and it's working
| really nice.
| ashokkumarmku wrote:
| Disable all notification except a few necessary one. If possible
| get an android phone and enable "focus mode". Try it sometime and
| see if it works for you
| silicon2401 wrote:
| This is what works for me to cut down on phone time when I get
| tired of it:
|
| turn off/mute ALL notifications that aren't absolutely critical,
| crank up your notification/ringtone volume, keep your phone
| somewhere out of the way but within earshot like next to your
| front door or in the bathroom, and find other things to play
| with. Buy an instrument, video games, books, movies, whatever.
| When you get bored, you need something ready to play with or else
| you're going to just walk over to your phone
|
| We get addicted to shallow things like phones when we don't have
| something better to keep our attention. Find something better
| that you have real fun with, not something that just kills time
| avgDev wrote:
| Definitely NOT video games. If OP wants to replace staring at
| phone it needs to be something that will not constantly reward
| him.
|
| Games, phones, social media are extremely addictive as they
| give us constant rewards. Reading an actual book becomes
| boring. I suffered from the same problem with games. I had to
| uninstall games and completely stop playing for a week or two
| before I had an itch to do something else like reading a book
| or studying. It is insanely scary, and for me it was bad. Even
| to a point that I would say that it is an addiction.
| MuffinFlavored wrote:
| > video games
|
| I'm curious why switching from scrolling
| Instagram/communicating with friends on WhatsApp should be
| "frowned upon" (this is what comes to my mind personally when I
| hear the words "phone addiction) if the alternative is to trade
| it with something even _more_ hyper-stimulating, like a video
| game.
|
| If the post this week is "how can I be less addicted to my
| phone", and you replace your phone with video games, won't the
| post next week just be "how can I be less addicted to video
| games"?
| akiselev wrote:
| If one addiction is bad enough, using something less
| addicting to break the cycle can be effective. If, for
| example, an hour of video games a day breaks a dopamine chain
| that keeps an hour a day of phone time from turning into four
| hours a day, it's still a net positive.
|
| That's assuming they find games hyper-stimulating. Personally
| I can count the number of hours I spent last month playing
| video games on one finger - even though I used to play 30+
| hours of video games a week in school - because it doesn't
| reward the long term investment circuit anymore. HN on the
| other hand? That's "career development."
| Eszik wrote:
| I think that generally, you "get" more out of playing
| videogames than doomscrolling on Twitter, or mindlessly
| watching your YouTube recommendations. Can depend on the game
| for sure, but video games usually have some artistic merit
| and require your actual focus and attention, rather than
| allowing to be completely braindead. They might not be a
| "productive" use of your time, but at least it's more
| intellectually stimulating than some of the stuff we do
| online.
|
| Although, if you're spending most of your time actually
| interacting with people, especially friends, then I think
| it's much less of a waste of your time.
| ryandrake wrote:
| Ive been running DND mode (Do Not Disturb) 24/7 for the last
| few years, and it works well. No calls, texts, notifications,
| nothing. Helps me to use the device on my own terms rather than
| in response to someone else.
| jimbobimbo wrote:
| Can't recommend this highly enough! The only calls and texts
| that break through are from contacts; the only notifications
| that require my attention are from apps I explicitly allowed
| to do so.
|
| From time to time I expect calls from unknown numbers (e.g.
| recruiters) and have to disable DnD mode - it's just
| unbearable how much crap starts demanding my attention!
| ryandrake wrote:
| Every time I visit my parents and observe their phones, I
| can't believe how anyone can live with it. All the
| notifications lighting up your phone every minute, all the
| dinging and buzzing for your attention. 7 unread messages!
| 8! Now 10!! Ding ding ding! New reply on your Facebook
| message! Ding ding! It's like living on the Las Vegas
| strip. I'd be a basket case if I had to go a day with all
| those demanding interruptions.
| ashokkumarmku wrote:
| Disable all notification excep a few necessary one. If possible
| get an android phone temporarily and enable "focus mode". See if
| it helps
| TheDong wrote:
| I'll toss my bit of advice into the void too.
|
| One thing that helps me at least is to have different locations
| for different activities. To have "this desk is my work desk,
| while I am at it, I work."
|
| I don't think this is the only thing you should do, and obviously
| not everyone has room in their home/apartment/whatever for a desk
| & room dedicated just to work... But it can help. Coworking
| spaces also help a lot with this.
|
| If you don't have room for a second desk, you can get some of the
| effects by simulating it. Before starting work, specifically get
| up, walk around the block (your commute), and then when you get
| to the desk, make a specific change to put it in "work mode".
|
| This might be something like using a different keyboard for work
| vs not, or switching to a different computer login for the
| duration of work.
| runjake wrote:
| It sounds like you need counseling, not iffy technical advice you
| won't stick to anyway.
|
| That or get rid of your phone entirely. You can change your
| "mobile only" bank account. That's yet another excuse.
| stabilite wrote:
| 1. Settings --> Screen Time --> App Limits 2. Make your App
| Store/Apple ID password something needlessly complex and give
| someone else the paper with it on so they need to read it to you
| over the phone when you need it. 3. Send a screenshot of your app
| usage to a third party every week and if you exceed limits get
| them to donate some money you give them to a cause you hate in
| your name 4. Put your phone on grayscale
| swen-rekcah wrote:
| Thanks for the suggestion I have turned on the grayscale
| filter, and I think it may dull my interest in the device
| re:screen time - I have attempted this multiple times, and even
| got my partner to set the passcode. However I just bypass it
| and reset it via forgot passcode and my Apple ID password
| robotmay wrote:
| If you trust your partner, encourage them to be stricter with
| you and to further restrict access to your device.
