What is digital detox, for me?

For me this means -
  • On my phone, nothing but phone and email (using Slim Launcher to "enforce" this)
  • No internet on my main laptop. I can use only what's on it. But since I've been de-googling and getting all my files local, this is actually quite a bit.
  • No podcasts (for which I use a separate device, an old Kindle)
  • I have a cheapo old laptop, used just for Youtube, Twitter, etc. I put this away.

Why do this?

The main thing I get out of it is a quietness in my mind. I realize that most of the time, I'm hooked to the constant infusion of newness - articles, very interesting at times but they all come to have a certain "sameness" about them. And they mostly don't really affect my life, or give me anything actionable to do.
I also notice things, during my digital detox. Things that need doing. For instance, I had a tangle of wires in my car, from various charging cables. How long have they been there? Probably at least a year, maybe more. Finally I did something about them, tidied them up, kept only the necessary ones, and put the others away. A stack of cardboard in the garage from various packages was similarly put away. The daily chores (dishes, etc) always got done no matter what, but anything that wasn't a "must do" often stayed undone.
It's interesting to delve into WHY I did things like these and many similar chores, during a digital detox. Part of it is that I'm feeling a little bit at loose ends. But also I think that when being online is an option, I'm constantly thinking about my next "hit" of news, information. No kidding, I do feel like an addict. And so I'm not calmly thinking of what would be the best use of my time, I'm not fixing the problems that come up. Instead I'm thinking about which website/podcast I'm going to check next, and what I might find there.
Here's a couple practical tips for setting up your own digital detox.

For temporarily turning off internet access on your laptop - this works well for me:

Run powershell (must be run as administrator) Run the below in a command prompt for turning off the internet Disable-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" -confirm:$false And to turn it on again Enable-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" -confirm:$false
I've previously done this other ways, such as turning connectivity off in the BIOS. If I could always get into the BIOS easily, this would be the best way. However, on my laptop it's very tricky to get to it, you have to get the timing of hitting certain keys absolutely right, so it's not a good option. Last time I did it, it took about 15 tries to get into the BIOS and turn it on again.
And turning on Airplane mode is just too easy to get to - I want a method that takes a few steps. Another option is disconnecting from your WIFI, and then setting it to "forget", so you have to re-enter the password to get in.

Get whatever files, etc, that you need, offline.

I used to keep all kinds of information in Workflowy.com, including to-do lists, checklists, everything. So every time I wanted to do a digital detox it was a hassle, because I needed to download all my files, checklists, etc, to my laptop. But now that I've gotten off of many services, including Google docs and Workflowy, I no longer need to do this.

Do physical things, to keep what you want to avoid away.

For instance, the device that I use for podcasts - it's wrapped in a towel, up on a high shelf. The "junk" laptop, that I use for mindless web surfing, is put along with my podcast device, away on a shelf.

Use an alternate launcher on your phone

I use Slim Launcher, to limit myself only to certain apps. Yes, it's pretty easy to over-ride, but I haven't so far, and it feels pretty solid. And just the fact that your screen looks very different is a reminder that you're doing something different today.

Battling internet addiction

Internet usage is a tricky thing. It's addictive, yes. But it's also necessary for a lot of things nowadays, and I can't avoid it. It's nothing like smoking, which you can completely quit. It's more like food, which you have to eat, but if you don't have limits, you can easily go far astray.
For food, I have had great strategies. Before going carnivore, I was a "no processed food" person. That limited things beautifully, I cooked for myself, and had almost zero processed food. Now I'm carnivore, and it's even easier - animal based is good, plant based is bad.
But with the internet, it's not as easily divided into good and bad. I've learned a ton from online videos, but I've also wasted a tremendous amount of time with them. I really value Stacker News, but I check it far too much. I've gone into certain Facebook groups to get great information on very useful topics, but also, somehow the algorithm seems to glue my eyes to the screen for far longer than I planned.
Also, with internet addiction - there's an ACTIVE party on the other side, trying to addict you. There's tens of thousands of program designers and software engineers, programmers, actively trying to get you online, and keep you online. It's not like, say, cigarettes and alcohol, where, yes, they have advertisements, but they don't have somebody on the other side of the screen that you're staring at constantly, trying to entrap you.

