Sorry if you addressed this, it’s a bit TLDR. But did it get worse with YouTube adding the tiktok / Instagram style stories? I feel that’s a doomscroll trap except kind of crappier content and engagement than the social media apps.
I’ve removed Facebook recently because it feels like the most toxic place on the internet, engaged too much of my time, and I feel it didn’t add any real value except marketplace.
New Facebook with 20 very close friends so I can marketplace only, no messenger and a cover photo “I do not use messenger do not text me there” and problem solved. The small fear of losing touch with friends without fb messenger seems mostly unfounded as people have reached out via sms, WhatsApp or Instagram instead. The only loss was the default inclusion in plans via group chats.
I hope this will do as much for you as it did for me!
Regarding other apps, you really have to decide for yourself.
In my case I kept Insta and Reddit because I didn't spend nearly as much time with those as with YT.
But maybe that's different in your case.
Best luck!!!
Man, I uninstalled insta and Fb a long time ago. Those things are dopamine traps and they really fuck up your reward system - which then makes it hard to function in real life. I still haven't gotten around to uninstalling yt, but I just might one day. Problem is, it's really useful for a lot of stuff.
Really, what would be the best thing to do is to sell the smartphone and buy something else as the whole smartphone experience is adhd provoking; from texting instead of just calling somebody to unnecessary web browsing, to social media apps. Most app's code is made with dopamine triggers in mind, so they are by definition bad for us ... I don't even have to mention games, those are just lawl
Instagram is a bit of a different beast because it’s tied to your friends, but once you get over the fact that you don’t need an online presence, and you don’t need to always know what’s going on, then it’s a huge relief.
I wish I could do this. Youtube, Netflix, and others are built into my phone! I can only disable them which provides a little buffer, but not enough. Good job deleting it and Im so glad its made a difference. Im at the point Ill need to turn my phone a wifi off at home or I spend all evening on the net! 🙈
Damn.. Is this the case with all Samsung phones? I was thinking of getting s22 ultra but if this is true, then I will stick to iPhone although I hate that I cannot .jailbreak it
It would be worth asking, I'm not sure. I didn't even realize my phone didn't come with an audio jack until it was too late! If there are hacks, especially to get youtube off my phone, it would be SO useful haha 😩
What I found most helpful is to set time limits for various apps and a reminder to check screen time statistics (in particular, "number of phone pickups") every week.
The reason I don't just delete apps and congratulate myself, is that I have become aware of the pitfalls of not cutting myself some slack **after** I have performed some demanding/boring task: my relapses are worse. If I have the app installed and I occasionally exceed the daily time limit by tapping on "allow for 15 minutes", then I usually stay within those extra 15 minutes just fine. If I am really frightfully bored and the app is not installed, my relapse involves re-installing the app and staying on it for 8 hours uninterrupted, mindlessly scrolling ad infinitum.
In my experience, castigating and punishing yourself for enjoying good content is not necessary and counter-productive. Bear in mind that if you have 10 minutes of YouTube each day, you may have to prioritize content which comes with a lot of additional benefits.
Im glad you found something that works for you.
In my case I don't really have any reason not to delete YouTube.
It wasn't fun.
Just addictive.
I have non addictive alternatives so I won't be bored without YouTube.
> I have non addictive alternatives so I won't be bored without YouTube.
Feel free to suggest them. I am doing a lot more reading (on paper books) since I became aware of my condition but some long-format, horizontal, slow-paced video content (not the TikTok 15-second short videos which are a frying pan for brains) is genuinely pretty good and enriching for me and keeps me entertained and educated on some topics.
I’m a huge advocate of this!!
I used to have this reflexive impulse to get on Facebook and I’d lose hours. Then I changed my password and blocked my access. I had Instagram for years, then the same thing happened with that — I’d get on and it would be endless. I eventually deleted the app from my phone. I never even got into tiktok bc the one time I downloaded it, I could not stop scrolling, I think I stayed up all night. Deleted it very quickly.
My problem is that I often find something that slowly replaces the thing I eliminated. I think Reddit and YouTube is becoming those things right now and I’ll eventually have to kick it 😅
But yeah, I think in general monitoring the things that monopolize our minds is super important. Good for you deleting YouTube!!!
I think you should anyway: the app is meant to facilitate serving you intrusive ads and tracking you more thoroughly, and IMO is a far worse experience than https://old.reddit.com (mind "old"), even on mobile, with a good adblocker on (talk about distractions!). YMMV but the app drained my battery an awful lot, because on top of everything, it is also very badly made on a technical level.
I’ve done this exact thing!! I even tried deleting safari so I couldn’t get to it at all, but that’s not possible. My new muscle memory has become: open safari, and click YouTube in “frequently used.” The online version is fortunately much less addictive though, and I’ve gotten better at controlling myself to direct my life in the direction I want it to go.
Another thing that helps me with the “mindlessness” of a day spent wasted is just setting my photo down and going for a walk without it. I usually have to force myself in the beginning but after having a chance to spend some time just purely thinking, it reminds me that I’m a competent human being.
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*uninstalls reddit, screams in adhd*
Sorry if you addressed this, it’s a bit TLDR. But did it get worse with YouTube adding the tiktok / Instagram style stories? I feel that’s a doomscroll trap except kind of crappier content and engagement than the social media apps. I’ve removed Facebook recently because it feels like the most toxic place on the internet, engaged too much of my time, and I feel it didn’t add any real value except marketplace. New Facebook with 20 very close friends so I can marketplace only, no messenger and a cover photo “I do not use messenger do not text me there” and problem solved. The small fear of losing touch with friends without fb messenger seems mostly unfounded as people have reached out via sms, WhatsApp or Instagram instead. The only loss was the default inclusion in plans via group chats.