|
| Create a new Apple ID that only they have access to and reset
| your phone to that ID, then lock it down again. You can also
| go further with other settings then like using a DNS server
| that allows you to block the domains of problem sites,
| stopping you from bypassing the lack of apps with websites.
|
| Also, maybe consider an iPad and throwing away the iPhone.
| It's bigger and harder to compulsively check and you can't
| carry it in your pocket. Do your banking on that, bin the
| iPhone, carry a dumbphone all day instead. If you can break
| the habit of pulling out your phone to check it you'll gain a
| bit of breathing space for your compulsions.
|
| I know multiple people with OCD and anxiety. For some,
| professional treatment and medication works well. For others,
| the only thing that really works is cognitive behavioural
| therapy, and finding a system that works for you is going to
| be trial and error.
| andi999 wrote:
| Different people might need different medication. While
| anxiety is usually treated with tranquilizers, there is
| also a possibility there is an undiagnosed adhd, so
| stimulants might work better.
| ranguna wrote:
| I'd say, get professional help.
|
| From what I see, you want a cure all dumb and easy method to stop
| you from using your phone. Forget it, it's not gonna happen,
| there is no easy way anymore with the behaviour you are showing:
| reseting your girlfriend's password on your phone without feeling
| guilt is just beyond healthy right now.
|
| Even if you somehow switch to another bank with a Web app, you'll
| probably switch from scrolling tweeter on your phone to scrolling
| on your laptop.
|
| Get a therapist and talk it out.
| [deleted]
| Leary wrote:
| Don't know about you but I never could stop addicting behaviors
| without setting goals in other more productive areas in my life.
|
| Set a few worthwhile goals every day that will take the majority
| of your time, and be sure to complete them before using the phone
| for entertainment. Then enjoy yourself for the rest of the day.
| johnchristopher wrote:
| I often read it's easier to replace an habit by another one
| than trying to only stop it.
| ozzyoli wrote:
| Set up NextDNS and change both your phone and home router's DNS
| settings to point to it.
|
| Use the blocklist feature to block dopamine inducing websites!
| nicbou wrote:
| One thing that helps for me is to reduce the supply of
| information. I disabled as many feeds and suggestions as
| possible, if necessary with ad blockers. My Facebook and LinkedIn
| feeds are literally empty. I've been aggressively cutting
| notifications and incoming emails from all sources. I also
| interact far less on social media, so I rarely get pulled back
| in. I have fewer and fewer ways to kill time online.
|
| On the phone itself, all notifications are off except for instant
| messages. I don't have any social media apps, only utilities.
| There's nothing to do on my phone anymore.
|
| I found that MacOS' screen time notification is a great incentive
| to step away from the computer. My average screen time is a few
| hours less than it was a few weeks ago.
|
| You should also pay attention to what triggers a look at your
| phone and work on that. Learning to fight the muscle reflex os
| important too.
| 29athrowaway wrote:
| Try to understand what are you getting from your addiction, and
| how that is missing from your life, or was missing in the past.
|
| The problem with feeds is that some entries provide a small
| amount of gratification. So you keep looking from the next entry
| that will provide the next small amount of gratification and so
| on. But it will never be enough.
| stagger87 wrote:
| Everyone is offering tricks or hacks to help, is simply stopping
| an option?
|
| I wasn't able to quit smoking until I really decided I wanted to
| quit and did it cold turkey. Same with both Facebook and reddit.
| I was blowing hours of my day on reddit. Then I decided I didn't
| like that for myself and quit cold turkey. It really really
| sucked at first, but I feel like until you really want to quit,
| no amount of hacks or tricks is really going to work.
| Toutouxc wrote:
| Telling addicts to "simply stop", I believe we (as a society)
| have already tried that. It doesn't work.
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| S/he is telling addicts to tell _themselves_ to stop.
| stinos wrote:
| Indeed, and that's like the one thing addicts usually
| cannot do, almost by definition. At least that's how it is
| for me.
| t-writescode wrote:
| The person is claiming to have obsessive compulsive
| disorder, which can operate a bit different from regular
| addiction.
| astral303 wrote:
| That's because this "cannot do" definition of an addict
| is incorrect/harmful. This is the disease theory of
| addiction (addicts can't help themselves) and has been
| proven wrong/harmful in recent psychology.
| stagger87 wrote:
| My comment was a suggestion/question, not a one size fits all
| prescription. There is definitely some nuance you are looking
| past.
|
| Going cold turkey is a serious approach and for some
| addictions like smoking the most statistically successful
| approach to quitting.
| pototo666 wrote:
| My dumb method: Physical separation.
|
| I live in my parents home, which is at third floor. I work at
| their garage, which is not a garage for car, but for bikes. It is
| at first floor.
|
| When I work, I put my phones at home. When I need to sleep, I put
| my phones at garage.
| [deleted]
| dr_dshiv wrote:
| https://unpluq.com/
|
| This startup seems built to directly address your needs. They
| offer a physical key solution. The founders are really fine
| people and I know they would appreciate constructive feedback
| (and customers!)
