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Old 12th September 2019, 10:33   #16
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Re: Steps to free yourself: Do it today!

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Originally Posted by boniver View Post
If you're someone who's struggling with digital addiction too, I hope this thread helps you. I'm starting on my nosurf journey today, and I'd love it if you can join me. If you need some time to think about it and you're missing the train today, don't worry, you can join me whenever you want. Just make sure it's sooner rather than later, will you?
Wow, thanks for sharing there! This is very hard to admit and now that you have said this out loud, I'm sure you are on the right track. Long before, I had realised the nuisance of social media and the societal pressure to be a part of it.

After taking a break from social media apps and WhatsApp during my engineering days, I realised grimly that you will need these sooner or later. So now I use a 2 phone system. Both Whatsapps are installed in the secondary phone and that phone is kept away during me time (gym, cycling, weekends and so on...). The Whatsapp groups with too much chatter and nonsense are moved to the secondary phone which I check maybe 2 times a day (that too only if I'm tagged).

During travel, I use my iPod and iPad for entertainment which doesn't have any internet. This way I end up saving battery life as well.

Today, I see most of my friends constantly on the phone. This phenomenon has sadly spread to uncles and aunts as well, who do it as their kids do the same. Meal times are always with phones vibrating and quick swipes between each spoonful. Some even take phone to the loo and end up spending a lot more time there than needed. I can't remember the last time I saw people reading a book in the park, or just chatting without the constant checking of a phone. Go to any car show / museum / new launch and you will rarely see anyone actually appreciation the showcased product. Most are happily snapping away with the hopes of getting it first out on Instagram / Facebook / Snapchat.
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Old 12th September 2019, 10:47   #17
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

Members having OnePlus phones can take advantage of the newly introduced "Zen Mode"

Detailed write up on how it works

https://www.androidauthority.com/zen...neplus-987246/
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Old 12th September 2019, 11:04   #18
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

I realised the digital addiction and the associated stress that comes, to a large extent from social media and to a lesser extent from TV, about 3 years back and here's what I did, step by step, to reclaim some of my time and life -

1. Started off by deleting my Facebook account about 3 years ago. The initial 1-2 months were painful (psychologically), but it gradually got better. The urge to reinstate my account was great during the first 6 months or so, but I persisted and today I find FB repulsive whenever I glance at it on my wife's phone.
2. Then about 2 years back I stopped watching TV - Period. No TV, no Netflix, no PrimeVideo, no GoT, no NEWS etc.... Rather, I spent that time in the gym or reading books or playing with my daughter. If I do have to watch something, then it is on YouTube and I 'PULL' the 1 or 2 short videos that I watch in a day.
3. Then, in a sudden spurt about a year back, I exited about 30+ WhatsApp groups. Since then, I was able to go to sleep on time and didn't need to be glued to my phone as much.
4. Recently about 2 weeks back, I disabled 'Blue ticks' on WhatsApp. I had tried this once earlier but had reinstated the ticks in about a week. This time it's gone for good. I don't want to be pulled into responding to anything or anyone unless I choose to. I want to be in control of whether and when I have any conversations, if at all. Many friends, and even my wife aren't happy, but it is what it is. My life, my rules.
5. Still to do - Need to uninstall Clash of Clans from my device. That still takes a substantial amount of time everyday, but I really love playing that game. I will do this too however, because the urge to spend even more time reading is getting bigger by the day.

Fingers crossed.
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Old 12th September 2019, 11:51   #19
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Re: Steps to free yourself: Do it today!

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Originally Posted by dark.knight View Post
They say "an idle mind is a devil's workshop", true enough but what they actually mean to say is that a human mind was never meant to be idle, it either constructs creatively, or destructs creatively.

