I don’t necessarily mean in class, although I do zone out a lot, I just mean the attention span to watch hour long videos without scrolling to the comments or putting it in the background. What have you done to combat this? It’s pretty bad if a videos not extremely entertaining I’ll tune out, hell even if it’s entertaining sometimes I still can’t focus

Hey people,

Mid-20s guy who has decided I need to really get a handle on the way I'm using the internet.

Time just seems to invisibly slip through my grasp when I'm mindlessly consuming content & I'm increasingly having issues focussing and completing tasks that require my focus and directed attention.

I know that if I try to control this by relying solely on my will power and self-discipline, it will be too hard, so I'll be sharing my experiences here to hold myself accountable.

This is day 0.

34F. I simultaneously love and hate the internet. Here's what I have done so far that has helped my mental health as it relates to internet abuse:

I gave up on the idea of "healthy" social media usage. It doesn't work for me, I slowly get so hooked again and again until it consumes me. I deleted Instagram, Facebook , tiktok, etc, with no intention of going back. This is a highly personalized approach that works for me because:

- My life ATM is stable in the more practical aspects, got a stable job and roof over my head. I don't need to job-hunt, seek for a new apartment, I am an employee so I don't really need to promote a business or sell stuff on social media. If you do, Marketplace and Instagram are the places to be, and we all know that. At least where I live.

- Although I actually made friends through social media, I already talk to these people on whatsapp and we are close enough that we actually talk about shit that's unrelated to memes and pop culture. I used to be obsessed with meme culture but at this point I have a lot of shit to do and it ruins my attention span. It was hard at first but guess what? me and my friends have our own inside jokes, our humor can survive even if i'm not in the loop. I'm not really desperate to meet new people, I'm not lonely. If I had no friends I would definetly use social media though, I guess I have niche interests and unpopular opinions so I don't usually vibe with people I meet IRL, so the internet has been a useful tool to meet people but right now i'm good so i'm okay without the apps.

- I'm a curious person and a student, so having access to the internet is a godsend. However, I'm trying to keep my browsing history to almost exclusively technical stuff, tutorials, and music-related things, while staying away from "lifestyle" discussions like they are the plague. Misogyny is rampant both IRL and online, but online it's ridiculous. I decided to stay away from redpill shit (or whatever that is called) and go touch grass. If you think I'm over-reacting and I could just divert my attention from such bullshit, then you don't know what's it like to live in this society as a woman. There are only so much you can hear/read over and over again before it affects you. I refused to be brainwashed by that. I am a very sensitive person, I have insecurities, I'm human. I'm not less-than, i'm not immature, i'm not weak just because I admit I'm better off without all of that.

- I have a lot of off-hours at work, which are the most difficult moments to stay away from social media since everyone there is on their phones. I always bring my laptop with me, there's always time for a quick study session. Doomscrolling hours really stack up and you can literally do anything with that precious time, albeit at first people look at you weird but they get used to it. Seriously, no one cares you're not on social media, and after a week or two the anxiety is gone, and after a month or so you don't ever wanna go back.

- I never really had a problem or unhealthy relationship with youtube or porn, so i can`t comment on those.

I have been wanting to do many things for a few years now and have been unable to finish anything I start because of mental health issues, it's hard to deal with all of that already and insisting on using social media just because everyone does is like intentionally trying to live my life on the hardest setting. Fuck that shit. I don't have ADHD, but personally I can't deal with the constant information bombing that modern life consists of. Deleting social media has not been a magic cure but it has helped me a lot. It seems like I finally can get back into coding and producing music, things that I have been wanting to learn since forever but just... couldn't. I loved posting stories on Insta but I have realized that it's a waste of my creativity. It's not satisfying and it induces anxiety. Feeding my need to create through other mediums has helped me sleep better. Social media makes me overthink.. it really causes brainrot.

Then again, I know for other people it's really different. Just wanted to report what life is like. I think it's been a month. In the past i deleted the apps but ended up going back eventually because it was such an unsustainable habit - i turned off my cellphone for days at a time, for instance, something you can`t do anymore today. This time i don't plan on ever going back, but I wanna make the most out of technology. It's 2024. It can be wonderful.

