I've been writing up posts pretty frequently on my regular digital detox - many if not most Sundays. I basically have no internet for a day. Here's a few of my posts on the topic - #936766, #994976, #983691.
I do these detoxes regularly, and it's an improvement over not doing them. And it do remind me of the need to step away from the laptop/phone. And encourage me to do "analog activities".
But...it's just not enough. The other days, when I'm not doing a digital detox (i.e. most days), are just...toxically filled to the brim with way, way too much sitting and staring at a screen. And going down the next rabbit-hole. Or checking the latest in politics, especially now cause things are kind of crazy.
I've brainstormed on some ideas to overcome this. For me, limiting addictive internet connectivity needs to be the default, and not just an occasional "digital detox". And I'm not even that opposed to spending a significant amount of my day in front of a screen. I just don't want to constantly be consuming. If I'm spending this time online, I want to be creating, or otherwise doing something useful.
So here's some ideas I came up with. Some of them, I've already implemented.
- On my main laptop - create a script to turn off the internet (via Disable Net-Adapter in powershell). Automate to run every hour.
- When I turn on the internet, have a written intention/task, on my desk.
- On my (android) phone, install something to limit usage. (I ended up installing ActionDash, so far looks great, set to limit browser to 10 minutes day, that's the only potentially addictive app I have installed.)
- I have an old (so old it's painfully slow) chromebook that sits on the kitchen counter. I can use it whenever, but it has to stay plugged in on the counter.
- The old chromebook is also freely available to me after 9 pm, no rules. I usually wouldn't be doing anything productive that late anyway.
- I need to always have a book available.
- I uninstalled my podcast app. Podcasts are just so absorbing that my mind doesn't get a thought in edgewise. I've done this before (#930435), and went back to podcasts. This hiatus might not be permanent either, but I need to just chill on the podcasts for a while.
- I went back to no Youtube or twitter(X) at all, on my main laptop (via Hosts file).
So, this is what I'm planning. Having wifi disabled, more or less by default, on my laptop will be interesting, I'll see how it goes.
What are the rest of you doing, about the digital distraction brain rot that seems to be getting worse and worse?