There is only one way to freedom from negative addiction or over-addiction, having another addiction/activity to do.
+1. I have never felt the need to use my cellphone whenever I'm hanging out with my friends, or on a long drive, or doing something that I like (photography etc.). Since I have college early in the morning (6am-10am), I'm free the rest of the day. I'm supposed to be studying at home during that time, but I find myself on the internet instead. I guess I don't enjoy studying then

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Originally Posted by gautamkhadse View Post
Interesting topic and Imyself have been trying ways to get off of the cell phone . It takes a while but slowly you get there if you're determined enough .

I followed , what listed in this article .
https://www.ped30.com/2018/01/13/apple-iphone-gray/
Turning your phone display from color to B & W has a strong effect . You no longer feel attracted to keep looking at it .
The inbuilt Digital Wellbeing app on phones running the newer versions of Android have a "Wind Down" mode where you can set a time slot and your phone turns B/W during that period. I currently have it set for between 10pm and 5am, and I think I need to set it to full time. Thanks for sharing, and I wish you all the best!

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
My rule = Log off from computer at 1800 hours. Evenings are purely for leisure + family.
This is a good habit, but it helps only if all the other family members enjoy spending time together as well. My parents spend their evenings on their phones as well, so this wouldn't work for me.

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Originally Posted by anandpkumar View Post
boniver,
kudos to you for having the courage to openly talk about something like this. Digital/social media addiction has become very common today; unfortunately many are unwilling to accept or talk about it......In my opinion, it is good to openly talk about such topics - it will help others come out and participate actively, knowing that they are not the only ones addicted to social media. As a society, we need to support one another, and help each other through our joys and sorrows.
Completely agree, and that is the main reason I shared my thoughts. I'm sure a lot of us here have issues with their screen usage habits, and I'm hoping they will come forward and discuss their views so that we can collectively grow as a community.

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Originally Posted by Sk8r View Post
Wow, this sounds like a plan, will try it on for a while and check

Uninstalling and deactivating whatsapp and facebook has helped considerably as well
Please try it out and post your observations on this thread! That'll help others too. Glad you deactivated your Facebook account. If you don't need it at all, you can also try deleting it. That way, Facebook will never cross your mind again.
In fact, a fellow BHPian sent me this message today itself:
Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction-img20190912wa0012.jpg

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Originally Posted by adi.mariner View Post
Thank you for sharing boniver. Digital addiction is a real problem which is faced by many people irrespective of their age. A couple of years back, I realised I was wasting a lot of time on Facebook. I deleted my profile and uninstalled the App as well. Just in a couple of days I realised that it didn't make any difference in my life by deleting the FB profile. I have started reading in the free time created.
Kudos for taking a step in the right path, adi.mariner! Glad you got rid of Facebook, it really takes a lot of our time away. Just check the screenshot I shared above. Good to know you've started reading now, I was an avid reader myself some years back. Power to you!

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Originally Posted by VVN View Post
My average screentime used to be around 6-7 hours. I realised that most of it was taken up by Instagram and Whatsapp. Decided to quit Instagram and added Whatsapp in the 'For emergencies only' list. Apples inbuilt screentime monitoring also helped. I am down to 2.3 hours daily average and I intend to lower it further. Not promoting any brand here but the smartwatch has also helped me curb my screentime quite a bit during the day. I no longer feel the need to read each and every notification that comes in.
Thanks for sharing! Glad you could change your habits for the better!

Quote:
The initial days of disconnect are really hard and your mind tends to feel uneasy with nothing to check or read online. Self care and reading is also something I am investing a lot of my time in. If I do have some spare time left after all the activities, I simply go for a short drive or fiddle with the car in the name of 'enhancements or small improvements'
I agree, but the initial few days are the same for every other addiction. I too tried to divert my attention towards self-improvement articles on the internet, but then I realized that I was spending hours going through them instead. Didn't help in curbing my digital usage.

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Originally Posted by bharatbits View Post
Absolutely agree. I also want to get rid of this addiction.

