I've been a fan of Stoicism for a few years now. I haven't read all of the ancients text. I'm no expert but I love the practical use of the philosophy.
In June of 2019, I was starting to become more conscious of my social media usage. I don't think it was overly excessive but there is always room for improvement. I started to brainstorm ideas around building a side project to limit my use.
The Stoics talk about an idea called memento mori. Here's a definition:
Memento mori is the medieval Latin Christian theory and practice of reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits.
It's something I had been aware of and was already trying to practice. How could I use this to decrease my social media usage? I built a Chrome extension that would remind me how much time I have left by replacing website logos with a countdown to my inevitable end.
I definitely noticed a decrease in my social media use. After a while I must have gotten used to it because I also use another Chrome extension to help limit my use.
The extension has a little under 600 users, most of which are from Ukraine.