[shepherdjerred]

Great ideas about the adblocker, and I totally forgot about notifications!

I've turned off all notifications on my phone, aside from texts and phone calls. It really helps. I don't have my calendar on my phone. I bought and use an nice, leather bound calendar/planner now (aside from work stuff, which I have a calendar on my laptop). It works really well for me.

For things like email and Discord, I just check them on my computer. If there's some reason I need Slack/Discord on my phone, like I'm meeting up with friends who have a Discord group chat, or I'm at a conference with co-workers that communicate with Slack -- I'll download and use the app for the period of time I need it, and then delete it ASAP.

I've told my friends if they need me to reply instantly, they should text me. People often look at me funny/ask why I don't have Discord on my phone. Most will understand when I answer that I don't want to be distracted.

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A lot of this is a huge mindset shift. I'm 25 but I have (some of) the habits of a 70 year old. I think it's worthwhile to use technology (some things just require a smartphone), but you can get 90% of the benefit while avoiding most/all of the downsides if you take a step back and think about what you're doing and why you're doing it.