| fma wrote:
| Indistractable goes through the root to why we get addicted and
| how to fight it a bit. Turn off all notifications, uninstall
| apps, get a dumb watch so you don't check your phone for time,
| etc etc...
|
| https://www.amazon.com/Indistractable-Control-Your-Attention...
| jedberg wrote:
| Do you have a partner who lives with you or someone you trust?
| You can set up child restrictions on your phone that limits which
| apps you can use and how often and limits installing new apps,
| and then let your trusted person set the password and not tell
| you.
|
| Then if you need to do one of those things, your trusted person
| can unlock it for you.
| teserodo wrote:
| Buy a shitty phone. Also, this technique from dealing with
| cigarette addiction would help: change your brand. If you use
| iPhone, buy a budget $100 android with the smallest screen
| possible. If you use Android, buy an old iPhone 5. It'll work for
| banking apps but should be annoying enough that you won't use it
| so much.
|
| Next, what is the website/app you most want to quit? Make
| quitting that your keystone. Fully commit to quitting that one
| website. For me it was reddit, and I haven't used it once in 4 or
| 5 months.
|
| Then, uninstall all apps and switch to firefox. Install the
| leechblock addon, put a delay on all websites you want to stop
| using.
|
| Bonus: switch to nextdns and block sites at the DNS level.
|
| If any of that sounds like too much work, you need to ask whether
| you're really serious about tackling your addiction. Are you
| really serious about this? Yes? Then it's time for serious
| action. Small actions won't cut it. You need to send your
| subconscious a clear message that this is important to you.
|
| Also, consider what kind of information you spend time absorbing.
| You are what you read/watch. Get some books on habit formation,
| willpower, psychology, read those in your downtime. The Power of
| Habit and Atomic Habits are great.
| swen-rekcah wrote:
| Great suggestions here thank you. The anxiety caused by my OCD
| is so great that I will find my way into my phone, and getting
| it back to "normal" ASAP - screen time I just reset passcode,
| or override via 'forgot passcode' feature. I've used my phone
| as a crutch for my anxiety for soo long that in times of "need"
| or even when things are going great and I think I can allow
| myself a bit of freedom with the device. It always ends up
| running away from me
| tern wrote:
| https://freedom.to/ will allow you to block access to certain
| services in a way that's difficult to disable
| tthayer wrote:
| I don't know what options are available to you where you live,
| but in the US there are local credit unions which have banking
| available via browser portals.
|
| I use a Light Phone II which has a black-and-white e-ink display
| and no ability to display images or install applications beyond
| tools that they develop in-house. It's been great.
|
| I, too, have problems with infinite scroll apps. It's been really
| beneficial to my mental health to ditch the smartphone and delete
| my twitter/instagram/facebook accounts.
| tyleo wrote:
| I've previously changed my phone to black and white mode to make
| it more boring. That helped me prevent some amount of usage.
| boredatworkme wrote:
| In my case, disabling almost all the distracting social media
| notifications has helped me a great deal. I've long given up on
| using Instagram, Facebook. I saw Twitter and Reddit used to take
| up a bulk of my time, so I've removed the apps and I use the
| browser for these sites. Also, there's the screen time
| notification which I've set and forgotten the password to. I've
| so far resisted the urge to reset that password.
|
| I believe at the end of day, just like any other forms of
| addiction, strong will is what helps us.
| plank_time wrote:
| Stop making excuses for why you need a smartphone and smash your
| phone right now.
|
| You will survive without it.
|
| Everything you need can be done from your computer.
|
| Everything else is just an excuse. I made several excuses why I
| needed Facebook app, but ultimately I just impulsively deleted it
| and have felt so free from it since then.
|
| Reddit and HN are next...
| u678u wrote:
| I ran out of data one time and it put me on 2g speeds, which was
| great because the bare minimum worked, but browsing the net was
| painful.
|
| I really wish there was a way to get slow connection sim cards.
| Anyone know of this? Maybe a cheap MVNO that throttles to keep
| prices down.
| subsection1h wrote:
| > I will always end up downloading "scroller" apps - Twitter,
| Instagram
|
| Start reading the journals of the ACM and IEEE:
|
| https://dl.acm.org/journals
|
| https://www.ieee.org/publications/
|
| Afterwards, branch out into other fields and read their journals.
|
| Lastly, realize that nearly all of the information on Twitter,
| Instagram, HN and most of the web is of low quality and should be
| avoided.
| dbtc wrote:
| This is quality advice! ;)
| dschuessler wrote:
| Some HN community member recently plugged his side project in
| another thread and it seems quite fitting here:
| https://pausbox.com/
|
| It's a configurable phone enclosure that physically separates you
| from your phone but lets important calls get through.
|
| There are surely cheaper and probably more efficient ways to
| address OP's question but I might throw it in here anyways since
| it's sufficiently related.
| fellowniusmonk wrote:
| Configuring "Do not disturb" mode to allow calls and important
| texts through is my default phone mode all day long.
|
| Makes a big difference.
| davzie wrote:
| My time to shine! I spent 2 - 3 years going back and forth
| between dumb phones and smartphones with various different
| measures for the same reasons. Here is my video with my final
| summations on the topic and how some techniques I've found may
| help you (iOS specific):
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-TKgRxdA5o
|
| Feel free to follow me on Twitter too and chat about any
| questions you have. I've been playing around with these sorts of
| ideas for years and find it really fascinating / interesting. I
| can also recommend some fantastic books.