I still have a way to go, I still waste a lot of time if i take my phone to bed reading stuff (i know i just said i don't do this, but its a process...) , I spend too much time talking to chatgpt... but im slowly getting better.

Yesterday, 'brain rot' was named Oxford’s Word of the Year, with increased in usage jumping by 230% between 2023 and 2024.

While this is interesting (and slightly scary) in its own right, it leads me to think about a much more important issue: content diets.

In the same way that we’ve come to understand the importance of what we consume physically—calories, macros, and micronutrients—it's time we apply the same scrutiny to our content. The constant feed of information, entertainment, and noise from social media, streaming platforms, and news outlets shapes our worldview, influences our emotions, and even impacts our productivity and focus.

Just look at how the content we consume triggers mimetic cycles in our thoughts and actions. We’re constantly exposed to idealized lives, curated successes, fear-mongering, and outrage-inducing narratives.

Influencers are shoving products down our throats from every angle—half of them things we don’t need, endorsed purely for a paycheck. Add to that the rise of deepfakes and it becomes harder than ever to separate what’s real from what’s manufactured.

These become models of desire in the framework of mimetic theory, quietly influencing what we want and how we measure our own worth, shaping our ambitions, insecurities, and behaviors.

When we see others achieve or possess something desirable, it’s not uncommon for us to feel an unconscious pull to chase the same thing, even if it doesn't align with our true values. It’s no wonder a ton of young people now aspire to be YouTubers, chasing followers and clout as though they’re the ultimate currency.

And when these mimetic desires turn into rivalry, it can get even darker. Social comparison becomes unavoidable, validation-seeking becomes a never-ending cycle, and the sense of self-worth is eroded as we measure ourselves against others’ highlights.

Worse, the platforms designed to keep us scrolling often exploits this mimetic tendency, feeding us narratives that make us feel perpetually behind or inadequate.

As Luke Burgis writes in Wanting, "choose your enemies wisely because we become like them." Rivalries have a strange way of shaping us—we either emulate those we compete with or define ourselves in opposition to them. We see it all the time In literature, where a "foil character" is introduced specifically to challenge the protagonist and reveal their defining qualities.

As we head into 2025, I genuinely believe that our content diet is just as important (if not more so) than our actual diet. While a poor food diet might lead to obesity, malnutrition, or chronic disease, a poor content diet can result in mental fatigue, anxiety, and even a warped sense of reality. Not to mention the increasingly sedentary lifestyles which contribute to many of the physical effects of unhealthy food choices.

Yet, unlike food, which comes with nutritional labels and (sometimes) warnings about overconsumption, content arrives unchecked, unregulated, and often in overwhelming volumes.

The algorithms that curate our digital plates don't care about our long-term health; they care about engagement. They prioritize what's clickable, shareable, and attention-grabbing over what's meaningful, enriching, or even accurate.

We're being fed heaping piles of brain rot (equivalent of digital junk food), empty calories for the mind that leave us feeling unsatisfied but craving more.

But just as with physical nutrition, the solution isn’t about abstinence; it’s about intentionality.

Listen, I love a good dark humor meme as much as the next guy, and sometimes a mindless scroll through YouTube Shorts is exactly what I need to shut my brain off for a bit. That’s fine. Not every piece of content has to be high-value or life-changing

But you gotta find the balance.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re clearly serious about making change in your life so I urge you to do this:
 
Take a mental snapshot of your content diet over the last week and ask yourself...

Does this content align with my values? How do I feel after consuming this? What purpose is this serving? 

If it’s meant for relaxation, is it actually relaxing, or does it leave me restless? Is it true, or is it just noise dressed up as substance?

Then take it further: What actions and beliefs have I picked up from the content I consume? 

Look at your recent purchases, habits, and your opinions. Did you want that product because it added something meaningful to your life, or because an influencer made it look desirable? Are your beliefs your own, or have they been subtly shaped by what you’ve absorbed online?

