Breaking compulsive habits
Stop them by putting up barriers or making them less attractive
I have a number of compulsive behaviors, almost all of them Internet-based, that really don’t have much upside. They are just “things I do” when I have spare moments, but they often become huge time sinks. With the creation of thousands of Internet services in the game of grabbing — and keeping — your attention, this is a problem for many people.
There are two general principles I have used to break those mindless sorts of habits: put up barriers to them happening at all, or making them significantly less attractive to do. Which one I use depends on how much I need to use the particular thing in question for legitimate work.
Many of our modern compulsive habits are centered around our computers and our smartphones. Here are some ideas based on those two principles:
- Block websites on your computer
If you visit a particular website frequently (especially ones where you do what I like to call “The 5-Minute Refresh”), a website blocker may be all you need to break that habit. There are many software options for doing this, from free browser extensions that just do basic site blocking, all the way up to full subscription software suites that allow you to schedule blocking times, and provide added modes to break very persistent bad habits. Do a 2-Minute Task to install a browser-based blocker, and figure out if I needed to get something more serious from there. - Uninstall the app
If it’s an app that you can quit cold turkey, I’m not sure much more needs to be said. If you don’t need it, get rid of it and move on. - Switch to using mobile websites instead of apps
Sometimes you don’t want to completely cut off an app. Many of them can be useful in small doses. Many of the most popular apps also have mobile website versions. You don’t hear about them as much because the mobile web — despite all of its progress — is still not as versatile as apps. We can use that to our advantage. If you spend an excessive amount of time in a particular app, switch to using its mobile website version. If you don’t yet want to give up having a launcher on your home screen, both Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS support making one. - Turn your phone grayscale
If you have a problem with your smartphone in general, you can use the nuclear option and turn your phone to black and white mode. I have used this in the past and it is highly effective. Using my phone just lost a lot of its luster, so I really only wanted to use it when I absolutely needed to. Here are instructions for enabling it on Android (it may depend on your device whether you can enable it or not), and for iOS. - Move your phone to a far-away physical space
You can’t use your phone if it’s in another room. (Okay, turn the ringer up if you’re worried you’ll miss a phone call.)
Exercises
- If you have a computer or smartphone-based compulsive behavior, try out one or more of these ideas to reclaim your time.
- If you have something else that is a compulsive behavior, use these sample ideas and the two principles they are all based on: putting up barriers and making the behavior less attractive, to create your own strategies to break those habits.
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