| davzie wrote:
| One of the most insightful things I found was actually that
| simply feeling that phone use is bad makes it feel bad and puts
| you in a bad loop of "I'm so terrible I can't stop checking my
| phone etc". Also when I'm stressed with work, I focus and
| fixate on how much screen time I have. I would hazard a guess
| that you have more emotional / other issues that would benefit
| you to address. For me it was stress with work and feeling like
| I'm not good enough. Like I said, I'd love to chat to see if I
| can help.
| astral303 wrote:
| This comment is on point!
|
| You have to be nicer/kinded to yourself. Life is
| hard/stressful enough as is.
|
| When you start feeling bad about yourself, as GP said, "I'm
| so terrible I can't stop checking my phone", you take away
| hope and you start living only in the "now". "I'm so
| terrible" is a gross overgeneralization that puts your mood
| and increases your need to feel good via the addictive
| behaviors. Compare that to thinking: "I know I'm having a
| hard time stopping checking my phone, but maybe today I can
| do a little less of it."
|
| The thing that keeps addiction going is hopelessness.
|
| Treating addiction as disease (like AA does) is simply WRONG.
| It is actively harmful to recovery. It renders you hopeless
| ("I have no control over my disease").
| davzie wrote:
| Side note: The Secret is actually a great book who's
| message on positive thinking has all but dispelled my
| negative talk about my work and habits and simply just made
| life feel much easier. It's totally whacky but I just kind
| of love it !
| ibn-python wrote:
| What books would you recommend? Have similar not good enough
| feelings towards work.
| davzie wrote:
| Just generally positive thinking. If you're in your head,
| you're dead. I really enjoyed "The Secret" for this sort of
| mindset. It's a bit mad but the core message I think is
| great!
| criddell wrote:
| I feel like telling a phone addict to meet you on YouTube and
| Twitter to chat is like inviting an alcoholic to a bar to
| discuss their drinking problem.
| davzie wrote:
| I know, the irony is what makes it so naughty and exciting !
| alaq wrote:
| Do you not use iMessage? How do you access that when you're using
| the flip phone?
| chrisbigelow wrote:
| My cofounder and I have been working on this problem for the past
| few years after being frustrated by the software solutions. You
| need your entire phone out of sight, new studies show even the
| presence of your phone can be a distraction[1] We are super-
| excited to be launching on Indiegogo in the next few weeks. Check
| it out at https://pausbox.com
|
| [1] https://news.utexas.edu/2017/06/26/the-mere-presence-of-
| your...
| stinos wrote:
| FYI 'paus' is Dutch for 'pope'
| chrisbigelow wrote:
| We may need to rebrand when we expand to the European
| market...
| ryneandal wrote:
| Something that helped me with productivity immensely was going to
| the doctor. After a long discussion about a variety of issues, I
| was diagnosed with ADHD, at 31. Sometimes this stuff is a result
| of a condition that can be managed via medication.
| thenoblesunfish wrote:
| I was surprised how effective and enjoyable I found Habitica
| (habitica.com). This provides you with an app to check, where you
| get fun meaningless points for doing things you are trying to get
| into the habit of doing. Turn your obsessiveness on itself.
| vchynarov wrote:
| ~The Triple Ziploc Bag method.~
|
| I dedicate a few days a month to being absolutely phone-free. The
| key point is I'm allowed to use Reddit/IG but I have to use a
| laptop/desktop to access them. This method requires a key
| ingredient: three ziploc bags.
|
| I wrap both my work phone (when not oncall) and my personal phone
| in three nested ziploc bags and put them in a drawer. This acts
| as a great deterrent most of the time.
|
| I've started doing this on/off since last December. Each month I
| aim to have at least like 6+ completely phone free days. This
| isn't to say I still don't have bad days where I'm completely
| addicted to my phone, but overall I feel so much better with this
| habit.
|
| My therapist who deals with other software engineers has
| mentioned me as a positive case study for people with similar
| problems :)
| winkelwagen wrote:
| Can recommend something like this. You can even buy something
| with a timerlock. Atomic habits (book) gives this advice. The
| idea is that "bad" behavior shouldn't be super easy.
|
| I have a small cupboard with a key lock where I put some of the
| chocolates. Not saying I can't have any, but walk around the
| house to get the key gives me enough time for meditation to ask
| myself Am I hungry, or do I really want some chocolate.
| abraae wrote:
| I give my key to my wife, who is tolerant enough to act as my
| gatekeeper and only gives it to me once a week. Pretty lame
| but it seems to work.
| jacquesm wrote:
| Switch banks. Stick to your dumbphone. Problem solved.
| whynotkeithberg wrote:
| Blocks don't work for me... I just had to stop. One thing that
| helped was going on walks and just leaving my phone entirely. It
| felt super weird... But when I would go into town if I didn't
| need my phone I left it cause I found myself ALWAYS browsing
| reddit or something even if I had just been on there 30 seconds
| before.
|
| After a while of leaving my phone behind the urge went away. For
| technical people I don't think blocks help because you can just
| get around it easy.
| gnicholas wrote:
| Turn on the system-wide parental controls and have someone else
| set the password. You can set time limits for apps (x mins per
| day), designated hours for apps (only between 6-8p), and block
| apps outright.
|
| If you live with someone who can be your password-holder, this is
| easy with little downside. If you don't, you need to think about
| the possibility of emergency use of the phone. But I think it
| will let you call 911 at any time of day regardless of parental
| controls.
