A little win I wanted to share

[u/Odd_Manufacturer7620]

I've been getting increasingly better at NoSurf when I'm not at work - I read (physical books), write (on physical paper), walk a lot, cook, clean, go for drives, go to the gym, talk w/ people on the phone, etc. My life has become much more peaceful and enjoyable with all these changes.

But my job has given me a challenge. Some days are so insanely busy that NoSurf just happens by default. But other days are so slow, as in 90% downtime, and on those days I would find myself doomscrolling reddit, youtube and different forums. All of my coworkers do the same shit - mainly YouTube and social media (I deleted social media a long time ago).

Anyways, this doomscrolling would then bleed over somewhat into my non-work hours.

I tried reading eBooks on my phone but I just could not immerse myself in a full length book while I was at work, knowing that my job could pop off at any time and steal me away from it.

Anyways, last week I got so sick of this conundrum. So I subscribed to Apple News. I figured: if I'm going to be looking at my phone, I might as well read some actual articles. Well they give you full access to a ton of newspapers and magazines.

This little change has been massively beneficial. I'm now reading a ton more, and feeling mentally nourished by it. And, because I'm not doomscrolling brain-rot content like a crack-fiend on a binge, when my job does inevitably pop off and requires my attention, it is much easier to pull away from my phone - and I can always go back to the articles.

Reading full actual articles that take 10, 15, even 30 minutes to read (like the longer magazine features), is also making me more lucid and fluent in conversations and its improving my attention span for reading actual books in my off hours.

I know this is different than some of the advice here which tells you to do the nuclear option and get rid of your smartphone (which might be a great option for some people of course), but sometimes even small adjustments like this can significantly improve the weaker links in the chain of your NoSurf journey.

I know this advice won't work for everyone. Some people need to stay the hell off their phones period - and I'm rooting for everyone here to make the changes they need to make.

Also - Merry Christmas everybody

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[u/oliyamoniqua]

One of the reasons I got off fb is because I don’t want to see depressing articles. Do you see those in Apple News?

[u/[deleted]]

That's great. I am glad you found something that works for you. For me, news is just not helpful as it causes me anxiety and depression. But reading is beneficial. I use Libby a lot. And my library gets a visit from me once a week. But the key to no surf is to find what works best for each of us individually. It isn't a cookie cutter set up.