• yermaw@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    33
    ·
    10 days ago

    If these apps are like the ones ive already tried years ago, they failed (read : I failed) on step 1.

    You get 20 points for brushing your teeth. But either you just say you did it and get the points for free, or your toothbrushing routine just involved remembering opening an app and going through a list and checking a box. Brushing my teeth before bed was proving to be too much work for my lazy lazy brain. Adding work did not help.

    • Lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      10 days ago

      I use an open source app called Loop Habit Tracker. All it does it pop up a persistent notification around the time that I need to do a thing (such as brushing my teeth, taking a shower, or taking my meds), and all it does is ask “Yes” or “No”. No cloud, no account, no syncing with anything; entirely local. There’s no accountability outside of a consistent line of checkmarks. Which can be disheartening if I missed a chunk. But it’s genuinely helpful.

  • Jul (they/she)@piefed.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    32
    ·
    10 days ago

    Because they rely on habit forming to capture attention rather than spending the time and money to keep it changing enough to keep it interesting. It’s true of quite a lot of capitalistic practices, like going to an office, and it’s why capitalism doesn’t work well for many of us.

  • just some guy@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    10 days ago

    Color me shocked. From my experience with apples focuses, the first 3-5y were garbage. Only recently has it gotten better but it’s still not great enough to use reliably. If I feel anxious and turn on the “intelligent breakthrough,” I get every notification but normally blocked ones are shown with a priority banner. No option (that I’ve seen) to give feedback of “no/not important.” Honestly, though, given how little “AI” is in iOS, I’m kinda scared to imagine how Googles Android is with all the force feeding they do with their features

  • The D Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    10 days ago

    Adding more distractions to the distraction rectangle does not help people with distraction problems, new study finds

  • Stormcrow@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    10 days ago

    This is because traditionally the brain is used to focus, but now humans are being trained to outsource thinking for convenience sake.

  • Lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    10 days ago

    Wow. Shocker. Who knew that focusing on a screen will cause more screen time?

    My kids asked me for some app called “Finch” the other day. It’s supposedly a mental health app, and rewards you by letting you raise a virtual pet of some sort. Except it has in-app purchases…it’s just freemium data mining.