Set an intention before opening an App

[kenneth]

This was mentionned by @joshhawaii

@joshhawaii

Lack of Intentions?
Intentions were listed as a feature, but are nowhere to be found. I loved the idea of typing what I was going to do with a break, so I could keep myself using my phone more intentionally.

[kenneth]

@Romney_Manassa

I think having the option to write an intentionality is worth re-introducing, although I also like the timer approach, so maybe giving folks an option?

this is from @Romney_Manassa

[joshhawaii]

I definitely like the countdown timer as well. I like the idea of an option.

[Vikki_Bristlin-Lax]

I second that. Setting an attention is important before using the internet because it keeps you focused on the task at hand.

Additionally, it would be a good idea that the intentions are saved in a log along with the time spent on the internet and in apps. It’s helpful to keep track of the reasons for internet/app usage as well as the time spent.

[kenneth]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. It may connect with this idea A level between deep focus and the default

Perhaps there is a level where you have to write an intention in order to take a break.

[kenneth]

enable a pop up when you open an app to write down your intention. Then, display on a PiP the text entered to remind the user why he opened the app

[Dreadnaught]

This would be great. It’s easy to get sucked into your phone and skip a limit notification. It would be so helpful if intention setting is a required field when you reach a limit, skip a limit, or snooze. The goal is to add another control (mental pause and planning) to the opal process

[Emah]

I would like to see a feature like the one from this app:

‎Dopamine Phone Detox App Lemio

When you open a distracting application, It makes you choose between two minutes five minutes or 10 minutes And it makes you “promise” that you’re going to use the app Only for those minutes.

[Ben_Partridge]

Old thread but just chiming in that “setting an intention” was one of the reasons I installed the app. The main use case for me is my lunch break during work hours, I want to maybe watch a YouTube video or play a game but these activities can easily become a rabbit hole where I spend longer than I wanted to. The time of my lunch break changes depending on schedule and workload for the day so I can’t use a scheduled break in the workday session. Is much prefer to be able to quickly “take a break for X minutes and set an intention” to remind future me that I didn’t sit down to stare at YouTube for an hour.

[rachatm]

I really need this feature, I have ADHD and constantly forget why I opened an app as soon as I see something interesting at the top of my news feed or check my notifications. It would be really helpful to be able to write down what I want to do and then choose to either do it now (and probably need another reminder in a minutes time to check I’ve stayed on task) or save it to be reminded later when my block is over

[andromedablue]

Add a block difficulty where the user can access the app at any time (maybe for only a set amount of time before it locks again), but they have to write in a text box what their intention for opening the app is.

This can help with apps like Instagram, where a lot of people will mindlessly open the app to scroll. Setting an intention for opening the app would make the user think about why they’re opening the app and be more mindful with their app usage. This would also be useful for people who use instagram to message their friends but want to stop themselves from scrolling through reels: they could open the app and set their intention as “message friend”. At the end of the five minutes (or however many minutes the user might have set for the unlock time) the app would lock again.

Opal could even show an archive of a user’s intentions for opening an app.