Some time ago, I discovered a fascinating app called One Sec. This little wonder has only one goal: to help you regain control of your time and your habits on social media.
If you are aware of the incredible amount of time you spend on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you know that your smartphone is both your best friend and your worst enemy.
So, to help you out, solutions like One Sec can help curb your social media addiction by forcing you to take a deep breath every time you open TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and so on.
The basic idea is simple and quite clever. It consists of adding an intermediate step between your desire to consult social media and the action itself. Thanks to One Sec, say goodbye to the instant gratification offered by social media, which suddenly becomes less attractive because of this little added friction.
Thus, we stop compulsively checking our notifications to get a new dose of dopamine each time a visual aid reminds us that we have “Likes” or comments to read.
Don’t laugh, it’s very serious! Developed with the help of psychologists and user experience experts, One Sec can transform the daily lives of social media addicts. Some speak of a reduction in the use of around 50% on average, which still represents 2 weeks per year to do something else and, above all, to reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety related to the use of these apps.
And it’s not just me saying that! Scientific studies conducted by the Max-Planck Institute in Germany and the University of Heidelberg have confirmed the effectiveness of this approach.
Installing and configuring One Sec is child’s play if you’re on Android. And under iOS, it’s a little trickier because you have to go through Apple’s “Shortcuts,” but plenty of tutorials guide you through the process.
Then, you simply choose the apps you want to block, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok, or any other app, and One Sec takes care of the rest. When accessing these social media platforms, One Sec makes you wait and forces you to ask yourself why you want to visit them. This helps you spend less time in front of your screen.
Once this short break has passed (between 1 and 5 minutes, depending on your preferences), the application sends you a notification to remind you of your intention and check if you are still following it or if you have decided to change your mind. Note that One Sec will also not allow you to frantically or automatically open the chosen apps during these concentration sessions.
And the best thing about it is that you can track your progress with nice graphs and comparisons.
Beyond just reducing the time spent on social media, One Sec also suggests healthy alternatives to replace these bad habits. For example, if I want to go on Facebook, One Sec reminds me that I could rather look at family photos, play sports, call a friend, drink water (and only water ^^), read 1 or 2 pages of a book, or listen to music/a podcast.
These are just a few of the options on offer, and you can even customize the app to include your own favorite activities (yep, that’s possible, too).
In short, it’s a must-try for anyone looking to make positive changes. And remember, you can do it!!
