I try to read more but what else is there when I don’t wanna just read? I’ve done some notebook stuff too but I’ve found using it too much makes me be anxious about writing a lot down lol.
For instance as I lay on the bed for 10-20 minutes waiting for my child to take their nap. Do I just stare into the void?
Seconded Kiwix! Or, start learning some programming- I listen to Python programming videos while I’m doing boring stuff to absorb information…and it’s relaxing ha
WikiTok
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
SGT Puzzles
Kiwix
LiChess ( and Tactic Master)
Street Complete (OSM mapping)
Gurgle( wordle)
Luanti
I said I don’t want to use my phone tho
Exactly that. State into the void and let my thoughts wonder
Point at a perfectly functioning thing on my server, blow it up, relearn and fix the thing.
An IT friend of mine said “your home server should be like a zen garden…”. I was taken aback. Where else would I get to play with all the new shit I need to learn eventually? Surely not in production. And the home server is meant to serve up distractions not files.
I miss adderall.
I say this sitting beside four servers (including this instance) and one offsite server, you’re very much right. I enjoy homelabbing a lot. Probably my biggest hobby outside of research and gaming. That’s a fun way to think of it!
I love home labbing but sometimes it a chore not an escape. Especially more when you rely or want to actually use the services rather than tinker with broken shit.
Agreed. I’ve chilled out about it a bit. Now that everything’s working I do not care to add more things. Actively trying to run less services.
I enjoy thinking, closing my eyes for a bit, or focusing on my breathing. Or I’ll listen to the birds outside.
Bird watching is actually fun. Animals and nature watching in general.
You need to practice mindfulness. People should be OK with 10 minutes “staring into the void” and this is exactly the damage phones did to us
Edit: if I really want to look at my phone I open Wikipedia and check out the featured article or maybe the top read of the day list. It’s not brain rot and it’s not that fun either but it’s time well spent
Mindfullness that is free
Guided meditations that are downloadable freely under CC BY-NC-SA.
This is a great recommendation. To add another you can also get the Medito App for either Android or iOS which is also free.
mindfulness
I practice this alot during the day. It helps sometimes to disconnect from the world, and rejoin the server at another timepoint.
My goto device time killer is chess.com. It’s both educational and fun (assuming you don’t get your ass handed to you by a bot 😅).
FYI, lichess.org offers the same functionality (arguably better) for free. It’s a crowd-funded, open-source non-profit, free of any ads or trackers.
sit with your boredom for a bit, its healthy. or rather its unhealthy to be constantly bombarded with dopamine for nothing. enjoy your freedom from the screens.
Depends on the mood I’m in. Lately, I’ve been drawing in a tiny sketchbook I bought because a little sketchbook isn’t very intimidating, and I can just do a few quick practice drawings or commit to a small but detailed piece for an hour.
Another thing I like to do is lay on my back with my headphones on, put on some music, and do literally nothing except stare at the ceiling and listen to all the little details of my favorite songs that I don’t hear when I’m doing other stuff. It’s my form of meditation since “normal” meditation has never worked for me personally.
Puzzles. Mini crosswords, wordle, etc.
It’s fun to try to pick up some American Sign Language. The best resource I’m aware of is: https://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lessons.htm
I mean if Im having a laydown I just rest or nap. I don’t really think of it as staring into the void. I love naps or taking it a easy for a bit. Moreso if I can do it outside with nice weather or even in a chair near an open window. Closing my eyes and listening to the birds and other bits of nature. Granted various noises can make that more of a no go if the timing is not right. Evening is even better with stars and the moon. If you start looking at deep breathing and mediation and having a few minutes is like gold. All that being said I like suduko and its a nice thing to do throughout a day a few mins at a time. I think tastes may vary with suduko though. Crosswords to but I have to be a bit desperate as I find they are more about me learning about the puzzlemaker than language really.
I wish I could learn to nap. I’m 30 and I’ve never been able to do it. Even a 14 hour flight there is no way I’m going to nod off even for a second
Me too. I can only nap if I’m exhausted.
If I am by myself and don’t want to engage my devices or read, I will try to do something productive, like clean or organize a space that is messy. When I lay with my kids as they go to bed, I usually stare into the void and reminisce about them when they were younger. Thankfully they now fall asleep super fast, so I don’t have to spend 10-20 minutes with them. When they were much younger, I’d fall asleep with them until my wife (at the time) would wake me for my bedtime.
At the time? Divorce?
Yes.
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully your in a better place now! That stuff is tough.
Lately I’ve been enjoying playing Tetris DX on my Gameboy in my spare time. Keeps the brain busy and me away from my phone.