Is there any app that lets me control how much time I use FB, WhatsApp in a day. It should give me a option for each app where I can set the time say 10 minutes to FB and 15 minutes to WhatsApp. Once I exceed that limit the app should not open further for the day.

Pointers please.
Newer Android phones have the "Digital Wellbeing" app inbuilt in them. You can set timers for apps in them. Be warned though, these timers are very easy to disable, so it all depends on your willpower. If you can't find the app on your phone, just do a quick search on the Play Store/App Store. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for. All the best!

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Originally Posted by blackwasp View Post
So now I use a 2 phone system. Both Whatsapps are installed in the secondary phone and that phone is kept away during me time (gym, cycling, weekends and so on...). The Whatsapp groups with too much chatter and nonsense are moved to the secondary phone which I check maybe 2 times a day (that too only if I'm tagged).

During travel, I use my iPod and iPad for entertainment which doesn't have any internet. This way I end up saving battery life as well.
This is a very elaborate system, and might be cumbersome to carry around everywhere. I use a BlackBerry Curve and an Android smartphone. The BB has my sim, and I use it for calls and texts only. The Android has essential apps+WhatsApp but doesn't have a sim, therefore I can't use internet on it unless I am in a wifi zone. I carry it with me only for taking pictures or looking up the train schedule.

Quote:
Today, I see most of my friends constantly on the phone. This phenomenon has sadly spread to uncles and aunts as well, who do it as their kids do the same. Meal times are always with phones vibrating and quick swipes between each spoonful. Some even take phone to the loo and end up spending a lot more time there than needed. I can't remember the last time I saw people reading a book in the park, or just chatting without the constant checking of a phone. Go to any car show / museum / new launch and you will rarely see anyone actually appreciation the showcased product. Most are happily snapping away with the hopes of getting it first out on Instagram / Facebook / Snapchat.
This is the sad truth. I'm voicing my concerns out loud, but my friends use their cellphones way more than I do. The only difference is, they don't see anything wrong with their behaviour. A friend from college recently checked his weekly YouTube usage, and it turned out to be a whopping 25 hours! That's about 54 days in the year spent just on YouTube! Unfortunately though, the guy was real proud of his behaviour and was showing all this off. My parents use Facebook and WhatsApp a lot too. I think my dad's screen usage is way more than mine, tbh.
Agree with you on the rest of your post. People are turning into digital zombies. Thankfully, I don't have the habit of checking my phone when I'm with my friends or I'm visiting some friends. I get really irritated when I'm talking to someone in real life, and that person just pulls his phone out and starts using it mid-conversation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by roy_libran View Post
I realised the digital addiction and the associated stress that comes, to a large extent from social media and to a lesser extent from TV, about 3 years back and here's what I did, step by step, to reclaim some of my time and life -

1. Started off by deleting my Facebook account about 3 years ago. The initial 1-2 months were painful (psychologically), but it gradually got better. The urge to reinstate my account was great during the first 6 months or so, but I persisted and today I find FB repulsive whenever I glance at it on my wife's phone.
2. Then about 2 years back I stopped watching TV - Period. No TV, no Netflix, no PrimeVideo, no GoT, no NEWS etc.... Rather, I spent that time in the gym or reading books or playing with my daughter. If I do have to watch something, then it is on YouTube and I 'PULL' the 1 or 2 short videos that I watch in a day.
3. Then, in a sudden spurt about a year back, I exited about 30+ WhatsApp groups. Since then, I was able to go to sleep on time and didn't need to be glued to my phone as much.
4. Recently about 2 weeks back, I disabled 'Blue ticks' on WhatsApp. I had tried this once earlier but had reinstated the ticks in about a week. This time it's gone for good. I don't want to be pulled into responding to anything or anyone unless I choose to. I want to be in control of whether and when I have any conversations, if at all. Many friends, and even my wife aren't happy, but it is what it is. My life, my rules.
5. Still to do - Need to uninstall Clash of Clans from my device. That still takes a substantial amount of time everyday, but I really love playing that game. I will do this too however, because the urge to spend even more time reading is getting bigger by the day.