The goal isn’t to cut everything out (although you likely should cut some junk); it’s to curate intentionally, become more thoughtful about what food you’re feeding your mind, and free up space for what truly will drive you forward.

--

p.s. -- this is an excerpt from my weekly column about how to build healthier, more intentional tech habits. Would love to hear your feedback on other posts.

Identify this habit of yours. Then, break it, and you free yourself completely.

What to do instead of going back to instant gratification:

Whenever you feel any unpleasant sensation within you (e.g., you are disappointed by something or you feel anxious about everything on your to-do list), RAIN

1. Recognize it (is it anxiety? is it stress? Where in your body do you feel it the most?)
2. Accept it (the feeling is already within you; trying to distract yourself from it or trying to reject it is only going to make you suffer more---you don't have to keep doing this to yourself. Peace is beneath the pain within you. Peace is not outside of you)
3. Investigate. Listen to it (ask it: "What are you trying to tell me? What do you need the most right now?"). Then listen as if you were listening for a top-secret message being whispered by a tiny kitten (listen with utmost care, attention, and Love for yourself)
4. Nurture it (love yourself through the pain. Remind yourself of what you are capable of doing. Remind yourself that if you don't know what to do, you can always seek help. Just love yourself here, however feels most healing to you)

P.s. This post is based on Neuroproductivity, which is NO-BS productivity (productivity using science) if you are interested I got this from moretimeoffline+com they only use productivity based on science, they have great free stuff there

Cheerful morning and day! ❤️

....And got rid of my smart phone . Replaced my phone with a Nokia 215 and replaced my TV with a projector . I have put in place a PC where my TV was situated and only use my PC for one hour a day to check my Whatsapp messages and to do whatever I want in that time frame.

It's crazy you can't delete apps on the smart TV . I was addicted to YouTube and I found i was using the TV instead of my Phone to get the YouTube fix, thereby defeating the object of getting a dumb phone .

I looked at dumb tvs ( not much choice out there ) and fell in love with the projector idea.

I get my DVDs from CEX ( UK) it's a place full of used DVDs and Blu-ray . It reminds me of the blockbuster era when searching the stacked shelves for a DVD . You buy the DVD , you can keep it or return it and get credit to buy another one :)

If you're in, just post "starting now" in the comments.

Enjoy the sunshine y'all

I've been doing content creation online for a few years now, and while I really enjoy it, I struggle with staying disconnected from social media and gaming. It feels impossible to fully separate myself, and it's frustrating. I've tried lots of strategies, and some have helped, for example, blocking Twitter on my work PC made a big difference.

The challenge is that many of the platforms I lose hours on are essential for my job. If I'm researching for content, I can't just block Google, right? But I often end up searching for things I don’t need and then get sidetracked for an hour or more. YouTube is another tool that’s super helpful for work, but too often I find myself scrolling endlessly and wasting time.

I want to cut out these distractions, but I don't know how. These sites are crucial for my job, and while I've successfully eliminated the ones I don’t need (I barely use Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok anymore), I keep getting derailed by the ones I still rely on. It's really frustrating. I wish I could do my work without internet access, but that’s just not realistic. Adding to the struggle, I have bipolar disorder, which only makes managing this harder. I’m exhausted and just want to feel like I’m in control of my time again.

I’ve been prioritizing spending less time online, and while ofc I've had more focus and stuff, some of the changes have completely caught me off guard.

For example, I’ve noticed my memory has gotten better—like I’m actually remembering little details from conversations or random things I need to do without writing them down. It’s not something I even thought about when I started this, but it’s been a nice surprise.

I’m curious if anyone else has experienced something unexpected after cutting back on screen time. What’s been the biggest surprise for you?

Recently, many of my friends have been trying digital detox.

Some of them have done amazingly well, and cut their screen time from 5-10 hours to under an hour a day.

Curious, I asked them how they managed it. I was surprised to find that the concepts they shared with me all fall into these four points.

I hope you find them helpful, and feel free to share your own ideas as well.

1. Pay attention to the emotions behind your scrolling and address the real issues

Endless scrolling is often a sign of deeper issues.