|
| One thing I will note from when I set this up years ago for a
| friend's family: there aren't persistent preferences, and once
| you disable parental controls (even just for a minute), you have
| to re-enable every single control manually. This may well have
| changed in the last 5 years though -- I certainly hope so!
| aristofun wrote:
| Remove as much apps as possible.
|
| Turn off _all_ notifications.
|
| It helped me.
| there4 wrote:
| Wired suggested using grayscale mode to help make the phone less
| engaging. On iOS, I believe you can find it under Accessibility >
| Display & Text Size > Color Filters.
|
| https://www.wired.com/story/grayscale-ios-android-smartphone...
| lolsal wrote:
| Look into setting up your phone in supervised mode. I think you
| can do it using any Mac. Essentially you can make yourself an
| 'admin' of your phone that can strip away a lot of functionality.
| Like you can dictate what apps are installed and other neat
| things. It will require some digging into Xcode or the iPhone
| Configurator. I haven't done it myself, but it's an option!
| jaredandrews wrote:
| Something I have started doing is decoupling functionality from
| my phone. For example, I bought a cheap 4GB mp3 player a couple
| months ago. I bought a standalone alarm clock too. Basically I
| have tried to reduce the number of things I use my phone for.
| This means I no longer even have my phone with me a lot of the
| time.
|
| The other change I have made is keeping my phone on silent by
| default and blocking notifications for almost everything.
| nxpnsv wrote:
| I put 2fa on twitter, but no 2fa app in phone. So i never twitter
| on phone.
| pkrotich wrote:
| Great suggestions already given on how to limit your phone use...
| But I can only imagine that it leaks into other areas of your
| life.
|
| Have you've looked into treating the causes you mentioned?
| Perhaps behavioral therapy.
| swen-rekcah wrote:
| Thank you. I am undergoing CBT and Exposure Therapy for my
| contamination based OCD (this isn't linked to the phone usage)
| however in times of anxiety caused by the compulsions I head
| straight for my phone, and will get into it any way possible
| FalconSensei wrote:
| What works for me is not removing the apps - as you can install
| them back - but having something else to do that is not on the
| phone/computer. Having paper books/kindle for instance.
|
| Things you can do to avoid being on the phone/computer, mixed
| durations:
|
| - paper books/kindle
|
| - (print) sudoku, crossword, logic puzzles (I love those)
|
| - journaling
|
| - drawing (in general, or comic strips)
|
| - playing an instrument (for larger 'do something else' sessions)
| tomr_stargazer wrote:
| I really like the book "How to Break Up With Your Phone" by
| Catherine Price [0,1]. It has a 30-day step by step plan to
| restructure your habits around technology, and I've found it more
| effective than anything else. I especially like that it is
| gradual, gentle, and promotes mindfulness rather than trying to
| force an all-or-nothing approach ("cold turkey").
|
| [0] https://www.amazon.com/How-Break-Up-Your-Phone/dp/039958112X
| [1] https://www.powells.com/book/how-to-break-up-with-your-
| phone...
| twodave wrote:
| I found the below extremely effective at curbing addictive
| behaviors myself.
|
| Find somebody you trust and have them password-protect your
| Screen Time settings and lock them down. Uninstall anything you
| don't want distracting you. Disable literally everything except
| the banking apps, texting and calling.
|
| If you really need to get into your phone for whatever reason,
| there's a feature that allows you to request time.
|
| You can also always wipe the phone using any computer with MacOS
| on it (or just take it to an Apple Store) if things become
| desperate.
|
| DO NOT click the button that prompts you to persist your Screen
| Time settings to iCloud--that crap is nearly impossible to get
| rid of, and you'll be stuck creating a new iCloud account if your
| friend disappears for whatever reason.
|
| If you can't do the above for whatever reason, then I'd suggest
| changing your banking memberships so that you no longer depend on
| phone apps. If you're really serious about solving your problems
| then you'll need to be ready to do "whatever it takes."
| sapientiae3 wrote:
| https://atomichabits.com That's all you need.
| throwaway823882 wrote:
| 1) Switch your bank account, 2) there are apps out there that
| replace the entire UI with a blank screen with 7 or 8 pre-
| selected apps (for Android anyway) and silence notifications.
| Helped me a ton, my phone doesn't grab my attention or show me
| anything unless I make it. I think the premium versions may allow
| you to completely block apps (like the App Store). Otherwise look
| into "Parental Controls" to lock down the phone to essentials.
|
| If you feel you're about to start doing something on your phone
| that you don't want to, force yourself to get up and do 10
| pushups, and then go accomplish some task that you have already
| set for yourself (chores, make a phone call, plan your day/week).
| If you can stick to it, the worst case is you'll be getting stuff
| done in addition to wasting time. Best case, you lose the
| interest in the scrolly thing because your attention gets focused
| on something else.
| egypturnash wrote:
| _due to having a "mobile only" bank account I have to have access
| to my iPhone._
|
| Is changing your bank account an option?
| academia_hack wrote:
| I bought a diet-aid box with a timer called "Kitchen Safe". Just
| dump my phone in it whenever I have the will power, set a timer
| for a few hours, and turn a moment of motivation into hours of
| phone-free bliss. The box is designed to shatter if you hit it,
| so there's no need to worry about losing access in a real
| emergency but the replacement cost is high enough to not do that
| everytime reddit beckons.
