Anyone doing or thinking about doing a digital detox?

Done

Since this is about developer health I think it warrants a dedicated thread, and the Dev Environment section seems like a good fit so have split your post here.

I’ll definitely come back to this topic when I’ve got five minutes! For now I will say I am pretty sure you’re not alone. Interested in hearing what others might add too..

Welcome to the club. I can heavily relate to “I’ve always been an obsessive time checker” and I have a dozen of different mechanical watches (I mean it, mechanical, not those having hands and a battery, but those you have to wind up) in very different designs. And I keep spending hundreds of euros to buy new (don’t tell my wife, she thinks all of them cost me two bucks a bunch.)

Unfortunately, to divorce myself from my smart phone is not an option for me, because I am an obsessive moment capturer, and I need an ability to take a photo of any weird street sign, or a signboard, or a cathedral, or a bird, or whatnot I occasionally meet. Another brick aside from the phone (and a pack of cigarettes) would not fit my pocket, and I hate bags. Hence I explicitly found and ordered the best cameraphone the money can buy (Xiaomi S12 Ultra, they don’t sell it in Europe, so I even went into a fancy journey with our customs.)

That all being said, I am forced to rely on my strong will. I have no social app installed on this cameraphone. I switched off the notifications for email on it, and I am fine not looking into it every then and now. It took me half of a year to drop a habit to look into it, but it’s definitely worth it.

hmmm, since I don’t carry around cigarettes means I do have room for another brick

Ya, for me camera isn’t a must but it’s a VERY nice to have. And of course GPS is a big one. Not only was it the primary reason I was excited about getting a smartphone in the first place, I’m likely moving to a new city soon so I’ll have a surge of using it a lot.

I’ve also deleted all my socials except I still have an instagram for my dog as it allows me to lie to myself that I don’t really have one I really gotta just delete it. I’ve otherwise gotten rid of all things Meta which I think everyone really should (this includes React ;P) although I understand there is a huge problem there in that some countries essentially run off of WhatsApp.

Interesting, though. You got me thinking about cameras now. I usually have to carry around a bag anyway because of my dog so, uh, ya. Interesting… another excuse to buy a new toy

Otherwise ya, you kinda got me with the will power comment. I kinda gave up on that but you’ve inspired me to at least try again.

Nah. I was living for a while (renting an appartment) in 7 cities across 4 countries, most of them before GPS was ever a thing That’s a lame excuse

No, don’t do that! Dogs (and cats) are the only entrophy-savers in social media space.

Technically, the great camera nowadays might be of a size of a cigarette pack. Sorta overpriced, though.

Once you have social apps uninstalled, it’s relatively easy: several times in a row you grab your phone from your pocket, stare at it blankly and put it back. I am sure you also have noticed “it took me half of a year” in my confession above.

It was easy for me: I can’t read anything from my phone without putting my reading glass on. This small hassle of hunting my reading glass weans me off my phone.

I had mechanical watches too; but now I wear a solar powered watch. No battery, check. No surveillance, check. Also no need to wind up

I’m 44, lived in the same city for my entire life and I was still excited about GPS. I am incredibly “directionally challenged.” I can get lost by turning a corner, I’m not kidding. I rarely leave my neighbourhood at this point.

Ha, ya it’s hard, but I don’t want to support Meta in any way. As above, I realize it’s a bit of a privilege. I’ve been thinking of starting Pugstagram

Have not looked at anything yet but this is a good place to start!

I’ve never been on Twitter, keep deleting my Reddit account (I got my first one less than a year ago), fully deleted my Facebook, personal Instagram, I made a Bluesky account a few months ago and forgot about it until just now, and ya, just the one Instagram account left. Honestly my biggest “issue” is this forum

Technically, self-winding with a simple rotor was invented like a century ago, and the only occasion when solar watch wins is you sleep on the beach, or have a solar energy radiated directly by your wrist

I have self winding watches too. My experience is they are either too expensive for me, or tend to not work well after a few years. If your solar watch need that much power from sleeping on the beach, it will make me nervous of whatever shenanigan they are concealing.

The watch I have coming is solar! I was going to get automatic but solar was much cheaper and apparently exposure to even a synthetic light source will power it for months.

Yeah, I cannot relate but I can surely understand this. I drove from Moscow to Barcelona (through Saint-Petersburg, Helsinki, Turku, Stokholm, Lübeck, Karlsruhe, Lyon, and Montpellier) and when I told my new colleagues I came here by car, they were literally freaked out. I didn’t even have a map, let alone GPS (it was 10+ years ago.)

I know who you might call to help you quit Or shall we start Anonymour Elixiraholics within Pugstagram initiative?