For most people, effective "self control" is really placing yourself in situations that don't tempt you, or don't make it easy for you to slip up. [Effective, long-term] Self control happens _before_ the situation, not during.

I love me some chocolate chip cookies, and if there are any in the house I might ignore them when I'm rested, or full, or energized. But at some point I'm going to be tired and hungry and feeling lazy, and those cookies will begin to disappear.

Set up your environment to help you make good decisions.

> Why not just have the self control to not use the phone 24/7

I completely agree that turning of notifications is incredibly valuable, and I do this myself. That being said, it's not that easy for many people who are tied to email or Slack or anything else.

If self control were as simple as throwing a switch, we'd all be Olympian heroes of might and mind, and apps/smart phones are just another example of a "utility" that preys on human weaknesses.

Because hacking your attention works. It's like saying "I'm not susceptible to cigarettes so all that anti-smoking stuff is unnecessary."