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Disconnection Techniques

Make Your Phone Boring​

I realized I wanted to stop wasting time on my phone, so I deleted apps that I would waste time on.

Reddit by far was the biggest time-suck, so I deleted it. Netflix as well. After taking a long break, I realize I don't miss them at all.

I recently deleted YouTube. Which was difficult as it is so useful, but I'm going to see how it goes.

I removed all games from my phone, except for Simon Tatham's Puzzle Collection. Maybe I'll remove that one too someday, but I usually only play it on the bus.

Have a "Meditation" phone and a "Work" phone​

On your meditation phone, have the bare minimum, and use it for listening to music, audiobooks, taking notes. Disable email, youtube, etc. Then have another phone for work with all the email, messaging, and social media apps that you need to live in everyday life.

Get fewer spam calls. Get on a "Do not call" list​

Many countries have a do not call list that forbids telemarketers from calling you. This doesn't eliminate spam calls entirely, but it helps.

Social Media Cleanse​

You probably spend (dare I say waste) 2 hours or more per day on social media. I recommend avoiding any algorithm-based apps that promote scrolling (Instagram, Reddit, TikTok Twitter, Youtube etc.). The algorithm is optimized to keep you watching. It is not optimized to provide you meaningful benefits.

I find it much more fulfilling to actively search for the thing you want to learn about. Podcasts and Audiobooks are a great replacement for Youtube and Netflix.

For Youtube, I highly recommend a chrome extension called Unhook. It removes all suggested videos, and turns Youtube into a simple search bar. You need to search for the video you want.

For any social media apps that survive the purge, I recommend cleansing them. Unsubscribe from old or irrelevant Youtube channels, unsubscribe from dumb and silly subreddits, delete Facebook friends you don't know. Spend at least 1 full hour cleansing each social media app. It's a drop in the bucket compared to how much time you'll waste sifting through irrelevent content. While you're at it, go through your email and unsubscribe from all the newsletters you didn't sign up for.

Reduce Other Distractions Online​

I don't care about cookies Never get bothered by the constant request for you to accept cookies. This extension blocks or hides the popup when possible, and when unavoidable, clicks 'accept' for you.