• One friend realized he spent hours on his phone because he felt stuck in life and didn’t want to face his problems.
• Another friend noticed that every time work got stressful, she grabbed her phone to escape the anxiety.

What we can do instead:

• Start by observing when and why you reach for your phone. Writing it down can help.
• Imagine what your ideal life would look like in five years. Be as detailed as possible, from morning to night.
• Then figure out what changes you can make in your daily routine today to get closer to that vision.
• Practicing mindfulness, meditation, or breathing exercises can help us manage emotions and build self-awareness.

2. Replace scrolling with pre-planned activities

Unstructured time often leads to mindless scrolling. Planning ahead can prevent this.

• Schedule activities like reading, journaling, or working out, and add them to your calendar.
• Join group activities with friends. It’s harder to cancel plans when others are counting on you.

3. Don’t rely on willpower. Build systems to naturally reduce usage

Willpower is a limited resource, so create systems to help you use your phone less without effort.

• Keep your phone in another room when you’re at home.
• Switch your screen to grayscale to make it less attractive.
• Store your phone in a drawer while working.
• Use app blocker tools.

I use a tool which can track why I use my phone every time and how often I get distracted. It helps me reflect on my habits, understand my emotions, and practice mindfulness.

4. Turn off most notifications

You might think, "Everyone knows this," but many people don’t realize how much notifications interrupt their lives until they turn them off.

• Turn off anything that is not essential.
• Keep only the notifications you truly need for work or from close family members.
• While you’re at it, consider deleting apps you no longer need.

I’ve been using these four strategies myself too. Now, I spend less than 15 minutes a day on Instagram.

If you have other tips that worked for you, I’d love to hear them.

I'm going to get straight to it. Social media, in my eyes, is bad. It's too extreme and literally meant to trap you into a cycle. For a second, I was starting to think "this actually isn't that bad" and then I started to sleep at 12 in the afternoon because Tik Tok seemed more important than my sleep. On top of that? HEADACHES! I absolutely fucking hate headaches, and the one thing I ever really gained from social media was a headache. That and the fact that I started to realize that all I was on Instagram for was external validation from people that I wouldn't talk to in real life. I've had success in not having these apps before, but I somehow ended up always going back to them. I'll make sure I won't do it anymore though, for the rest of my life I'm going to commit to never going back to it. Some would call it a stretch, but many people before 2007 has done it before and I want to do it too. I'm contemplating on deleting reddit too, but I most likely won't and I'll just keep a limit on it since it's on my computer. These apps aren't good for humans. The countless amount of articles, and possibly countable amount of studies, show that we simply aren't built for an overload of stimulation and content.

I was feeling anxious yesterday, so my husband told me: "I have an idea for you to feel better. No phone in bed and no phone before you get up, brush your teeth, etc". I agreed to give it a go. He has been doing this for a while.

Well... I woke up with my Kindle beside me, so I read a bit. Then I got up faster than I used to, and no bad news and insecurities echoing in my head! I had breakfast, laughed with my husband, we talked, went for a walk in the sun, got back, and guess who's also more focused at work today??

Here's life when you don't use your phone in the mornings: 🌈💚🌳🌴🥭🍉🍳🪻🌻🌷🌹🍁🪴☀️📚✏️

Here's life when you do use your phone in the mornings: 📱📱😔📱📱📱📱😔📱📱📱😔📱📱📱

I'm taking my life back!

Hi guys,

question in the title: i happily use Stay Free as web extensione and i love focus mode, especially the fact that i have to type a long period to unlock it.

The problem i that on my android APP there is no Focus Mode? Is it correct?
Do you any other app where i can block the focus mode with difficult task?

Thanks

Bye

Scrolling anxiety is so real, and honestly, it’s starting to feel like a constant battle. I just checked myself—the past hour of my off day completely wasted on mindless scrolling. One whole hour gone. For what? Nothing at all.

