Hey, howdy, hallo,
I’m just guessing, but you probably spend too much time on your phone (speaking from experience). Our devices and the services we access on them are made to be addictive. From the “pull down to refresh” slot machine dopamine hit, to the notification ding that has us conditioned like Pavlov’s dog. It can be near impossible to resist.
I wanted to give a few options today on digital wellbeing. I think it’s an important topic. If you’re here for more technical newsletters, feel free to delete this email, and I’ll see you next month. Otherwise, let’s get into it.
This is the easiest option to test, and I’ve been doing it for a few days now. Essentially, you’re setting your phone’s display to black and white. It might not seem like much, but you’d be surprised how less ’exciting’ a screen can be when it’s not in color. It’s easy to do on both GrapheneOS (Android) and iOS (iPhone). At the very least, give it a try. It only takes a few seconds to change, and you can switch it back if you hate it.
Settings > Accessibility > Color and motion > Color correction
Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size >
I don’t mean disable all notifications, but I would guess that you don’t need most of them. On my device, the only notifications I allow are Signal, Calendar, Tasks, and GrapheneOS notifications. That’s it. Everything else I need to make a conscious decision to open and look at. I don’t want a push notification bothering me because some developer somewhere scheduled daily notifications to try to boost engagement and retention time in their app.
Own your phone experience. Don’t let it own you.
Admittedly, this one is more of a commitment. I don’t do it, because when I make my videos, I try to keep my setup as stock as possible. It makes it easier to help others when things aren’t custom. But as I’m writing this, I think I might switch anyway.
The launcher on Android is the part of the user interface that controls the home screen, app drawer, and how you launch or organize apps.
On GrapheneOS, there’s a launcher inside the Accrescent app store called ÎĽLauncher. It’s open source, efficient, minimal, and most important of all, distraction free. Once you install it and enable it, it really is pretty boring. But that’s what we’re going for! There are other options out there, but ÎĽLauncher is easy to install, and it has a nice walkthrough when you open it.
This option is a bit more work than switching to Grayscale, but if you’re really struggling to use your phone less, I think it’s a must. I’m also a big fan of the minimalist esthetic. If you hate it, you can easily switch back to the default launcher and uninstall it.
As far as iPhone goes, I think there are some options, but I don’t know any specifically.
I do think phone addiction is a real problem. I believe the main culprits are TikTok and YouTube shorts. They have made swiping addictive and will steal your time away. With long-form videos, you decide when to stop. With shorts, the algorithm decides for you. Consume consciously, not compulsively.
I hope you had a great May, and I’ll see you in June!
-Josh
This site is a collection of random clocks. I really like the ‘Pix Clock’.
🎧 Ken Thompson — Long before Linux, there was Unix — and Ken Thompson was at the center of it. The quiet legacy of a developer who shaped how computers, code, and operating systems work today.
🎧 Steve Jobs — Steve Jobs is often hailed as a visionary who reshaped the technology and entertainment industries—from humble beginnings and Apple’s meteoric rise, to the creation of Pixar, and the legacy he left behind.
🖥️ Some thoughts on switching to KeePass — I switched to KeePass.
I added OsmAnd~ on my phone this month. I wanted to have local maps accessible on my device without an internet connection. It’s not my main navigation method, I use my Garmin GPS unit for that.
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I host my show In the Shell on it—and if you’re thinking of starting your own, check out Yellowball or just reply to this email. Happy to help.
“If it entertains you now but will bore you someday, it’s a distraction. Keep looking.” - Naval Ravikant
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