How To ACTUALLY Fight Digital Distraction

Today I'm talking about idea of the "perfect dumbphone" and the idea that a piece of tech is going to solve all of our problems, and then what I think is key to fighting digital distraction effectively. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Links:

Digital Minimalism book:

Punkt MP02 phone:

Lens:

*Disclaimer*
All Amazon links placed in the description section are Amazon Affiliate links, and I receive a small commission on any purchases made through this link. Thanks for your support

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:45 The "Perfect" Dumbphone
01:51 Digital distraction
02:40 Retro tech
04:11 Fighting distraction
06:41 Final thoughts

[T-Bone-lif]

Exactly! I came back to be addicted to youtube on my laptop after ditching the phone. I realized I haven't watched youtube for 3 days when I entered a competition and became very focus in my hobby and filled my schedule without time to waste. Very fulfilling

[ForrestHikingForest]

No dumb phone will save us until we can learn to sit with ourselves, our thoughts, and be content in doing so without wanting to run away from ourselves.

[joelflores]

During the COVID lockdown, I started to incorporate mindfulness meditation to lower stress and anxiety while trying to improve focus and concentration. Social media and news cycle were having a negative effect on my mental health. With my improve focus and putting barriers between my devices by hiding in drawers helped out immensely. Also, I’m a musician, so I started keeping instruments lying around. Unplugging your HDMI cable and power cable from your tv adds another barrier to watching tv as well. Just some things that worked for me.

[nickjacobsss]

Totally agree here, I just deleted all socials from my phone and that was enough to stop the immediate urge to scroll, but still give me access to the hugely beneficial advantages of a smart phone like maps, music, and banking. I started cycling in my free time, and its great for killing a lot of time while being too engulfed to use tech

[EggTamago]

I like this message. There's always a tendency to romanticize some by-gone "simpler time", which honestly never really existed. I wasn't some bastion of creativity and productivity before I got my first smartphone - I just wasted my time in other ways. And... I'll honestly need a lot of convincing that watching the same episode of some shitty 90s sitcom for the 100th time is somehow a better way to spend my time than scrolling through Reddit.

The idea of personally addressing one's own reasons for seeking distractions, building a healthier relationship with them (distraction isn't inherently bad), and replacing toxic distractions with something less harmful will probably have much better lasting consequences than just buying a thing. I can see how going back to single-use, dumb devices can be a helper along that journey, but I don't think they're a silver bullet or the best end-point.

[PanavisionSmileMusic]

Another great video Spencer. Even though I love music, like you said, sometimes you just need to turn it off. Silence is golden. I have a one acre property and I'm so at peace just strolling the grounds and looking at the almond orchards beyond my back fence. Cheers, Ian

[jadehei]

Very good point! For someone like me, who has chronic pain and fatigue, it is a bit more difficult though. I would LOVE to go outside, meet people, do sports, go to theatre and concerts, enjoy nature etc... But I can't. I'm pretty much tied to my home. On a good day I can go outside for a walk, but I have to go slow and make sure I'm not going too far away from home. If I over use my energy, it backfires in major way and can cause me to not be able to do anything much for days or even weeks. So my phone gets a lot of attention. I don't like it. I do have indoor hobbies like crochet and drawing, but I just don't have the energy or mental space for that every day. Would love to get some tips to reducing screen time in this type of situation!

[cai-des]

When I started the switch to a dumb phone - and I do want to preface this with it took multiple attempts to get to a full time dumb phone - I ended up journaling about it first. I came up with a list of questions to see if it was the right decision and then come up with goals and hobbies I wanted to try. It gave me something to look at whenever I wasn’t sure what to do with my time. A little nudge of “yknow, you did want to learn how to cook xyz” or “oh yeah! I’ve been meaning to finish that GBA mod” and stuff like that. The boredom will hit you at first, and it’s a good thing! But it can accidentally make you go back to old habits if you aren’t ready for it.