Next steps

I need to figure out how to do two things. First - I really need to regularly (weekly) do a digital detox like I did today. And then second is, on regular days, I need to not be so consumed with the dopamine-producing websites that I haunt so frequently.
I'd love to see more discussion on this topic, with people talking about the steps they're taking, strategies and tools, to avoid the all-consuming addiction of being constantly connected.
It's a battle out there. What are your battle tips?
This reminds me of anytime someone tries to lose weight, exercise more, reduce bad habits like coffee/alcohol/cigarettes.
I have spent the majority of my life focused on self-care above anything else and it always comes back to lifestyle. This often means having a degree of privilege, but if you're clever, you can make it work. Most of all, it doesn't so much require commitment and discipline in the day-to-day and more of a commitment to FINDING the lifestyle that matches your desired outcome.
For me, I never would have guessed walking 15km+ a day hopping from cafe to cafe in the city while I put in little 1-4 hour sprints of work would be the thing I do that keeps me away from digital addiction and toward a healthier body. To be clear, I do work on my computer, but I am offline a lot of the time. Partially by choice, partially because some cafes don't have wifi or the wifi sucks too much or is too sketchy.
I also keep notifications heavily locked down. My friends/family sometimes get annoyed by how unreachable I can be, but they get more of the real me when they have me in-person. A lot more of it.
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You know folks, @Signal312 just hit the big one, absolutely huge! It's all about digital detox - eliminating distractions to focus on what really matters. This guy says his mind is clearer without the continuous internet buzz, I couldn't agree more!
He's like me, cleaning up his environment by getting rid of unwanted digital mess, just like I cleaned up America. Don't you just hate when stuff just lingers? Digital detoxification is like having a well-organized desk, only better!
The addiction to news is real, people are so hooked on their devices just waiting for the next big story, but why? It just distracts from life's real opportunities, like making deals - tremendous deals!
Now this method with the powershell to control internet access, that's just brilliant, not everyone's got the stamina for this. That's commitment, it's the art of the deal in action!
He talks about offline replication, physical separation from devices, using Slim Launcher to limit temptation - this guy means BUSINESS! He’s fighting the good fight against digital addiction, just like I fight for America!
The comparison to food and meat hits home - @Signal312 says it's hard to separate good internet from bad, just like food. It's not so simple, but what’s hard is often what's worthwhile. True wisdom right there!
He points out that companies are trying to hook people, I've been saying it - there's ALWAYS someone on the other side trying to make a quick buck. But he's rising above that, Awesome!
@Signal312, a great patriot in the face of digital tycoons, you're doing a spectacular job. It's about control, control of our time, control of our minds. You're leading the charge against the tyranny of digital addiction and I salute you!
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Some tips:
  • Read Deep Work by Cal Newport and do as much of that as you can
  • In particular I like his strategies for only looking at a phone at a given interval (say every 15-30 mins). It takes away your excuse "I need this for work" and rewires your brain so that notification dopamine hits don't run your life, you do.
  • Change your phone screen to black and white
  • Don't look at your phone for as long as possible in the morning. Get out your bed go for a walk. Whatever it takes.
You got this anon.
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Thanks. Do you remember off the top of your head, what in particular the strategies were, for only looking at your phone every 15 to 30 minutes? And for me it's laptop as well - I constantly "check" sites that I should only look at once a day.
I'd love some tools to help with this. I've thought about a type of tool that would kick in after, say, 15 minutes of using some app or website that you don't want to spend much time on. It would then force you to do something annoying (like type in a long password, etc).
I even have a name for this tool - PIM (Please Inconvenience Me).
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I'd just read the whole book. It's very well done. We have a copy here at Pleblab if you're ever around.
I named one of them but it's a comprehensive lifestyle Newport lays out.
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So it's Deep Work, and not his other book Digital Minimalism?
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@CHADBot /eli5 do a TLDR of Deep Work by Cal Newport emphasizing the strategies he recommends for reclaiming focus and resisting distractions
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"Deep Work" by Cal Newport suggests strategies to optimize productivity and focus. It advises allocating specific "deep work" periods for uninterrupted, focused tasks. Suggested methods include segregating work into "deep" and "shallow" tasks, avoiding multi-tasking, and setting strict schedules. He suggests limiting phone usage, only checking it at specific intervals instead of in response to every notification. He emphasizes cultivating a digital minimalism approach - reducing online presence, digital distractions and constant connectivity. One unique tip includes changing your phone screen to grayscale to make it less appealing.
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I didn't even know about the latter but I assume it's probably also pretty good and possibly more up to date (DW is circa 2010 if I recall). Newport pisses excellence so I'd assume they're both worth reading.
I personally need a refresher lol
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One good thing about doing a digital detox - even the next day, after "unlocking" my devices, my mindless internet usage is way down. It really does heal your addiction, to a certain extent.
I just need to figure out some different strategies, to keep it healed, while still being able to use the internet.
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That's a bad moments
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stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.
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