Creating a Landscape for Digital Self-control
Turn your phone into a productivity tool
“Digital well-being” is at the forefront of technology and media consumers’ minds. With the surge in research on screen time and the effects of the attention economy, it feels clear that we’re spending too much time on our phones.
But what does it mean to create digital well-being? Google believes that “As technology becomes more and more integral to everything we do, it can sometimes distract us from the things that matter most to us. We believe technology should improve life, not distract from it.”
To cognitive psychologist turned computer scientist Ulrik Lyngs, it’s the ability to align our use of technology with our long-term goals. That is, users must be able to exert self-control over their devices with minimal difficulty. He’s dubbed this “digital self-control.”
Managing Time
Apps and tools that help users manage their screen time have seen unprecedented growth over the past few years. Both Google and Apple have made similar tools mainstays of their operating systems. And, if you want to take further control, you can download apps that go as far as locking down access to your phone.
At their core, these tools track usage, limit what other apps can do, and even block access to specific websites. The same functions are readily available to us through choice (like turning off our phones), but these apps help align our long-term intentions with short-term decisions. That is, they support your use of willpower or even supplant it.
We believe we’ll be able to exert more self-control in the future than we can. These tools help reinforce our goals by allowing the long-term focused self to impose limitations on the short-sided, pleasure-seeking self.
Some apps, like TimeWarp, automate empirically backed behavior change interventions like “if-then plans” into your digital life. TimeWarps process is simple, take a website you find unproductive and redirect it to a productive one. It’s a pretty cut-and-run exercise, but its impact was massive for me.
I no longer had to fight the urge to visit a site or limit usage; I could rely on an app to do it.
Why Digital Wellness Tools Work
Ulrik’s work focuses on the dual systems model of self-regulation. If you’ve heard of Walter Mischel’s “Hot & Cold” model, you’re probably familiar with the framework. The dual system approach states that our automatic responses come from system 1 and thoughtful control from system 2.
Emotional states, external stimuli, and habits control System 1. We refer to System 1 behaviors as automatic because they rarely enter conscious thought. Taking the same route home every day or grabbing your phone every few minutes are examples of System 1.
System 2 is more intentional, following rules, guidelines, and goals. It’s harder to take advantage of this state. Our conscious processes are limited, so we can only hold a few thoughts in working memory. Behaviors like ignoring the temptation of dessert or staying calm in a difficult situation come from System 2.
The figure below represents a visual interpretation of the interaction between both systems. The shorter pathway between System 1 and action is an excellent representation of how decisions come to fruition. Without conscious intervention, the majority of our behaviors are automated.
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Self-control is our ability to override the automatic with the intentional. Our capacity for this is determined by the value of our System 2 behavior. If it feels more rewarding to adhere to your long-term goals, you’ll enact the “better” behavior. If you overlook the clash between systems or the reward isn’t appealing enough, System 1 wins out.
Targeted Tools
In their research, Lyngs and his team mapped 367 tools to various processes to the dual model framework. Those mechanisms include goal setting, negative reinforcement, motivation, redirecting attention, and aversion to delays. While reviewing their work, I realized the sheer number of psychological processes open to intervention is astonishing.
Hopefully, you’ll know a bit about yourself to help narrow down the best tools for you. The following is a quick summary of some of the most common processes targeted by these apps.
Blocking/Limiting access — As simple as the name suggests. These tools make your response to temptation always the same, a hard “no.” The drawback of this response is that it doesn’t have a replacement tool to satisfy your craving. Once you get in the mindset of wanting to check an app, that feeling won’t merely dissipate because you can’t access it. There’s a good chance you’ll end up fixated or seeking out other sources of entertainment.
Self-monitoring — The first step for most folks to realize that they need to change. Self-monitoring tools are great for learning where and what you need to improve on, but they aren’t very helpful in initiating the first steps to behavior change.
Goal setting — These tools let you set, track, and act on goals. If adding structure and monitoring your progress are good ways to keep you on track, you’ll want to invest in these apps.
Reward or punishment — These tools can offer either digital or real-life rewards. The app Forest grows a digital plant for every minute you stay off your phone. If you fail to do so, your plant dies. Pavlok can administer a shock if you stray away from your goals.
Motivation — Simple, motivational quotes. I have the least experience with these apps, but what I did find helpful was putting messages from authors, creators, and artists I had some attachment to as the quotes I would see frequently.
Redirecting attention — I think these tool(s) have the most significant future. Instead of blocking a site, these apps direct you to a predefined location. As you start working to rebuild your habits, you have some assistance. Visit Reddit too much? No worries, these apps will redirect you to someplace more beneficial.
What I Use
Google Keep — Goal Setting
Forest — Blocking Access & Rewards
RescueTime — Self-monitoring
Timewarp — Redirecting attention
Daylio — Self-monitoring & Goal-setting
These digital wellness tools target different processes in the dual model framework, ultimately building new habits. That is the goal of any self-control intervention or exercise.
Studies have shown that folks with positive habits don’t have higher self-control; they experience fewer temptations. The routines set in their life help them avoid difficult choices rather than overcome them. To build a fulfilling, rewarding future, you must work on the habits that will get you there.
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