[epolanski]

We know this already, but I wonder what the remedies are.

My SO can barely watch a movie or tv show before she gets back to infinite scrolling socials, it's a disaster. 5 minutes is the most she can do. Going out with me or friends is the same, few minutes and she's back checking emails and socials.

I decided to lead by example and delete all socials, even reddit or linkedin, but it's impossible.

[wincy]

My family has taken inspiration from Orthodox Jews. At sunset we take all our devices and put them in a cabinet, turned off. Nobody can even call us on the phone. We have a big fancy dinner with fancy silverware and invite people over. Nobody is allowed to have their devices turned on. Until sunset on Sunday we just hang out or do whatever we wanted to do anyway, just with zero screens.

We end up reading books, playing board games, and having a lot more conversations. We're much more likely to go to the park. We often don't know what time it is which is a nice feeling. We also take a lot of naps because we're staying up too late most of the week on our screens.

I've also found I'm super productive on Monday after our screen free time. We've been doing it for a couple months now and I really like it.

[duncan-donuts]

My wife is a new chicken farmer. For the last year I’ve spent most of my weekends in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but open sky and animals. Even when everything sucks, nothing is working, and I hate everything I still love working out there. I never look at my phone. No one ever calls me because the only people that matter are there working with me. The more I’m outside away from my day to day life the more I resent it.

This is just a long winded way of me saying what you’re doing is, what I think is, the only way to get our attention span back. Shutting off everything and really being with the people around you is the only way. And for anyone else reading this I think you should try it before you tell me I’m wrong.

[entropie]

Bonus: I bet you have some good chicken.

That sounds really awesome.

When I have my dogs around I usually don't miss human interaction. I go like daily in the woods with my dogs and avoid my phone. My GF is more like the one in the top comment + she has ADHS. We live together in a completely different world there.

[scubbo]

This is a lovely idea! My partner and I regularly take "Digital Detoxes" - weekend-long periods of no internet connectivity (initially we intended "no technology", but loosened that to permit eBooks or a single pre-planned pre-downloaded movie), and it's always a refreshing experience.

[ahub]

Adding one data point. I started doing exactly that a few years ago as a single man. Works wonder to fix sleep disorders, sync sleep cycle with the sun. Also helped with mood swings and boredom.

The last great point is that as soon as I know I don't have access to a screen, I get a lot done. Merely having the possibility of turning on hacker news or else makes me terrible at doing any kind of chore.

[sbmthakur]

What if a friend/relative/acquaintance wants to contact you for an emergency?

[wincy]

If it’s that big of an emergency they’ll come to my house. If it’s not that important it can wait. Being able to let go of that constant paranoia is part of why we’ve started doing this.

[tdeck]

I've tried to build my attention span back up. I measure this by how long I can read a book without the reflexive urge to look away or switch to something on my phone.

What I find helpful:

1. Try not to multitask. Do not look at your phone while watching a show. Do not listen to a podcast while working. I tend to use podcasts as a way to get myself to do something else I don't enjoy, but I'm either distracted from work or tuning the podcast out so I stopped.

2. Let your mind think thoughts on its own without input. Take breaks that don't involve any media at all.

3. Dedicate time to reading longer things. Set a timer and say "today I'm going to read this book for 15 minutes without a break". Or 20 minutes. Or an hour. If you're already at an hour you probably aren't in the audience for this article anyway.

4. Use the pomodoro method while working.

I'm sure some people will read this list with a sense of derision, but perhaps others will relate. Attention span is like a muscle that's been atrophied to a different extent in different people.

[unrealp]

4. Use the pomodoro method while working. >> helps me a lot. i keep 15 minute slots where i get phone offline and work. then at the end of 15 minutes do phone stuff for 10 minutes. you can get a lot done with pomodoro through the day.

[Apocryphon]

Being on Hacker News isn't any better than those platforms. Well, marginally better, but the overall effects are the same. Infinity pools of content, plus avenues for engagement in the comment threads.

[epolanski]

There's a night and day difference between this platform and recommendation engines like IG, FB or TikTok. And there's even a larger difference in effects.

The only reason I keep HN is because of the amount of quality-content related to my tech career.

[Apocryphon]

Those platforms are worse but I don’t believe HN is any better in quality, just quantity. It’s a web forum linking to online content, it holds the same pitfalls for addictive behavior.

[epolanski]

No it doesn't, you're trying to stretch the notion that anything can be addictive with products designed to be addictive and distracting 24/7.

Also, the amount of fresh content on HN is way too low. Can't be compared even to old reddit.

[NovaVeles]

I usually check the front page, find 2-5 things I like and then move on for the day. Far different to all the others.

[pphysch]

The remedy is awareness and control over our info diets, just like our food diets.

Supersweet beverages are available at virtually every restaurant and grocery store in my area (and advertised incessantly), but that doesn't mean I have to drink em every day and get diabetes.

[gitgud]

> I decided to lead by example and delete all socials, even reddit or linkedin

Or instead just put the phones on the other side of room when watching a movie...

[epolanski]

I don't want to tell her what to do.

[nathanaldensr]

Good on you for doing what's difficult. Not everyone can, as you may be discovering.