alt Hacker NewsI would love to get rid of my smartphone altogether, actually. I’m just not quite sure how to do it. I need to use a map app often. And most of the announcements and services in my country from companies and schools are all handled through WhatsApp. So it makes it a bit difficult to cut that tether.
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Maybe the new Commodore flip phone? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48552614
Just track your unlocks and try to keep it under let's say 40 in a day. Batching.
If iPhone user may I suggest Apple Configurator or Assistive Access to strictly limit the things you can do with your phone?
Not sure what solutions exist on Android but I'd be amazed if there are none.
I switched to a Kyocera KY-42C specifically because you can sideload Whatsapp which I sadly need. The software is a bit crappy but enough if you just want to phone and rarely SMS, Whatsapp or e-mail.
Don't forget about the other stuff usually handled by smartphones, like music (my old Sansa Clip+ still works) or GPS (the one in my car will do).
1. When you're browsing your phone but you're not having fun, stop. Try to distinguish "I am genuinely interested in that thing on the screen" vs "I'm just doomscrollig".
2. Try to replace parts of your smartphone with other things. Buying a clock helped me fix the habit of "I just opened my eyes, time for phone". I found my old PSP and I'm planning to run some emulator on that instead of phone to play some minigames.
3. I have my phone always completely silent. There's literally no notification that cannot wait until I decide to check the phone.
4. I sometimes turn off the data transfer in my phone. First, I get less notifications. Second, it's yet another barrier and it gives me a second to ask myself "do I really want to play with my phone now".
not sure where the problem is?
look at maps only in the car, mute whatsapp and then check it from time to time.
seems pretty straightforward.
Getting a tiny phone not meant for media consumption is probably the closest you can achieve. You are not going to waste a lot of time watching youtube on a 3" screen, because that's just no fun.
The "jelly star" phone looks kind of fun. I just sat in a busy tram and wondered what the scene would look like if we all had phones like that. It's an innteresting thought experiment.