I blocked YouTube on my phone outside a 200-meter radius around my gym. The only way to bypass this block is to email Omar for permission to unblock it.
Today marked the first day of this experiment, and the results were impressive!
Throughout the day, I scrolled the YouTube homepage on my laptop to gather content I was excited about. Accessing it on my laptop isn't an issue, as I'm much less likely to watch there. I found at least three videos I was eager to see.
Later, when I wanted to watch something, I realized I’d have to go to the gym to do so. That motivation pushed me to get dressed and head out.
I hopped on the elliptical and started watching a trashy video podcast that entertained me the entire time. At 30 minutes in, I considered heading home, but I still had another half hour of the podcast to enjoy. So, I switched to the treadmill to keep watching. Eventually, I felt hungry and decided to walk home. As soon as I left the gym, ding! YouTube was blocked again. Now I’m looking forward to returning tomorrow to finish the episode.
I’m amazed at how well this worked! I’d call it a successful Day 1.
However, I see some potential issues:
I might end up watching YouTube on my laptop anyway, which would require blocking it there too. If that happens, I could integrate the “collection” step at the gym's end.
Watching YouTube while doing cardio fits perfectly, but it might not work as well for strength training since it’s harder to prop my phone up.
While I need Omar's permission to unblock YouTube, I have his phone password and could do it myself without him knowing. I don't think I would, but I’m not sure I can fully trust myself.
I’m looking forward to continuing this little experiment and documenting the results here 🧪