The app named Introvert is a generative artwork aimed to help you stay off your phone.
Right now we´re being asked to lead a sedentary life (for the sake of others and our own wellbeing). Only the mind is allowed to wonder.
I wish Introvert can help us lead a focused everyday where mindful practise will direct us to make the most of these strange days a head.
It’s rather experiment/art project then productivity app:)
Introvert is free and open source.
Please have a try, I would love to hear any feedback!
I don't think I understand the use of the word "Introvert." That, to me, has nothing at all to do with focus or attention or lack thereof? I suppose there could be a suggestion of introspection, but that also has nothing to do necessarily with introversion other than the same prefix.
I noticed an interesting bug however. On my device (iPhone 8), when you swipe up from the bottom while the timer is running (to select things like flash light), and then close it by swiping down, the timer automatically goes to 0 and the interval is marked complete.
Love this idea, and the images generated are great ... how to save them, tho? I click a finished image and press the down arrow, but nothing happens...
Besides that, if you really need to stay off your phone, consider a "distraction free" phone as outlined in the book Make Time by Jake Knapp. Its a solid book but you can also glean that part of it from his blog:
His version might be extreme for some. At the very least disable all notifications (save maybe texts from your SO/children) and delete social media apps.
As I paged-down to start reading, I got four words in ("Mindlessly checking social networks") before four social network badges animated in from the left. Seems a little ironic.
Regardless, it was a good read. Your idea about dumbphone+SIM-less smartphone is something I've not heard before and might try.
I was first using a dumb phone but soon realized that I need at least a maps application when I am abroad in a foreign city. Not being able to search for addresses on the go is also very unhandy if you don't wanna visit police stations around the world.
For my current Android I decided to get an upstream open source one (one out of four, to be exact, because there are not many blob free ones). Switched to OmniROM head builds without any google integrations, which kinda has the same effect as a dumb phone.
You would not believe what runs through gapps. Searching a bus? Nope, requires google. Take a note? Nope, requires google. Edit a markdown file? Nope, requires google.
f-droid and its analysis of apk files is a godsend.
My phone stays silent, with ublock0 in Firefox, and never shows a notification if I don't want it to. Use contact stars for allowance of emergency calls in DND mode.
I love it when I realize I haven't eaten at 21:00 because I could keep up the focus so much.
the absence of a digital map/route planner also has advantages in that it removes the "sterile tourist bubble" and forces one to interact with the local people.
Android user here. The addition of "Focus Mode" has completely changed my approach to my device and, by extension, my life. Various personal relationships have been noticably improved for the better as I can concentrate on them better.
I block all of the classic social notifications/apps, and I keep it on 24/7 apart from times I deliberately go out of my way to consciously press "Take a Break" for 5/10 minutes. The deliberate friction here is, of course, a welcome feature.
> I don't get what introvert has to do with focus.
A common object of attention for Samatha (one-pointed concentration / tranquility) practice is a Mandala or Kasina.
The copy on the site and the mandala-like art the app generates leads me to believe the author hopes people can use the app for this (or a non-Buddhist equivalent concentration practice).
I just did a 10 minute session. It's excellent for this purpose!
> I don't get what introvert has to do with focus.
I interpreted 'introvert' as a verb, even though the domain name suggests otherwise. As a verb it means to turn inward or to direct something (attention) within the self.
Oooh! I have long wanted something like this, something both compelling and soothing. When I've been doing something intense, it's hard for me to shift my mind into a lower gear; I often find myself back on Twitter or rummaging through the news. This seems like a great alternative.
Thanks! I've put myself on it. In the meantime, I dug an iPhone 6 out of my test device box to try it out. It's wonderful! Exactly the bridge I want between busy-busy and sitting to meditate. 5 stars, and I wrote you a review!
I use Forest (https://www.forestapp.cc/) which does something similar: plants virtual trees (you can pay to plant real ones too) for every time interval when you stayed focused.
I will also try this one when the Android version appears. The generative artwork makes it very compelling.
> plants virtual trees (you can pay to plant real ones too) for every time interval when you stayed focused.
One of my many pet-projects-I'll-never-implement is creating one of these addicting Facebook-driven social games like Farmville (I have no idea what it's modern equivalent is) and instead of distributing profit from ad revenue / in-app purchases, donate all of it to an NGO that does IRL whatever people are doing online. So if planting an in-game tree generates $0.02 in profit from ad revenue / in-app purchases (after operating expenses, taxes, capex, etc) and planting a tree in real life costs $20, the NGO would plant one real tree after users plant 1,000 online trees
I think it's a killer idea for a socially-conscious app and I think users would feel incentivized to play this over any of the stupid casual online games with no positive real-life implications.
> I think users would feel incentivized to play this over any of the stupid casual online games with no positive real-life implications
With all due respect, I think this is wrong. People play games that are fun, regardless of real-life implications. If you can make a fun game that is socially-conscious, more power to you. But socially-conscious by itself does not make a killer game.
on the contrary, i treat my phone as an entertainment device so that my computer isn't used for that. i used to read hackernews on the computer, but i found that if i read it on the phone instead, i don't get distracted when i am working on the computer. i can put the phone and all distractions in it away more easily than i can put the computer away.
I try to do it, but then I end up using websites, log out, then log in after some time and get hooked on again... I used to have a blocker app acting as a pseudo VPN on iOS but I just turned it off constantly.
I treat it exactly like I treat online purchases. No auto logins, I MUST enter my credit card (or use paypal, which requires 2FA everytime, no remembering), and I always log out of everything.