| thanatos519 wrote:
| This ++ ... designed for "cookies" but great for most
| addictions!
|
| https://www.thekitchensafe.com/
| varenc wrote:
| As others have said, iOS has great support for parental controls.
| Look at the "Screen Time" menu in settings. You can put time
| limits on apps or block everything but a few apps explicitly. For
| ultimate enforcement let someone else you trust decide the
| passcode for you.
|
| You could also block certain services on your whole home network
| with a DNS filter. This would block anything from using
| Twitter/Instagram, etc. NextDNS makes this particularly easy.
| (Though that won't work when using cellular data and is pretty
| easy to bypass for someone technical)
| HDMI_Cable wrote:
| The problem with Screen Time is that its trivial to get past.
| Eventually you enter the password enough times and it becomes
| muscle memory. Having someone else do it and then not tell you
| the password is the bare minimum.
| akeck wrote:
| I use block lists on PiHole when I'm at home. I can't cheat with
| cell data because I have a limited data plan. Works OK. It's only
| a tool though. If there are deeper issues driving your phone
| addiction, you can use something like PiHole to give you a
| fighting chance and then seek out a therapist for help.
| bishnu wrote:
| The rubber band trick [1] really helped me. Took my unlocks-per-
| day from ~100 to ~20. I took it off after about 2 weeks and it's
| more or less stayed that way.
|
| 1: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-
| tech/mo...
| 1270018080 wrote:
| For others reading, the rubber band trick is just putting a
| rubber band around the device to make you think about it.
|
| I thought it was going to be classically condition yourself by
| snapping yourself in the wrist with a rubber band every time
| you use your phone.
| murm wrote:
| How essential the banking apps are in your everyday life? If you
| don't need them to be available all the time, maybe you could
| store your iPhone somewhere behind a time lock and schedule
| specific times when you deal with your banking needs?
| donohoe wrote:
| Is there someone out there that you trust?
|
| If so, I would consider setting yourself up a Family account and
| having them set limits for you using Apple's Screen Time.
|
| You can setup hours that you can't use any apps except for
| emergency and pre-approved apps, you can also set time limits on
| applications or categories.
|
| Have an agreement in place that you can request changes to the
| rules, but will always give 3-7 days notice.
|
| As someone who would usually circumvent my own restrictions, I
| think thats the easiest option available to you today.
| Wowfunhappy wrote:
| > I do have a second "dumb phone" (Nokia flip 2720) but due to
| having a "mobile only" bank account I have to have access to my
| iPhone.
|
| Could you switch banks?
|
| Could you move you sim card to your Nokia phone and uninstall
| every iPhone app except your banking app? (Effectively turning
| the iPhone into a single-purpose banking device.) I'm primarily
| thinking about setting up parental controls, with a friend as the
| "parent".
| kziemio wrote:
| 1. Try using the web browser in "private" mode for all your
| browsing, so there's no autocomplete. Get rid of any bookmarks
| and don't install any apps. Instead, go to
| mobile.twitter.com/id_aa_carmack or whatever manually. This slows
| you down and makes it easy to forget to check Twitter for days
| and weeks at at time.
|
| 2. On the migraines and eye strain issues, this may be solvable
| by getting glasses or an updated prescription.
| ALittleLight wrote:
| Get a new bank. If the bank is a part of a significant problem
| for your life you should just swap it out for a bank that will
| let you access your accounts through a browser as needed. Toss
| your smart phone and only use the dumb phone.
| thenaturalist wrote:
| This, 100%.
| teserodo wrote:
| Can you advise a bank account? I have three, currently, and
| they all require a smartphone to use them. My GitHub account
| now also requires a smartphone to log in for 2fa, which I was
| required to setup on my account (they do have SMS
| functionality, but not in my country). More and more, a
| smartphone is simply inescapable as a form of identity. It
| sucks - but the backup form of identity is a phone number,
| which sucks even more.
| KMnO4 wrote:
| > My GitHub account now also requires a smartphone to log in
| for 2fa
|
| TOTP isn't exclusive to mobile apps. You can easily use the
| authenticator from a desktop. Some password managers (eg
| 1Password) have this built in as well.
| toast0 wrote:
| Not intending to offend or be offensive, but how do old
| people bank in your country?
|
| My parents wouldn't be caught dead with a smartphone, but
| they still need to do banking.
| livre wrote:
| I can't speak for GP but we have mobile-only* banks in my
| country too. They usually have better interest rates, let
| you easily pay your bills from the app and let anyone open
| an account with just an ID. Many traditional banks have a
| lot of not so easy to meet requirements for opening an
| account and not so good customer service. Old people still
| use traditional banks because they are used to them and
| don't mind waiting 4 or 5 hours in queue for something that
| only takes 2 minutes on an app or a website.
|
| * To clarify this, I don't mean banks that require a mobile
| app for TOTP or some sort of security, I mean banks that
| only let you operate through their mobile app. Their
| website is usually just a link to the app stores. and some
| FAQ, they don't have a physical location you can go.
| jklein11 wrote:
| What country are you in? In the US I am beyond happy with
| Charles Schwab. I've been using them for ~10 years and I
| can't think of a reason why I would switch.
| teserodo wrote:
| Ireland. There are strict regulations around 2fa for online
| banking.
