Various News Bits: January 17, 2025
In today's digital age, phone addiction has become a significant concern for many. To combat this issue, the Clearspace app has been designed to help users regain control over their screen time and improve their focus and mental health.
The app's effectiveness lies in its behavioural design, which aims to reduce distractions and encourage intentional, deliberate phone use. Key features include blocking and limiting distracting apps, forcing a breathing delay before opening a distracting app, setting time limits and visit counts to apps, and promoting digital wellbeing alignment.
By blocking and limiting distracting apps, users can prevent impulse openings and doomscrolling on social media, promoting healthier habits. The breathing delay before opening a distracting app interrupts automatic or impulsive phone use, reducing dopamine-driven habit loops and making it easier to change addictive behaviours into more conscious, atomic habits.
Setting time limits and visit counts to apps, and sending accountability notifications when a user exceeds their usage budget, leverages social accountability to increase adherence to screen time goals. Screen Time Challenges and reporting help train attention and provide insights into usage, which can motivate users to improve their screen habits by making progress visible and trackable.
The app also promotes digital wellbeing alignment, helping users to match their phone use with their health intentions, which can be particularly beneficial for people managing anxiety or ADHD.
Recently, Clearspace introduced a new feature called "Push-Up Mode", which requires physical activity before opening the app. This addition aims to further curb phone usage and promote a healthier lifestyle.
Meanwhile, in the world of music, the Vitamin String Quartet has gained popularity for its instrumental covers of pop and rock songs, providing suitable background music for work. Artists such as Taylor Swift and Coldplay have been covered by the quartet, with a Killers tribute album being particularly popular.
In a more philosophical note, Baltasar Gracián's The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence has been admired by scholars like Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, offering practical wisdom for succeeding in a competitive world while maintaining honour.
In the military realm, Colonel John S. Roosma defines one of man's finest qualities as 'guts', the ability to endure hardship. The training of 'guts' is hard, both mentally and physically, but once 'guts' are ingrained, an individual can face challenges as a soldier and enjoy the challenges of life as a civilian.
In sports, some college basketball coaches continue to wear suits during games as a tribute to coaching greats and for increased confidence, authority, and gravitas. Colorado's Tad Boyle, a suit-wearing coach, believes dressing up is important for the 30 most significant nights of the year.
These diverse examples demonstrate the importance of self-discipline and the pursuit of balance in our lives, whether it's in our digital habits, our work, or our personal pursuits.
The Clearspace app incorporates features such as blocking and limiting distracting apps, and offering a breathing delay before opening them, which demonstrates a commitment to style and discipline in digital usage. The app's screen time challenges and reporting feature, aiming to train attention and provide insights into usage, aligns with the education-and-self-development agenda of improving focus and mental health.
Meanwhile, the instrumental covers of pop and rock songs by the Vitamin String Quartet, like those of Taylor Swift and Coldplay, offer a characteristically softer, refined alternative for entertainment, contributing to a balancing act between work and relaxation.
In sports, some college basketball coaches like Tad Boyle wear suits during games, embodying confidence, authority, and gravitas. This choice is a testament to the significance of character and style, and underscores the importance of discipline in personal pursuits.