It’s ridiculous how this habit sneaks up. You tell yourself, “I’ll just check for a minute,” and next thing you know, you’re deep in a rabbit hole of videos, posts, or articles you don’t even care about. And the worst part? It leaves you feeling worse than before you started.

It’s time to call it what it is—a complete drain. It doesn’t just waste time; it messes with my mood, makes me irritable, and kills any productivity I might have had. Even the things I do get done after that feel less satisfying because I know I could’ve done so much more with my day.

I need to set some serious limits, especially on my days off. These are supposed to be the moments I unwind, recharge, and do the things I actually enjoy. Instead, I’m stuck in a loop of endless scrolling that leaves me feeling empty.

No more. Time to cut this down to a level where it doesn’t control me anymore. My time and peace of mind are worth so much more than the next mindless scroll.

I am not completely against scrolling but you should only scroll for 20 minutes a day or set a schedule and maybe put an alarm to stop and dedicate your time. Scrolling 1 hour is just too much.

I tried getting into tiktok cause everyone around me my friends, my relatives are using it but it's just so uninteresting to me... Hell even my mom is on it

and its overwhelming to be bombarded with all this flux of videos aimed at you its like being punched in the face by all the videos that all autoplay its just boring annoying as hell i don"t get it honestly

I decided to take the blindpill (getting a dumbphone) about 6 months ago and it's genuinely done wonders for my mental health. My screentime plummeted from an average of 8 hours a day to now less than an hour.

I currently use the punkt mp02 and while it's a sleek, well designed device, there are a few issues with it. The primary one being its inability to do anything but call and text (which is kind of the point of it lol) I still have a laptop that I use for when I need to use the internet, I bought an mp3 player for music, and I take pictures on a film camera (I've learned to love the anticipation of seeing how the photos turn out weeks later)

A lot of people I've talked to have expressed interest in getting a dumbphone but there are a lot of barriers (limited functionality, cost, etc.) So I'm trying to gather more quantitative data on what the main barriers are so that I can hopefully develop a product that bridges the gap between extreme digital minimalists and the average person who's sick of being glued to a screen all the time.

https://forms.gle/VbpstMJ3KdwgeGjPA

If you could help me out by taking this quick survey about your relationship with technology I would really appreciate it.

Love you guys <3

Hello, I have been checking this sub from time to time, because I was pretty sure that most of my focus problems are derived from the constant use of social media. I think I am not one of the worst cases, but even when Im not a total addict, I feel like its draining my attention ability.

I was a cannabis addict not long ago, but now Im almost 1 year clean, and althought I have improved considerably, I dont feel like I am able to focus at the same level as I could when younger. So once resolved my drug problem, Im gonna try to address this. Furthermore, Im going to start a new exciting job in a new country, very important to me, and resetting my brain ability to concentrate seems a good starting point.

Right now, I feel is really hard to keep my attention in complex topics (even in simple ones sometimes), I can read a novel but the words just pass through my brain without adding meaning to what Im reading, I can be talking with someone and I cant even keep my attention on what he is saying. Its not something completely disabling but its hard to progress in my career and my life in general with this.

I would like to explain my key points for this process, maybe they are useful for others too:

