<story><title>YouTube addiction, one month sober</title><url>https://www.sophiajt.com/youtube-addiction-one-month-sober/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>data_ders</author><text>I’m so addicted to the internet that when I block social media, I find I get quite the similar fix from work Slack. Like browsing channels I have no business being a part of and constantly checking for validation of my comments via emoji reactions.&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know of ways to be a successful work-from-home knowledge worker while also locking down Slack to not be another slot machine??&lt;p&gt;Does anyone else feel conflicted about the internet as both a means to a comfortable&amp;#x2F;lucretive career but also the ultimate drug?&lt;p&gt;I’ve thought of only allowing Slack for 10 min each hour to make it more like an IV drop of info, but what happens when I actually need to DM in real time?&lt;p&gt;meta P.S. I’m refreshing this and reading the replies — what a rush! So much more rewarding than what I should be doing. :)</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Aurornis</author><text>You won&amp;#x27;t get very far by only playing whack-a-mole with negative behaviors. You have to start introducing deliberate, positive behaviors. Structure your home, workspace, and workday around what you choose to be doing.&lt;p&gt;The little tricks to limit things and set timers can help, but the root problem is that you&amp;#x27;re describing yourself as being on autopilot: You get magnetically pulled to the next time waster.&lt;p&gt;Work on being more deliberate in your choices. Fill your time with things that provide a sense of accomplishment and remind yourself throughout the day what the goal is. If it helps, write the goal out on sticky notes and put it on your monitor, then review it throughout the day.&lt;p&gt;When you&amp;#x27;re tired and need a break, get away from the computer. Go for a walk or just stretch. Don&amp;#x27;t let your autopilot draw you back into the default easy time waster yet again. Create an array of positive activities to fill your time with so that you have more things to choose from, not just another round of scrolling something on a screen.</text></comment>
<story><title>YouTube addiction, one month sober</title><url>https://www.sophiajt.com/youtube-addiction-one-month-sober/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>data_ders</author><text>I’m so addicted to the internet that when I block social media, I find I get quite the similar fix from work Slack. Like browsing channels I have no business being a part of and constantly checking for validation of my comments via emoji reactions.&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know of ways to be a successful work-from-home knowledge worker while also locking down Slack to not be another slot machine??&lt;p&gt;Does anyone else feel conflicted about the internet as both a means to a comfortable&amp;#x2F;lucretive career but also the ultimate drug?&lt;p&gt;I’ve thought of only allowing Slack for 10 min each hour to make it more like an IV drop of info, but what happens when I actually need to DM in real time?&lt;p&gt;meta P.S. I’m refreshing this and reading the replies — what a rush! So much more rewarding than what I should be doing. :)</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>chezui</author><text>Biggest for me was realizing this behavior is rooted in escaping discomfort and boredom. When I was writing my thesis I would go into a ton of internet &amp;quot;research&amp;quot; rabbit holes like bushcrafting or electronic music production or video games but after I defended, I found that these things no longer have much appeal to me, something that I surfed the internet for obsessively seems boring now.&lt;p&gt;Becoming comfortable with discomfort was huge -- the thing that I&amp;#x27;m avoiding is probably the thing I need to do and will feel great afterwards.&lt;p&gt;Sometimes the anxiety is high and I find working with another person helps, either sitting beside them or actively. In the WFH era I found FocusMate to be super helpful, you pair with another person and share what you plan to do to in that time block via video chat and then go on mute and check in after the session to see how much progress you&amp;#x27;ve made.&lt;p&gt;I find this alleviates a lot of anxiety and having a block of time where you verbalize your goals makes it manageable.&lt;p&gt;You can try for free and do up to 3 sessions per week. I did it and found it helpful so I bought the year subscription.&lt;p&gt;Here&amp;#x27;s my referral link: www.focusmate.com&amp;#x2F;?fmreferral=Tj3Vcqqaei&lt;p&gt;Or if you don&amp;#x27;t want to use that just www.focusmate.com</text></comment>