About 7 years ago, I spent about 20 days abroad. Didn't have a data plan so my phone stayed in my suitcase the entire trip and didn't have a computer.

By the end I felt that I engaged with the world a lot more with a feeling that my perception was sharpened.

It felt great but didn't last long on my return. Because my life involves computers.

Today the idea of spending almost a month away from a PC would mean I'd have to quit my job.

But if I had the opportunity again, I would love to unplug myself. Not sure if I'd have the willpower though.

If I didn't appreciate the GPS in my smartphone so much I'd totally just use a Nokia 105.

>...I wish I had found a way to stay clean.

Anyone have success stories to share? I've tried adding various sites to my hosts file. But I seem to lapse after a while, since I can restore the file anytime I want to. Any negative reinforcement ideas? Like an annoying sound (baby shrieking?) played or an electrical shock when browsing to particular sites? Any methods to prevent yourself from uninstalling things like that though?

Any ideas on how long it might take to get over any "withdrawl" period? Like you only need to "tough it out" for a month, and then it becomes more manageable?

Figure out what you are getting out of it and find something that is similar, but without the downside.

I have read that TV watching strongly correlates to people having exhausting jobs. So, they come home and zone out in front of the TV, too tired to do anything else. I think social media serves a similar function for many people. But if you crave social connection and you are getting it primarily via social media, it is sort of like eating a single potato chip when you are hungry.

Go find better social connections and these faux social connections won't be a case of "I can't believe I ate the whole bag and now I want to vomit, yet I'm still hungry too!" I think of addictive activities as those which grow a hunger rather than satisfying a hunger. If you find a way to satisfy your need, addictive things are less tempting because you just aren't starving anymore.

Also, just get more rest so you aren't spending so much time doing empty activities because it is all you have the energy or mental focus for. Or otherwise rearrange your life so that you are getting the depth or density you need of a particular thing and these types of behaviors get crowded out by healthier ones.

I hide the Facebook app in a folder on my iPhone to keep it out of sight and out of mind. I still keep it around just in case I need to hop on for an event invite or something.

You should also turn notifications off--once Facebook notices you haven't logged in lately, they'll start sending you random "activity" notifications to draw you back in.

As for my laptop, I just signed out of Facebook in my browser. That was enough of a deterrent to keep me away. (I also deleted my quicklinks to my feed as well.)

It took me about a month and now I don't even think about it.

I started small and it's been somewhat effective, but I haven't stopped completely. What works well for me is only opening Facebook in private mode in my browser (which has other benefits as well, I was growing sick of seeing ads in FB from other sites I was using.) I have to log in every time I use it so I'm forced to think about it first. I do this on desktop and on my phone. I still use it but a lot less.

As you have found out yourself techniques which revolve around setting an artificial block don't work well. That's because they fail to really address the problem. As soon as you move into an environment without those blocks the addiction will return instantly and your willpower "training" will have be a waste of time.

Unfortunately it seems the only real method is indeed "toughing it out". Books help a lot in this regard as whenever you feel the pang you can start reading. Since this activity involves concentration over longer periods of time and no task switching, it's tremendously helpful to rewire your brain over time. You definitely feel the effects after a few weeks.

Block the app in the phone. I did just that, and don't want to look back ever again.

I didn't close the account because it's actually useful for some situations (found a lost dog last week and need to post about it so I can find the owner). But other than that, it feels awful to log back into Facebook. I left messenger installed because of the same reason I have whatsapp. It's actual chat, not posting pics or whatever (and I don't care about the "status" that some contacts share).

I've done this in a few ways. I go backpacking in the wilderness where there's no reception, and there's this Buddhist monastery I visit in San Diego where they ask you leave your phones in your car (it's a LOT better that way). I'd like to do a no-screens day once a week, unfortunately working in tech right now makes that difficult.

I was hospitalized for a few days and didn't have access to my cell phone. When I was discharged and handed my phone...I didn't even want to turn it on. Never gone back to that impulsive behavior since.

Want to go insane on this. Turn your phone off during work and on dates. It's a huge new level of focus and clarity.

I don't shut my phone off but I do keep it in do-not-disturb mode while I am at work and check it once every hour or two. I have email on my computer so I don't need it for that. Work is stressful enough without my phone constantly squawking at me.