Fingers crossed.
Thanks for sharing! I'll also list down my responses to your points:
1. Done. Nowadays though, a lot of things are based on Facebook. I recently applied for an internship at a magazine, and one of the requirements there was having a Facebook profile! I got tempted for a bit, and then decided to look elsewhere.
2. I haven't watched TV since 2015, and I watch Netflix/Prime only when there's a specific movie that I want to watch. No TV shows since they take up a lot of time. However, I watch YouTube videos during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Need to work on this.
3. I don't talk to anyone on WhatsApp, but I still end up checking the various groups. It's nothing serious though, and I don't compromise my sleep for it.
4. Hehe, I disabled my 'Last Seen' and blue ticks back when they were first introduced in 2015! For me, it was just easier to tell people "Sorry, haven't had the time to check my phone" than "I didn't want to waste my time talking to you"
5. Thankfully, I never played CoC or PUBG. People my age spend all day on those apps though, and I don't really understand why. Hope you get rid of it very soon!
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Old 12th September 2019, 12:14   #20
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

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Originally Posted by roy_libran View Post
Then about 2 years back I stopped watching TV - Period. No TV, no Netflix, no PrimeVideo, no GoT, no NEWS etc.... Rather, I spent that time in the gym or reading books or playing with my daughter. If I do have to watch something, then it is on YouTube and I 'PULL' the 1 or 2 short videos that I watch in a day.
Good to see someone else who has given up the idiot box. I sold off my TV in 2011, and have not owned a TV since. I do watch stuff on the laptop - but that is based on what I want to watch, and I pick and choose.
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Old 12th September 2019, 13:12   #21
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

I turned off notifications from most applications last year and muted all non-work related Whatsapp groups. It helped me reduce my cell phone and social media usage.

YouTube is something I'm still grappling with. Once one starts, down the rabbit hole one goes. I have experienced that turning off the "Watch" and "Search" history does help here too as it reduces the relevancy of videos that YouTube offers up.
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Old 12th September 2019, 13:13   #22
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

Well I don't use social media apps now apart from WhatsApp (that too for communication only). Two things I am addicted to is team bhp and YouTube. I can't ignore videos on electronics, automobile and diy stuff.

I guess using a smartphone for long hours has taken a toll on my eyes and it's now difficult to see properly without glasses.
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Old 12th September 2019, 13:54   #23
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

Most of us over here are addicted to our phones and I am sure we all want to get rid of this addiction but the fear that "we will be disconnected from the world" is what stops us from taking any preventive measures.
Thank you for creating this thread and making us realize that it's about time that we stop becoming slaves to our technology!
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Old 12th September 2019, 16:01   #24
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

Well I must confess my only digital addiction is "TBHP"

We grew up playing cricket, hockey and football. Being in the IT industry for almost 25 years now, I can certainly vouch that getting addicted to a device or technology is quite easy, however its completely an individual choice on how you make the most of your available time when you are not staring at any digital device!

Off late I started to read again after a very long time and also spending some quality time on my bike and car! Well this is after the time that is available post family time
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Old 12th September 2019, 18:31   #25
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

