Talking to my barber made me rethink my whole phone setup

I was getting a haircut yesterday and my barber Sam started telling me about how he quit social media cold turkey 2 years ago. He said he got tired of comparing his shop to other barbers and feeling like he was falling behind. Then he showed me his phone - no apps on the home screen except messages and a calculator. He uses his browser to check anything else. I told him that sounds like a pain but he said it works because he has to type in the site name every time, which stops him from just mindlessly scrolling. It hit me that I spend like 3 hours a day bouncing between Instagram and Reddit without even thinking. So I tried it for one day and I kept instinctively tapping where apps used to be. Has anyone else tried something like this where you make it harder to access stuff on your phone?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlie_allen3d ago

Ngl I sort of disagree with this approach though. Honestly just deleting apps feels like treating the symptom instead of the problem because you still have the same habits just with extra steps. Tbh I'd rather learn to use Instagram for 20 mins and then close it than fight my own phone every time I need to check the weather.

nelson.cameron3d ago

You said "treating the symptom instead of the problem" and that's exactly it. Everyone wants a quick fix for their bad habits but nobody wants to sit with the uncomfortable feeling that makes them reach for their phone in the first place. I see this everywhere now people buying expensive organizers for their junk drawers instead of just throwing stuff away or getting a new planner every January instead of actually using it. The real work is boring and hard so we all just buy another app or delete another one and call it progress.