Delete the app, just do it...

the one you really don't want to, yes, delete it.

Improve your life is a weekly newsletter focused on self-improvement through self-understanding.

I write about looking inside instead of outside and doing your own work.

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Thanks for reading and enjoy. -Ian

Reading this piece will result in:

1. Understanding how intense the social media app dopamine cycles are.

2. Rethinking your relationship with the apps on your phone.

3. Getting chunks of your life back after changing your relationship with your apps and dopamine.

LFG 😎

The dopamine activity cycle.

Slot machines and that rectangle in your pocket.

Did you know that the wheels on slot machines spin for the explicit purpose of allowing your dopamine neurons to activate?  By design, the slot machine floods you with dopamine the second those wheels stop and lock in.  The apps where we all spend hours daily function the same way.   For this and many other reasons, I delete the YouTube app from my phone every few weeks. I don’t want to, but I know I need to.  I do this because the dopamine reward cycle becomes too intense.  The excitement of thinking that I am a few taps away from a significant revelation and then watching a video to realize it was only a dopamine chase feels terrible; I’m sure you’ve been there.  For humans, this intense dopamine chase is a new problem, and my solution is to delete the app on my phone where this cycle takes place. 

Initially, I thought this was a tired topic, but then I read a few studies on these effects¹². It’s no joke. The average US adult spends between 2 and 4 hours per day on their smartphone, and the stats get worse from there. It’s not just you; I’m right there with you.  

In full disclosure, yes, I have learned a lot on youtube, I’ve fixed a lot of stuff on vehicles and my house via youtube but most of the time, if I don’t have a goal, it’s never worth the time spent there.  I end up glossed over in the spin cycle of the algorithm.  However, the idea of deleting the youtube app is troubling.  It’s troubling because my ego is scheming that I continue to waste time.  I think of all the “knowledge” I won’t encounter and all the entertainment I'll miss.  When I fight this and delete the app from my phone, the benefits are almost instantaneous (yes, there is web and desktop access, but that’s too much work).  Not having access is the easiest and most effective solution to this problem.

This battle is, on a deeper level, the daily classic ego vs. self dilemma.  The ego wants us to wile away the hours getting lost in entertainment because the ego then maintains control, and the status quo continues.  I believe our inner guide is pushing us away from chasing dopamine.  For a deep dive on solving this problem, check this out.  The more challenging choice is usually the correct route if growth is the goal. Now that you know what to do, let’s go further. 

The roots of the problem

I grew up in a very clean and organized household, and I had to complete weekly chores. This training worked.  For this reason, I try to turn off and clean my phone once per week.  I recommend it.  Honestly, can you even imagine what gathers on these devices that we take everywhere?  This got me thinking about a conversation I had with a friend years ago, a very busy mother of three children.

Me; “How often do you turn off your phone, you know, to clean it?”

Friend; “never”

Me; “why not”

Friend; “I don’t want to”

I enjoy thinking about this conversation. For one, this friend is a Capricorn³ just like me; therefore, I understand her perspective, tone, and feeling all very well. My friend didn’t want to turn off her phone because she wanted to stay connected. I get it; it’s all happening there.  From here, I started thinking about how much these dopamine chases are a part of our daily lives.  We walk around subconsciously thinking about the next micro-dose.  

How did the pre-smartphone era feel?

So, how new is this phenomenon in human experience?  We all have memories of the pre-smartphone era being slower and calmer, and I think it was.  This previous era is difficult to remember, but I do not recall the dopamine chase being a big part of life back then.   The iphone was released in 2007, so that’s the marker I use.  I know exactly what I was doing and where I was when I saw an iphone in person for the first time.  It was pure fascination, especially with my silver flip phone in my pocket. And then, a few months later, I had one, of course. 

The next question is, how well have we adapted to it?  According to this study, and many others, not well at all. At the top of the list of the effects of the dopamine chase are increased levels of anxiety and depression and degraded sleep quality.  That’s enough to take the problem seriously.  We know and feel that the apps are too smart for our willpower and that chasing these dopamine hits negatively impacts our lives. 

We know we should make a change.  

I want to say bluntly here that deleting the app where you spend the most time is something you already know will improve your life.  

It’s hard. I get it.  I’m pushing you to try it. 

How will this improve your life? 

For me, the benefits of deleting the youtube app include: 

• More time.  

• Increased productivity. 

• improved mental health. 

• a greater sense of calm. 

• Fewer absurd ideas that have no positive benefit in my life. 

• I read more 

• I write more  

• I have more space.

You already know how much better you feel when you aren't spending hours staring at your phone.  The problem is so intense for almost all of us, that you are already thinking it over, deciding if you want to make this change. 

It’s a difficult battle, but if you delete that app you don’t want to, you will feel better, improve your life, and adapt over time.

Like me, you will eventually add the app back into the mix on your device, or maybe not, but deleting it is a big step.  There’s power there, take it back.  It’s like swimming out on a surfboard against the waves. Going against your culture's grain is difficult, and the pressure to retreat will mount, but keep pushing and moving towards balance. 

Let me know what app you are going to delete and how it improves your life, consider this an open forum.

1. Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time

2. Dopamine basics - The Cleveland Clinic

3. A very cool, outspoken, hard-working, all around excellent human born between December 22 and January 19, I’m confident you’ve got one in your life.