A real problem which I see around me a lot. I am glad to say that I am part of the minority that are considered dinosaurs in this age. My primary phone is still a BlackBerry Bold 4 and is good for calls, text, email and BBM. It is on a BIS plan and it can do some amount of website visiting as well. TeamBhp has its own set keyboard shortcut and it is one thing I am addicted to; however, thanks to the extremely curated content, there is no need to be glued to it day and night.
My other phone is a BlackBerry Priv and this one handles the new stuff. I m not on Facebook and things like Instagram, Reddit, Twitter are alien to me. I use the Priv mainly for WhatsApp, Google maps, calling cabs and handling my phone numbers via their Apps. That's about it.
Given the nature of my work, I have to do a lot of studying to ensure that I m in tune with the latest developments in my field so this leaves me with little time to do non productive things. My 4 year old terrorist takes up the rest of my time.
I usually schedule my me time when I m travelling; I take advantage of airport lounges, stay at hotels near my offices, fly airlines that offer convenient timings and buy seat upgrades so I m assured of my comfort and can read my books in peace. My parents inculcated the habit of reading books and I am still consumed by them. The ability of words to capture your imagination and send you on a journey into another world and give you happiness and sadness is simply amazing!
To the OP, I would like to congratulate you on your decision to undertake the no surf program. I wish you all the best!

Last edited by N33raj : 12th September 2019 at 18:46. Reason: Editing for better readability
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Old 12th September 2019, 19:12   #26
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

Wow. This is something which I can relate to very closely. I am also addicted to internet, mainly Tbhp & Quora. I alternate between these two websites whenever I get a moment of free time. Fortunately this has not reached a point where it has caused direct negative effects on my worklife or family life. At least I'm able to get things done which needs to be get done.
I took a step by step approach to reduce my social media usage.
Reduced facebook, now I open it approx once a month for 5-10min
Made sure that I never get used to the UI of Insta , thereby avoiding it completely.
Exited most unwanted groups in WhatsApp.
Muted status of many people in WhatsApp who are habitual status posters.
Unfollowed all interesting topics in quora, almost stopped opening it. But nowadays I'm opening it again. Will be stopping from today.
Never installed any other messaging apps other than WhatsApp
Uninstalled all news apps other than one good quality paid news magazine.
Stopped reading travelogues in tbhp unless the place is somewhere I want to go in near future.
Stopped reading tbhp reviews of luxury cars since I'd not be buying any in near future.
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Old 12th September 2019, 20:35   #27
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

I can completely relate to it. I was in the same situation till I decided to control my digital life. Facebook is utter trash and I have really started hating it. What I have started hating is the fact that they keep tracking your each and every action. I mean it's a known thing but it's absolutely shameful that we fall prey to it.

I uninstalled the facebook app two weeks ago and ever since then, it's been bliss. I am even thinking of going ahead and deleting my FB account. The only thing which I feel is useful is WhatsApp. That is an incredibly useful tool to keep in touch; but unless you control the urge to view those messages, it can get quickly addictive too. I have turned off the notifications and also, changed the setting on my phone, not to show any notifications on the lock screen. Plus, in the office; I strictly keep my mobile data off and the phone on silent. These things have really helped me cut down my time on the mobile devices.
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Old 12th September 2019, 23:45   #28
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

I don't know if I can say that I was addicted or not. But I ended up deleting my FB acocunt. Today, I don't regret it. those who matter will pick up the phone and call you. Ditto social media. Deleted everything. Ended up getting more productive.
But to run a business in india you still need whatsapp. WA was my biggest headache. I am in so many groups at one point in time I would actually go through a few thousand messages a day.

My solution to it....

Went back to using a crappy nokia.

Use whatsapp via bluestacks deliberately on a crappy slow computer. This way I am not tempted to stay online in WA all day long. I check it once in the morning for messages, once in afternoon after lunch and once in the evening. That's it. never last more than a few minutes as I start to hate the slow pc.
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Old 12th September 2019, 23:56   #29
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Very nice post & absolutely relevant to today's world. I'm sure people don't realise they've become addicted to technology until someone points it out or they're neck deep in it. Heck, even I think I suffer from initial symptoms in that I tend to mindlessly browse through the internet, Twitter, Instagram or some other app, without any rhyme or reason.
The only way out of this is to firstly acknowledge that there's a problem, then find other constructive activities to minimise the addiction. I've found that being busy with my work makes me forget about my mobile & laptop, which is a good thing.
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Old 13th September 2019, 08:37   #30
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Re: Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction

Quote:
Originally Posted by mallhi View Post
I turned off notifications from most applications last year and muted all non-work related Whatsapp groups. It helped me reduce my cell phone and social media usage.
Congratulations!