| swen-rekcah wrote:
| Sorry I should have been clearer - the banking app is Monzo
| and they don't have a web app for mobile or desktop
| ALittleLight wrote:
| I have only ever used one bank (Wells Fargo) my entire life,
| so I am not a good candidate to suggest banks. I am satisfied
| with Wells Fargo though, for what it's worth. I can log in
| through the browser.
| teserodo wrote:
| I'm from Europe. There's all kinds is new regulations
| around 2fa for banking apps that came out last year,
| logging in seems to absolutely require a phone now, and all
| my accounts use an app to do it.
| Symbiote wrote:
| Neither of my British accounts require a smartphone to
| log in, they send an SMS or make a voice call. My Danish
| account uses either an app or SMS.
|
| You probably can't use a startup bank, as the app is one
| way they cut costs. Use a boring bank.
| mrweasel wrote:
| Just curious: Doesn't you Danish account still support
| the little cardboard card with the one-time codes?
|
| Personally I really hate that they want to kill the card,
| and go to an app model (with the option of a key fob).
| It's made even worse by the police (and others) pushing
| the idea that the app is safer. How is it safer to have
| your two-factor authentication app on the same devices as
| the apps that need the second factor? Those things should
| be separate.
| Symbiote wrote:
| You are correct, I can also use the code card of one-use
| keys.
|
| I was confused by the recent change where online
| purchases require an SMS or the app, and no longer work
| with the code card.
|
| I think the app is probably encouraged since it protects
| against a phishing site like this:
| hxxp://tilbagebetaling1060dkk.net/1060DKK/ -- but I'm not
| quite sure how.
| flal_ wrote:
| SMS as a 2nd factor is ( for a very good reason )
| prohibited by dspp2 European directive. You.might have
| escaped that with brexit though. Even old school banks (
| French dude here ) are forced to use apps as 2fa, but my
| bank for example can provide an hardware token, or a
| smartcard.
| ranguna wrote:
| 2fa through SMS? You don't need a smartphone for that.
|
| I don't know about Ireland, but in Portugal most banks
| have a Web app and not just a mobile app.
| swen-rekcah wrote:
| Sorry I should have been clearer - the banking app is
| Monzo and they don't have a web app for mobile or desktop
| [deleted]
| maccard wrote:
| If you're using monzo I'm guessing UK - pretty much all
| the banks other than monzo, starling, revolut are _fine_
| salsadip wrote:
| In case you use macOS and own a M1 mac, check if your
| bank's 2fa app works on macOS. Your bank can deactivate
| it but iOS apps default to being runnable under macOS.
| waiseristy wrote:
| You only need to activate a very limited scope of self-control to
| improve your current situation.
|
| Don't. Download. Apps.
|
| If you are actually serious about improving your situation, you
| should be able to self-recognize going to the app store and
| hitting 'download'. If you find yourself doing that, uninstall
| the app you just downloaded and put the phone down. It's really
| that simple.
|
| 99% of addictive websites out there will more or less force you
| to download their app by making the mobile website design
| incredibly frustrating to use. Use this to your advantage. 5-10
| minutes of reddit/twitter a day is fine. But DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE
| APP
| NoPicklez wrote:
| In an effort to not repeat some of the great comments already, I
| think it would be beneficial for you try to find things to do
| that don't involve your phone.
|
| Try to find something to do that you find more interesting than
| being on your phone, sports (Running/Cycling), hobbies, walks
| etc.
|
| I'm as guilty as anyone for looking at my phone too often, its
| usually only when I have nothing better to do, because of that it
| makes it worse.
| swen-rekcah wrote:
| Thank you. I do run and this is another trigger, because I'm
| "feeling good" I will download apps like Strava, Nike running,
| Garmin app (linked to running watch) - I also illustrate and
| not being able to have apps like Instagram to promote work is
| annoying
| andrefuchs wrote:
| At least for Android there a launcher that let's you filter apps.
| Here is one example:
| https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beforesoft...
| Maybe you can achieve something like that on iOS.
|
| Also cognitive behavioral therapy could help you with OCD and
| anxiety.
| vbsteven wrote:
| You can use the Apple family stuff to setup your iPhone as a
| child in the family. Then you have parental controls I believe
| let you restrict apps and domains the phone can access.
| gnicholas wrote:
| You can use parental controls without linking your phone to
| anyone else's.
| mrweasel wrote:
| Sadly I can't find it, but there was an Android launcher that
| would restrict the number of apps you can have to five or seven.
|
| Sadly there is no such solution on the iPhone.
| cronix wrote:
| The thing that helped me quit using my phone as much was to quit
| using apps where there was a web counterpart available. For
| instance, I deleted the banking app and only visit the website on
| my home pc (or browser on phone if really in a pinch, which is
| rare). I deleted the facebook app and only used the website. I've
| since deleted the FB account totally. Same with twitter. Just use
| the website. My "phone" is now only used for phone calls and
| regular texting. I have a lot more free time and there is a
| "separation of concerns," to borrow a phrase from the tech
| industry. I use my computer for computing and my phone for phone
| calls, like how it used to be before smart phones. This also
| saved some money as I wasn't using as much "mobile" data, so I
| lowered the data plan. Also, shut off notices except for phone
| and texting, maybe email. My phone is relatively quiet now. No
| constant bleeping and blooping to cause that dopamine rush of
| "what did I miss out on" and programmatically running to check.