• Total abstinence of social networks. Not twitter, not reddit, not youtube (Im referring to youtube shorts, videos with normal length I think are okay without abusing). My only concession would be half an hour of twitter after my football club games (I like to read the opinions about it and I think half an hour every week cannot do much harm). To achieve this, Im going to use app blockers in my phone and web blockers in my browser.
• No checking every 5 minutes other things that are not social networs but can be used to fight boredom (some examples could be newspapers)
• Rest well: I am pretty sure that this is a crucial point, the days that I sleep correctly are way easier to focus on things
• Exercise: I dont know about the rest of people, but this is for me a total MUST. I feel so agitated when I only skip my training for 2 or 3 days. I can have a day to rest, but more of that is a recipe for anxiety.
• Planification and monitoring: For me is pretty important to have everything organized, knowing that my daily goals are and the sense of completion is a hell of a motivation. Also, keeping track of the time Ive been studying/working works well for being constant.
• Not pomodoros: I know that pomodoro technique is like the holy grail in this kind of subs, but for me is not working. My explanation: I feel that sometimes it takes me 5-10 or even 15 min to get into the "zone". If once I got to the zone my timer is taking me out after only 10 minutes, its not gonna be very useful. I prefer to keep working for longer, listening to my body, and when I feel exhausted or when my mind is finding REALLY difficult to keep focused is time for a little break. Usually that time comes at 45/50 minutes mark.
• One thing that I do believe is useful is setting a timer for your breaks. I can spend a lot of time in a break if Im not tracking the time
• Coffee: I usually took 2 cups, one 1 hour after waking up and other after lunch. The first gives me that little rush for the morning and the other one helps me with that huge decay of energy in the afternoon.
• Walks: Im not gonna lie, is not an habit for me, but I have checked that its really useful a 10 min walk in a lot of situations: after just waking up (is much harder starting your work directly from bed), if you are just stuck in something (helps oxygenating your brain), after a meal (also hard to work just after eat).
• Reading: For me, reading is my meditation. I dont enjoy meditating, and i find reading way more enjoyable and more useful. In fact, there are studies that state that meditation is not more useful or benefitial for your brain that any other activity that requires focusing in something deeply. Just another way of meditation, I guess.
• Force yourself to practice focusing: Sometimes, I find myself losing the plot in a movie, or even stopping paying attention to someone talking to me. I cannot help it. I think forcing myself to keep my mind in the activity, even when its not something work-related, can be a huge help for my problem.

I plan to start now and I would like to post my results (if I get to be consistent) after one month, 3 months and 6 months. I have curiosity to know how long it takes to see real gains in your attention span and how much can you improve in things like reading a novel or focusing in study/work. Hope someone finds this post useful. Good luck with your free social media journey!

I don’t even live in Australia but I got very intrigued about this decision. I’m all for ditching social media. It sucks, but is banish its use for minors a good solution? Will it make the desired incentives? I’d like to hear more opinions.

Hello, I was looking for a place to ask questions about the app ScreenZen, it appears there isn't a dedicated community but figured out this was the best place to ask for advice.

I recently downloaded the app, I wanted something that would discourage me from clicking on various social media apps. According to my settings (https://imgur.com/a/M8oOixE) I should be getting a pause screen that lasts 30 seconds with a button to unlock the app for 3 minutes.

What instead appears is this screen: https://imgur.com/a/NSKO2hr

The "blocked" button, the "close" button and the X button in the top right corner all do the same thing, which is closing the app. Waiting for 30 seconds does nothing, the only way of removing the screen is by pressing one of those three buttons.

What am I not understanding? Hopefully I'm not the only one with such issues but so far from my research it seems I'm the only one indeed, I fear I may be missing something obvious. Thanks in advance :)

i don't have friends. i don't want to get close to others for many reasons, so being on the internet and seeing other people talk, discuss, and occasionally jumping in feels nice -- i can stay at arms length and not feel lonely while also not getting close to other people.

i spend a lot of time on social media though. 3 or 4 hours a day on reddit scrolling, about 2 or 3 on 4chan. i also, as shameful as it is, use AI and just talk to it as though it were a real person. it makes me feel ashamed of myself, but i know relationships or friendships or being close to others never goes well, especially not for others, so there's no point in trying.

how can i quit all of it, without making real close relationships, regain my motivation to do things like learn programming, 3D modeling, reading, writing, etc?

Looking to get rid of my phone I want something that I can get to only listen to audio books and only to take photos only? Need to photos for work to send to WhatsApp (cleaning job) Is there a device that does those 2?

I'm (25 F) and lately I've been realising how slowly I'm disliking social media. I'm by no means an avid scroller, but the few minutes that I get on social media to "just see what's going on" are enough to make me feel worse.

It just feels so strange like some sort of echo chamber. Everyone uses the same trendy songs, the same 'POV' videos, the same clothes, the same ideas, etc. On my recommended page all I see is girls looking the same, making the same motivational content, flaunting their self care and 5 am routines.