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Originally Posted by mallhi View Post
YouTube is something I'm still grappling with. Once one starts, down the rabbit hole one goes. I have experienced that turning off the "Watch" and "Search" history does help here too as it reduces the relevancy of videos that YouTube offers up.
If you think there's problem with the way you use YouTube, the best way to go about resolving it would be to quit cold turkey, and then slowly ease yourself back onto the site again. That would be the best way to reset your brain. You can start by hiding the YouTube app on your phone so that you don't open it 'just like that'. All the best!

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Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok View Post
Well I don't use social media apps now apart from WhatsApp (that too for communication only). Two things I am addicted to is team bhp and YouTube. I can't ignore videos on electronics, automobile and diy stuff.

I guess using a smartphone for long hours has taken a toll on my eyes and it's now difficult to see properly without glasses.
Team-BHP for me too. I love reading ownership threads, and I keep digging out threads that I haven't read in the past. In fact, there are so many threads that I've read multiple times. If you think you need to curb your usage, you can start by following the steps I've listed in my main post, and also my reply to mallhi just above you. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Nazaar25 View Post
Most of us over here are addicted to our phones and I am sure we all want to get rid of this addiction but the fear that "we will be disconnected from the world" is what stops us from taking any preventive measures.
Thank you for creating this thread and making us realize that it's about time that we stop becoming slaves to our technology!
I've been off Facebook for 1.5 years now and I uninstalled Instagram 3 days ago. Absolutely no change, I can tell you. Over time you'll realise that all that scrolling through your feed was nothing but a wastage of your time. Go ahead and get rid of what's bothering you today, if you must. Good luck, and thank YOU, for realizing that you have an issue with the way you deal with your phone or the internet!

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Originally Posted by sumathindra View Post
Well I must confess my only digital addiction is "TBHP"
Same pinch, sir. I spend close to ~2 hours on Team-BHP daily, which I think is a lot. It would've been useful had I been reading new stuff, but in a lot of cases I just end up rereading old threads that I've read multiple times previously.
Kudos to you for taking up reading now. Although reading can turn into an addiction too (ask me lol), atleast it's way less harmful than our screens and the internet.

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Originally Posted by N33raj View Post
A real problem which I see around me a lot. I am glad to say that I am part of the minority that are considered dinosaurs in this age. My primary phone is still a BlackBerry Bold 4 and is good for calls, text, email and BBM. It is on a BIS plan and it can do some amount of website visiting as well. TeamBhp has its own set keyboard shortcut and it is one thing I am addicted to; however, thanks to the extremely curated content, there is no need to be glued to it day and night.
My other phone is a BlackBerry Priv and this one handles the new stuff. I m not on Facebook and things like Instagram, Reddit, Twitter are alien to me. I use the Priv mainly for WhatsApp, Google maps, calling cabs and handling my phone numbers via their Apps. That's about it.........My parents inculcated the habit of reading books and I am still consumed by them. The ability of words to capture your imagination and send you on a journey into another world and give you happiness and sadness is simply amazing!
Thank you for your kind words, N33raj Sir! First off, and I couldn't help saying this: I'm glad I found another person who uses BlackBerry devices in this day and age. I absolutely love them, but I haven't come across anyone else who understands why. Would love to connect with you to fangirl over all things BlackBerry! A few months ago I penned down my BlackBerry love story, you can read it here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadge...ml#post4594706 (Blackberry Phones and Services in India)
I love reading books too, but often that too takes up a lot of time. Now time spent reading books isn't necessarily 'wasted', but definitely so if it is done at the cost of my other work. I guess it is a problem with my behaviour.

