diff --git a/build.rs b/build.rs index 9acb319..b6c5c81 100644 --- a/build.rs +++ b/build.rs @@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ use syntect::{ }; static POSTS: &[(&str, &str)] = &[ + // ("2026-03-14", "doomreading-instead-of-doomscrolling"), ("2025-08-30", "this-website-is-faster-than-light"), ("2024-12-08", "overengineered-blog-deployment"), ("2024-12-07", "nix-and-direnv-a-match-made-in-heaven"), diff --git a/content/posts/doomreading-instead-of-doomscrolling.md b/content/posts/doomreading-instead-of-doomscrolling.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e2f0460 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/doomreading-instead-of-doomscrolling.md @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +# Doomreading instead of doomscrolling + +Bought this little guy, and it has been a game changer for me. + + + +Like many others, I have a tendency to pull out my phone at whatever moment +feels a little bit boring, trying to maximize productivity by checking email, +chat, news, or bug reports. It's kinda like a vicious cycle of dopamine hits: +each next one requires more dopamine than the last. I suddenly realized that I +can't even wait for my wife to quickly grab an item from a convenience store +without pulling out my phone anymore. + +At the end of each "doomscrolling" session (which can span from 5 minutes to +even an hour), it feels empty. I can't really recall what I've read or watched. +I've come to the conclusion that trying to maximize productivity has +diminishing returns and is basically useless. However, it's extremely hard to +get out of the dopamine addiction. I've tried blocking apps and websites with +the OS's built-in features, but that seems to be ineffective because bypassing +them is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. + +When I got the Xteink X4 (after much consideration about whether it's too +small), something clicked. I moved my phone to my right pocket, and put the X4 +in my left pocket where my phone used to be. Now every time I have the muscle +memory trigger to pull out my phone, I pull out the X4 instead. It's so +frictionless to continue reading my books compared to my bigger ereaders (which +I'm still using). The small reading sessions of a few pages at a time compound +over the span of a few weeks, and I have finished another book today. While I +still haven't solved the tendency to try to do _something_ while I'm bored, +it's still a win because that time could have been wasted doomscrolling useless +content on Twitter or Reddit (even though they might still be technical - +they're still pretty shallow compared to the knowledge gained by book authors +after years of sweat and tears), and now it's used to read books instead. In my +childhood I've read basically 1 book a week (~52/year), but in the past 10 +years it has dropped down close to 1-2/year. With the new pace unlocked by the +X4, I'm on a pretty good track to bump that up to ~20 books per year. And I +feel great every time I pull it out, instead of the guilt of wasting time by +pulling out my phone. + +Besides the X4, there are some other alternatives from Boox, Bigme, or Viwoods, +but this one suits me better because I prefer a smaller device, and the limited +firmware is actually an upside, since I can't even do anything besides reading, +unlike other Android-based devices. + +Ditch doomscrolling, doomreading instead!