Comment by morpen
10 months ago
In an ideal world, sure, but there can be times where it's better to just lock yourself out.
Maybe breaking out of your phone is just more self-control than you currently possess. Imagine trying to get in shape but you're only allowed to lift 200+ pound weights - you simply aren't strong enough to even make progress, you need an easier task.
Or maybe you just have other priorities in the short-term. I'd love to get to the point where I can easily ignore my phone, but right now my priority is to finish unpacking after a move and getting back into the rhythm of going to the gym. As James Clear says in Atomic Habits: To break out of a bad habit, make it invisible, unattractive, difficult, and unsatisfying. Locking a phone down to barebones functionality does all three.
Finally, maybe you have a deficit of attention. I've had diagnosed ADHD since I was a child - my level of self control for addicting systems is significantly diminished compared to a "normal" person. Yes, a certain level of this learned behavior: With dedicated effort and practice, I can develop that skill and get better about distractions. However, my baseline is still lower and my progress will be slower than a neurotypical person. Crutches like this help me preserve mental energy for my day-to-day tasks instead of spending a significant portion of my mental energy fighting the urge to check my phone all day every day.
Just my perspective at least. I know everyone is different and I aspire to be the kind of person that doesn't need to employ blockers and safeguards just to ensure I don't end up getting sucked into doomscrolling for 2 hours, but right now I'm working with what I've got.
A good analogy is if you've ever tried to eat healthier and cut out most junk food from your diet. If you're anything like me, that is a LOT easier if you don't have a sleeve of oreos in the fridge and a quart of ice cream in the freezer, at least at first. Maybe after months and months of dedicated dieting, you can allow yourself to indulge in 1-2 cookies after dinner, but when you're first getting started, a cold turkey approach can be much easier, as you have to exercise a lot less willpower if the temptation isn't readily at hand.
Appreciate the perspective. I can see how it would help someone with ADHD.
For me it's a bit different: It's phases.
Some phases of extreme self-control, others where I tend to give in a bit more (usually induced by external stress).
But that tells me I have it in me to do it without external fences.