| Simply, you are addicted to your phone. You need to ween yourself
| off. Your OCD will likely subside once you've re-programmed
| yourself not to react to the stimuli. And if I'm out with people,
| the phone is OFF. They get my attention, not the phone. Now, a
| lot of the time, I don't even carry my phone with me. There is
| nothing so important that is happening that can't wait until I
| get home to check it. It's a gradual process, but the important
| thing is to start.
| cybertoad wrote:
| I totally support this idea ob substituting apps for web
| interface counterparts. Me and my friend are both kind of
| addicted to these scroller things and the only way to secure
| our selves from wasted time is just deleting the apps. If
| anyone reading this would think how much time they spend on
| lets say facebook desktop version, or instagram, this would be
| a clear choice. Also, having a smart watch is a no-no for these
| addictions as in your mention for stimuli
| a-saleh wrote:
| My solution for "I will always download" ... I have separate sim
| for my facebook account, and I only use it to register messenger.
|
| I have contemplated switching to e-ink smarphone. Eink screens
| are getting usable enough for texting/banking, but are still
| horrible enough not to spend hours on social media.
| namelosw wrote:
| I don't have problems with phones but I have problems with
| computers - I was usually ended up with HN and YouTube when I
| tried to learning/writing/programming for side projects.
|
| Then I recall I read from somewhere that Donald Knuth prefers pen
| and paper to computer. I tried it and it did work for me. I just
| turn off the computer and use pen and paper/book/printed stuff
| most of the time. When I have to use the computer I leave the
| network cable unplugged and finish it quick; When I have to use
| the internet, I write down what I going to do and do it then turn
| off the computer; I only check HN or YouTube on meal breaks or
| before sleep.
|
| I found programming with pen and paper is surprisingly effective,
| and arguably makes the system better designed. Reading printed
| code and take notes in diagrams like half a century ago make me
| understand better (I don't actually print everything, just
| collect those parts I find important to an editor then print).
| Turn-on computer on demand feels like going back to the lab from
| the dorm when the idea struck. All are slower but make steady
| progress, and it's enjoyable. Much better than time wasted in
| vain.
|
| As in hindsight, I don't think I'm addicted because I don't have
| withdrawal symptoms - I don't get uncomfortable when I'm not
| using a computer or the Internet. It's just those websites are
| good at grasping my attention. If that's your case, just turn it
| off or lock your phone away and only get it when you need your
| online bank. But if you do have withdrawal symptoms, you probably
| need to ask professionals to address them.
| tpmx wrote:
| It seems like such an obvious/silly thing, but I have found
| that having a nice large desk space with a good chair and
| lighting with no single computing device on it is a pretty
| powerful thing when you've become addicted that way. At least
| it's useful as a place to read books and magazines, and to
| sketch stuff on paper.
|
| For the past 25 years, my best (and often only) desk at home
| has had an Internet-connected desktop computer with the
| largest/best screen I could afford placed directly in front of
| the chair.
|
| I've been trying out different placements for this non-
| computing desk, but I think the best place may actually be just
| next to the main "computing" desk. Too far away and I end up
| not using it that much.
| yetanother-1 wrote:
| I like your idea of offline paper-based programming for side
| projects and one-man-projects. However it becomes very
| difficult to do any of that in a group of people in the middle
| of a pendamic. But will give it a try. Thanks!
| hutzlibu wrote:
| Why would it be difficult?
|
| You just use a pen to bring your algorithms or designs on
| paper. And optional you print out code you are currently
| working on.
|
| That works when working alone, but also with many people.
| Because of course in the end - you use the computer to
| actually type your code in.
| ajonit wrote:
| These points should help - 1) Do you have someone near whom you
| can trust with social passwords? If yes, great. Ask them to
| change all your passwords and then you get 1 cheat day where the
| person will enter the password again and delete app(s) at the end
| of the day.
|
| 2) Change color to monochrome in iPhone settings.
|
| 3) These things should pretty much sort out. If you are still
| using browser etc and can't get rid of the iphone, go buy a basic
| phone which can run your bare minimum banking apps.
|
| 4)For 2FA, use Authy. It does have a desktop app.
| marcusverus wrote:
| In my opinion, the hard part of habit change isn't discovering
| the specifics of the changes you need to make in order to alter
| your habits. The hard part is meta aspect of _actually doing the
| things that you know you need to do_ for long enough to break
| your old habits and to form new ones, all while your subconscious
| mind is longing for the sweet comfort of your old habits! We are
| masters at fooling ourselves, at talking ourselves into momentary
| pleasure at the cost of our long-term wellbeing, at repeatedly
| procrastinating 'just this once' until we completely forget that
| we were trying to make a change!
|
| In my experience, the solution to this problem is good old-
| fashioned journaling. Sit down for a few minutes every morning
| and write down a few words about the change that you want to make
| and why. That way, every morning you have a chance to re-affirm
| the importance of this change, and hold yourself accountable for
| failing or procrastinating. If you're anything like me, as you
| attempt to change your habits you will fail repeatedly. Your
| journaling session is a dedicated session during which you can be
| honest about this failure, consider why you've failed, and to
| change your approach and to press on toward a better future.
|
| To start, get out a journal (like, right now!), put it in a place
| where you can't miss it, and commit to writing a single sentence
| _every single day_. Don 't beat yourself up about failing to
| execute on your target habit change on a given day, but do commit
| to never missing a single day of journaling.
|
| If you can pick up the pen once per day, you can get it done.
|
| Also, read Atomic Habits, which is an absolute must-read for
| folks who want to make changes in their lives.
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