Thanks, super interesting I’ll try it. And what’s a long run goal for, say, hacker news and device use?
Rich life is a good goal but what does the day to day look like of using the internet as part of that? Or is simply not doing it based on urges enough?
It's all up to you in terms of what you want to do with your life. I can only offer my own experiences and conclusions. Currently, I am trying to pare down browsing as much as possible, but COVID has been a challenge. I'm considering stopping news reading entirely, but that's a different philosophical idea altogether.
On a day-to-day basis, the ideal outcome for me would be to naturally use computers just as tools to make things happen rather than as a self-feeding nexus for various distractions that leave me unsatisfied.
As long as your usage is as intentional as possible, you should be able to naturally gravitate to an agreeable life as defined per your own instincts. Or at the very least, you will not be in a position where your internet usage negatively affects your life. Restructuring lifelong habits is easier said than done, but it's possible.
It can be an uncomfortable process as you realize the full extent of your predicament and the strength of the craving. But after a while, it works exactly as intended. You then gain confidence in knowing that cravings can abate on their own no matter how strong they feel at the onset.
I have used the same broad concept to attenuate OCD symptoms and related anxiety. The counter-intuitive idea behind all this is that by rewarding your anxiety with a certain behavior, you are training yourself to feel more anxiety down the line. Therefore the opposite must happen: putting yourself into situations that directly confront the anxiety and withholding any reward. This is the same exposure and response therapy that is used to treat phobias or generic social anxiety, though obviously without the careful guidance of a trained professional.
[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wdsJayLhnM