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Originally Posted by gauravanekar View Post
Wow. This is something which I can relate to very closely. I am also addicted to internet, mainly Tbhp & Quora. I alternate between these two websites whenever I get a moment of free time.
I used to spend a lot of time on Quora too, about 4 years back. Until I realised that a lot of the answers aren't genuine, and that a lot of people simply show off their non-existent skills on that site. I quit after it came to light that someone on Quora (can't remember his name) who was supposedly an IIT grad and now studying his post grad abroad, was actually nothing of the sort, and that ALL his answers had been copy-pasted word, by word from various sites all over the internet. I believe that site is full of people like these. Deleted my Quora account long back and haven't missed it ever!

Quote:
Originally Posted by W.A.G.7 View Post
I can completely relate to it. I was in the same situation till I decided to control my digital life. Facebook is utter trash and I have really started hating it. What I have started hating is the fact that they keep tracking your each and every action. I mean it's a known thing but it's absolutely shameful that we fall prey to it.
Info: Google tracks all your actions too, and without your permission. I knew of a feature called 'Timeline' on Maps and it was activated on my previous phone, so when I got a new phone, I created a new Google account and made sure to not give any location permissions to Google. Didn't even open Maps, ever. One day, I decided to check my Timeline. Once past all the 'Welcome to Timeline' pages that made you feel that it's the first time that the app is hearing about you, I saw all my travel history on Timeline. Where I had been, how I had travelled to that place and how long I stayed at the place, everything. That's when I realized that these companies will collect all your information irrespective of whether you want it or not. If it wasn't for the convenience of checking train timings instantly or that sweet camera, I wouldn't have carried my Android phone around at all.

Quote:
Originally Posted by W.A.G.7 View Post
I uninstalled the facebook app two weeks ago and ever since then, it's been bliss. I am even thinking of going ahead and deleting my FB account. The only thing which I feel is useful is WhatsApp. That is an incredibly useful tool to keep in touch; but unless you control the urge to view those messages, it can get quickly addictive too. I have turned off the notifications and also, changed the setting on my phone, not to show any notifications on the lock screen. Plus, in the office; I strictly keep my mobile data off and the phone on silent. These things have really helped me cut down my time on the mobile devices.
Congratulations! If you don't need your Facebook account, you should absolutely go ahead and delete it. Thanks for those tips; it'll help others. I myself followed the "mobile data off" rule rather too religiously: I made sure I never recharged my phone with data! Unfortunately, when I'm at home it's really difficult to not connect to the internet. It doesn't really help much that I'm at home most of the time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ifightforuser31 View Post
I don't know if I can say that I was addicted or not. But I ended up deleting my FB acocunt. Today, I don't regret it. those who matter will pick up the phone and call you. Ditto social media. Deleted everything. Ended up getting more productive.....My solution to it....
Went back to using a crappy nokia.
Use whatsapp via bluestacks deliberately on a crappy slow computer. This way I am not tempted to stay online in WA all day long. I check it once in the morning for messages, once in afternoon after lunch and once in the evening. That's it. never last more than a few minutes as I start to hate the slow pc.
Hey, congratulations! You'll thank yourself for it later! I have myself tried the BlueStacks thing previously, but that software just slows down my laptop to a large extent. It isn't viable for me that way, but what I do instead is just switch off the phone with the apps and leave it that way. I use a dumbphone as my primary phone too

Quote:
Originally Posted by superbad View Post
I've found that being busy with my work makes me forget about my mobile & laptop, which is a good thing.
Agreed. I don't feel the urge to check my devices when I'm doing something interesting or fun. Unfortunately, studying doesn't fall into either of those categories.


UPDATE: I've cleaned all useless apps from my phone (Screenshot attached below). Unfortunately, Google Chrome still remains my most-used app (TBHP) and I don't feel like disabling it thinking that I'll need it to search for something at some point.
Help yourself: Freedom from digital addiction-screenshot_20190912113133_trebuchet.png
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