So yeah - 100% agree. The switch to the phone itself won’t save you. You have to take time to think about what inconveniences you’re okay with and get some ideas for what you’d like to do with all your free time. When in doubted TBR lists are a great place to start. (Sorry for the long response)

[lanzelet]

Using a dumbphone was a great way to jumpstart myself into changing my priorities. I'm using an iPhone SE now because there was more friction than benefit in the longterm, but I'm really glad I bought the Cat S22 Flip. I'm not perfect at avoiding distractions of course, but I do feel more in control of my decisions than before. I used the dumbphone for about 6 months, but now just having a smaller smartphone with less storage space that forces me to have less apps on it is much more practical. Also the SE fits in my pocket, unlike my Note10 lol

[emmashaye]

I got my cat s22 today and so far I love it! i keep apps super minimal on there. texting and scrolling is a pain so I don't want to do it anyway. i still have my iphone around, but i have app blockers on my social media apps, which is helping a lot. I've noticed that now i watch a lot more youtube as my distraction though, so I'll have to turn on web browsing blockers for that. i did buy an iPod classic too, and i have to say, listening to music with no distractions while i clean is amazing. i also picked up my guitar today which i haven't done in a long time, so I think this is already helping me get back to myself. I'm loving this digital minimalism thing!

[rois]

This topic reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Midnight in Paris from Woodie Allen.
People often think the era before them was the peek in time.

[NomadOverNormal]

For me, I think it's the price tag. Every dumb phone sold feels like a luxury item to appeal to people wanting to be different lol. If I just had a folding keyboard type phone where when closed, google maps could appear and a podcast app that's all I need!

[patmarek]

For me it took building new habits and discipline which was a process. I came back to distracting apps time and time again. However, with regular reflection and tweaking how I approach tech things have slowly been changing for me towards path of less technology use and slower living in general.

[BorkBork]

I've gotten rid of all social media except for Instagram and Youtube. I've also removed the Instagram app on my phone and only check it every once in a while on my pc. I've got a stationary pc so I have to actually sit down infront of it. I feel like my lifequality has improved a fair bit since I did this, almost like I've reclaimed something lost. I've also removed a lot of streaming services, as I'm sick of "idle tv". Instead I've been exploring my old bluray/dvd collection and it made watching movies feel a bit more special again. Like, it's more of an active decision to sit down and actively watch this film that I own. So instead of "rotting" infront of the television every night trying to decide what's worth a watch or not, I look at a film once or twice a week and really enjoy it instead. Same goes for youtube, it's more that I watch it because I actually want to, instead of that I feel like I Need to. I love my idle time, but it's important to spend it how you want, instead of just what's most comfortable. If that makes any sense. Felt good to rant a bit.

[varnerdamasceno]

During some time of my life, I had a huge problem with my distraction, my extensive use of technology and my desire to achieve certain goals. The fact of losing much time hurt me a lot. Your video is amazing. Today I have a balanced relationship with techs devices and a moderade use of it. Thank you.

[shosetsuninja]

This brings back memories of channel surfing!

[bluecode]

For me, the good way to fight with distraction is this automation - when i open any social media on phone, screen goes to grayscale, battery saver turns on so only 60Hz, and brightness goes to minimum. It's like a slap that reminds how your life will be if you remain scrolling - dull as the screen. It still allows me to access useful information that's sometimes only at social media. I don't think that screen time based restrictions are useful. You just learn to press skip button.

[Adellc]

Spencer, I want you to know that I genuinely enjoy your words and ideas and I hope that you find the success you are looking for. You inspire me to live differently and I appreciate you for that.

I haven’t watched the video yet, but I know the message here is going to be right up my alley. Thank you for doing what you do!

[corporatemcmahon]

Truth teller and fine gent Spencer, telling how it is and destroying media myths again! Awesome video. Thanks brother!

[patinsley]

The battery saver mode on android is a great way to minimize your smartphone