i really liked the honesty of this piece. i remember how curious and naturally inspired i was before i got a phone, and i’m trying to get that back as well.
i hate and love the waterboarding analogy. in my ideal world feeds would encourage slower, more intentional consumption instead. but obviously that’s a laughably unprofitable idea according to big tech companies. something i’m trying to do to be more slow is leaving more comments on stuff to create more friction between what i read on my phone.
feel this neel! I started using a phone lock box lol to get myself to stop checking my phone / use this app called flight simulator where it has to go on airplane mode.. or turn it off completely sometimes..
I also used to feel that way in certain sf convos, but I think the end goal isn't to be an intellectual for intellect's sake, but rather go deep into something you're curious about because of how it relates to your life / journey - at least that's what I've found in my personal experience
Appreciate the candor about phone addiction eroding critical thinking. The observation about not being able to sit with a problem for more than 2 minutes before reaching for the phone is painfully relatable. Been in the same boat trying to rework how I engage with learning - found that the hardest part wasn't building the habit of reading or deep work, but breaking the instinct to fill evry tiny gap with digital noise. That "waterboarding my mind with slop" line is brutal but accurate.
i really liked the honesty of this piece. i remember how curious and naturally inspired i was before i got a phone, and i’m trying to get that back as well.
i hate and love the waterboarding analogy. in my ideal world feeds would encourage slower, more intentional consumption instead. but obviously that’s a laughably unprofitable idea according to big tech companies. something i’m trying to do to be more slow is leaving more comments on stuff to create more friction between what i read on my phone.
i recently came across an article here on substack that was also about reclaiming our time, energy, and thinking in the digital age. i adored the writing there (in case you have the chance to check it out): https://open.substack.com/pub/thomasdixon/p/how-to-end-your-extremely-online?r=2hwg5r&utm_medium=ios
Thanks for the rec! If you want to experience what slow consumption looks like, you should check out are.na :)
feel this neel! I started using a phone lock box lol to get myself to stop checking my phone / use this app called flight simulator where it has to go on airplane mode.. or turn it off completely sometimes..
I also used to feel that way in certain sf convos, but I think the end goal isn't to be an intellectual for intellect's sake, but rather go deep into something you're curious about because of how it relates to your life / journey - at least that's what I've found in my personal experience
Appreciate the candor about phone addiction eroding critical thinking. The observation about not being able to sit with a problem for more than 2 minutes before reaching for the phone is painfully relatable. Been in the same boat trying to rework how I engage with learning - found that the hardest part wasn't building the habit of reading or deep work, but breaking the instinct to fill evry tiny gap with digital noise. That "waterboarding my mind with slop" line is brutal but accurate.
Really resonated with this man. Also ur writing is very enjoyable to read