It makes making a purchase a hassle just like it makes checking up on social media a hassle. I intentionally put barriers up to manipulate my own behavior I know well enough. Yes it's annoying, but I've made a habit of it for so long it's a nuisance that is the "Right" way to do it.
I don't think setting up a timer on the very device that is distracting you will significantly help you stay away from it, especially on psychological terms. I reckon it will make you dependent on your phone as well, but in a different sense.
In my opinion, the development of deeply-rooted discipline and self-control must primarily--even exclusively--come from one's will, at all times and at all levels, in order to be successful. Otherwise, what are you going to do if you cannot access the app for whatever reason? We need to aspire to have a firm will, not a straightened one (by whomever or whatever external).
You do realize that you're comparing the literally insurmountable chant of a fictional, fantastic entity to something that can be overcome, right? I know it's an analogy, but I don't think it can possibly apply here.
Of course adding friction to bad habits is generally going to make it harder for you to indulge in them, the same way that removing friction can make it easier to engage in healthy habits. Nonetheless, the primary element of self-control must always come from oneself, in the moment. I know, since I've gone out of my way to remove many "blocking" systems too many times.
You're right, it's not a perfect analogy. Odysseus had a simple, binary action he could take to avoid the sirens altogether, and that action did not otherwise hinder his journey. You can't say the same about the social & leisure parts of the internet (social media, Netflix, MMOs, etc...). One example: Screen Time on iOS does not completely block the specified websites and apps. It politely suggests that you stop wasting your time. Odysseus had it easy.
One can replace their smartphone with a basic flip phone, but that would forsake all the good uses of the smartphone. This is where we get into the nature of free will. How much free will does the average person really have in the face of these addicting platforms? They're all designed specifically to preempt your self-control. Moreover, because they drove so many people to abandon their self-control, they normalized binging. It is part of our cultural fabric. The sirens aren't alien mermaids, they're our friends.
People need the freedom to say No. No, I don't need any more than 30 minutes of social media a day. No, I don't ever want to watch more than 1 episode per day during the workweek on Netflix. Etc... These commitments need to be binding, and the marginal cost of dropping them should be higher than the marginal benefit in all but the most legitimate scenarios. You're free to say "no" now, but it's an empty commitment without technological controls that do not currently exist.
My final thought relates to the availability bias. Leisure is more available than ever. Almost anything you want is a tap away. In contrast, productivity goals are notoriously unavailable. Sure, you can break your work into tiny steps, but those steps become increasingly abstract and divorced from the end result, which may nonetheless be 6 months away. You'll also consistently underestimate the damage, length, and frequency of "one more break" and overestimate your ability to reach that goal in 6 months at your current pace (overconfidence effect). We have a lot to gain from making leisure less attainable and productivity more tangible.
I think what it means is not 'away from phone' but 'away from social media distractions'. Hence the name. But yeah, you shouldn't need an app to take you away from other apps. You could just turn off those apps.
I disagree - often adding a barrier to entry can help a lot. For example, I've found Forest app [1] to be successful at stopping me from using my phone as a time waster when I start to seek a distraction.
That's my argument against two - factor authentication, which is spreading like herpes across workplaces. I like having my phone off and far from me during work hours, but 2FA made it impossible.
The security gains of multi-factor authentication are significant. They are so large that choosing to forego them might at this point in time be deemed negligence. That said, you're absolutely correct that it's wildly unreasonable that so many of them require you to make use of your personal phone - which you are wisely and responsibly trying to ignore
Fortunately, there are a lot of good ways to do 2FA that don't rely on your personal phone! A second device, physical RSA tokens, and U2F keys are all viable options that let you both be responsible by ignoring your phone and be safer. Some password managers will also do your TOTP code generation.
That's why I started using a second phone just for the Google Authenticator App at the workplace. If your authentication does not rely on SMS, you don't even need a SIM card.
the problem isn't the fast-food, but the health of the fast food. proper comparison would be trying to stop eating fast food by only having healthy food around the house.
My interpretation of grandparent is that the app is probably another distraction in itself.
So, I'm not sure what the healthy food in your analogy is.
I guess I failed to provide a clear analogy for grandparent (assuming I interpreted them right).
I purchased a Kitchen Safe for $50 and lock my phone up 14-15 hours a day. In an emergency, I can smash the safe for $50 and get my phone out. Works wonders for productivity.
This looks nice. I’d prefer that the app clearly states upfront that the numbers are in minutes, instead of someone having to guess what it is. It’d also be nice to start at one minute and have one minute increments for the first 10 minutes. Sometimes one just needs a short break. The current minimum length of 10 minutes seems too long for that.
Sorry if this is a naïve question. Once you have the timer running, are you supposed to keep focus on the art getting generated or you can focus on the work you are doing? (Say reading, in that sense you are focused on the reading and not touching your phone).
I found a glitch/bug: you can accidentally go back to the launch screen (with no way to go forward other than force-closing the app) if you swipe near from the edge right below or above the number scroller/selector.
Hey, If you are the author, the design details are not visible in the video (I am on my mac), I mean the details aren't visible. Maybe edit the video to zoom on the design when it starts generating for a few seconds?
Just a bit of background thinking.
The app named Introvert is a generative artwork aimed to help you stay off your phone. Right now we´re being asked to lead a sedentary life (for the sake of others and our own wellbeing). Only the mind is allowed to wonder.
I wish Introvert can help us lead a focused everyday where mindful practise will direct us to make the most of these strange days a head.
It’s rather experiment/art project then productivity app:)
Introvert is free and open source.
Please have a try, I would love to hear any feedback!