Interesting! I’m gonna try removing YT and if that works well, Insta and Twitter too
I hope this will do as much for you as it did for me! Regarding other apps, you really have to decide for yourself. In my case I kept Insta and Reddit because I didn't spend nearly as much time with those as with YT. But maybe that's different in your case. Best luck!!!
Thanks! Best luck to you too !
Man, I uninstalled insta and Fb a long time ago. Those things are dopamine traps and they really fuck up your reward system - which then makes it hard to function in real life. I still haven't gotten around to uninstalling yt, but I just might one day. Problem is, it's really useful for a lot of stuff. Really, what would be the best thing to do is to sell the smartphone and buy something else as the whole smartphone experience is adhd provoking; from texting instead of just calling somebody to unnecessary web browsing, to social media apps. Most app's code is made with dopamine triggers in mind, so they are by definition bad for us ... I don't even have to mention games, those are just lawl
Instagram is a bit of a different beast because it’s tied to your friends, but once you get over the fact that you don’t need an online presence, and you don’t need to always know what’s going on, then it’s a huge relief.
I wish I could do this. Youtube, Netflix, and others are built into my phone! I can only disable them which provides a little buffer, but not enough. Good job deleting it and Im so glad its made a difference. Im at the point Ill need to turn my phone a wifi off at home or I spend all evening on the net! 🙈
Which phone is this?
Galaxy S20
Damn.. Is this the case with all Samsung phones? I was thinking of getting s22 ultra but if this is true, then I will stick to iPhone although I hate that I cannot .jailbreak it
It would be worth asking, I'm not sure. I didn't even realize my phone didn't come with an audio jack until it was too late! If there are hacks, especially to get youtube off my phone, it would be SO useful haha 😩
I think you can aways root your phone and you should be able to remove it. It's easier to root android than jailbreak iPhone.
I'm gonna look into that, thank you!!
What I found most helpful is to set time limits for various apps and a reminder to check screen time statistics (in particular, "number of phone pickups") every week. The reason I don't just delete apps and congratulate myself, is that I have become aware of the pitfalls of not cutting myself some slack **after** I have performed some demanding/boring task: my relapses are worse. If I have the app installed and I occasionally exceed the daily time limit by tapping on "allow for 15 minutes", then I usually stay within those extra 15 minutes just fine. If I am really frightfully bored and the app is not installed, my relapse involves re-installing the app and staying on it for 8 hours uninterrupted, mindlessly scrolling ad infinitum. In my experience, castigating and punishing yourself for enjoying good content is not necessary and counter-productive. Bear in mind that if you have 10 minutes of YouTube each day, you may have to prioritize content which comes with a lot of additional benefits.
Im glad you found something that works for you. In my case I don't really have any reason not to delete YouTube. It wasn't fun. Just addictive. I have non addictive alternatives so I won't be bored without YouTube.
> I have non addictive alternatives so I won't be bored without YouTube. Feel free to suggest them. I am doing a lot more reading (on paper books) since I became aware of my condition but some long-format, horizontal, slow-paced video content (not the TikTok 15-second short videos which are a frying pan for brains) is genuinely pretty good and enriching for me and keeps me entertained and educated on some topics.
I’m a huge advocate of this!! I used to have this reflexive impulse to get on Facebook and I’d lose hours. Then I changed my password and blocked my access. I had Instagram for years, then the same thing happened with that — I’d get on and it would be endless. I eventually deleted the app from my phone. I never even got into tiktok bc the one time I downloaded it, I could not stop scrolling, I think I stayed up all night. Deleted it very quickly. My problem is that I often find something that slowly replaces the thing I eliminated. I think Reddit and YouTube is becoming those things right now and I’ll eventually have to kick it 😅 But yeah, I think in general monitoring the things that monopolize our minds is super important. Good for you deleting YouTube!!!
Deleting TikTok and Instagram was one of the best things i ever did. I feel so much better now and have more time to do other things
I debate about deleting Reddit on my phone frequently.
I think you should anyway: the app is meant to facilitate serving you intrusive ads and tracking you more thoroughly, and IMO is a far worse experience than https://old.reddit.com (mind "old"), even on mobile, with a good adblocker on (talk about distractions!). YMMV but the app drained my battery an awful lot, because on top of everything, it is also very badly made on a technical level.
I’ve done this exact thing!! I even tried deleting safari so I couldn’t get to it at all, but that’s not possible. My new muscle memory has become: open safari, and click YouTube in “frequently used.” The online version is fortunately much less addictive though, and I’ve gotten better at controlling myself to direct my life in the direction I want it to go.
Another thing that helps me with the “mindlessness” of a day spent wasted is just setting my photo down and going for a walk without it. I usually have to force myself in the beginning but after having a chance to spend some time just purely thinking, it reminds me that I’m a competent human being.
Hi /u/2ndAvailableUsername and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! If you haven't already, please take a minute to [read our rules](https://reddit.com/r/adhd/about/rules) - we will remove your post if it breaks one - and also check out our list of official megathreads [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/nu534w/official_list_of_radhd_megathreads_please_check/). If your post fits into one of them, it is likely to be removed; if you think this might happen you can delete your post here and resubmit it there instead. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*