In my early 20s I'd finally become proud of myself. I managed to maintain a workout routine, started reading, picked up some hobbies again, got a part-time job, etc.

But now this is starting to dwindle. I work out, but on social media I see girls who work out even more and harder and got dream bodies. I find people who are so much more book-learned, I find people who are so much better at those hobbies, people who own their dream business, etc.

I used to feel motivated but this past year, I couldn't seem to feel that way anymore, and I know it's a me problem, but I guess we all react differently to things.

All of it just feels fake, empty, pointless. And I'm believing more and more that as humans we're not wired to constantly be aware of what everyone else is doing, we're not meant to be bombarded by so many different opinions from total strangers, not made to watch non stop brainrot content and memes.

Rant over, thank you for reading me!

I'm Gen Z for context (so many people my age are addicted to phones, social media and the internet it general).

During our lunchbreak (me and 3 of my friends) were just hanging out before the next class. All three of them were on their phones (I don't touch my phone when outside my house and it's kept at the bottom of my bag). I had a deck of playing cards and asked if they wanted to play cards (They all remained on their phones and said "no, not today").

Not much socialising I could do when they rather be on their phone (like they are all the time).

Can anyone relate? especially if in Gen Z?

I have been using Instagram since 2013, the year I graduated high school. Back then it was a cute little photo sharing app where you used filters and uploaded random photos. It was fun tbh. Then inspired by Snapchat, it started adding face filters, and even then it was ok. I used the app to keep up with some of my favourite people, some youtubers, and some photographers. Life was good.

Then the pandemic happened. Tiktok came and started to gain popularity. Instagram, not wanting to be left behind, introduced the worst thing in the world: reels. Now at first I didn't think much of it. But then, slowly and surely I found myself watching these short videos of people I don't know, places I hadn't been to, advice, money, relationship advice and what not, and suddenly 2 hours was gone doomscrolling.

I realised it was an addiction when I started to fidget during reading a book, working, or watching long form content or a movie. My hand unconsciously went to the phone to mindlessly scroll. Heck I couldn't even watch a youtube video on TV without scrolling away on my phone! The worst part? I didn't even remember what I watched!

Add to that, constant ads of websites I've been to, recommendations of products I might need. Bombarding my feed with so much information made my brain crash.

So, last month I decided enough is enough. I feel like an addict and this has got to stop. But then, I can't just chuck my phone into the trash and call it a day because the internet is a part of our life. So I made a plan.

My problem:

Doomscrolling and fried attention span.

Solution:

Uninstalling Instagram from my phone.

Procedure:

I uninstalled the app from my phone. I don't want to delete the app because I've been using it for a decade and I am sentimental about my older photos. Plus, it's the only social media I have. So I decided to uninstall it. Then, as a replacement I decided, if I do have to reply to a message or a post, I will do so from my laptop.

So the last 10 days, I have been using Instagram from my laptop. I log in, look at my messages, and if anyone I talk to texted me, I text them back. It takes 15 mins max. And here's what happened:

I didn't open my Instagram the last 3 days. I was so shocked, because just last week, I was half ass scrolling away. Using the app from my laptop has totally taken away the infinite slot machine scrolling feel that exists on the app on your phone.

And for the first time in years, I have no clue what anyone is doing, where they're going, what they're eating. And it's like a heavy burden being lifted off of my shoulders. I will continue this, because I am overwhelmed with so much information that my brain has crashed. It's high time I fixed it.

I deserve better than looking at the lives of random classmates or celebs through a rectangular screen.

The apps are "free" because time is the currency, and we can't get that back.

I have seen this listed as an alternative to surfing, but most meals only take between 30 min to an hour to cook so that would only take up a small amount of my surfing time. Any pointers for me? I want to get more into cooking. I have seen on r/cooking where people suggest looking up recipes online but wouldn't that lead you in the wrong direction if you want to quit surfing or not surf as much? Seems like a trap

I've posted about how the internet is boring before , and here's a few reasons why.

Now obviously different apps and websites have different layouts but it seems like in terms of content, it's all the same.

Everyone is making video essays, short form content just seems all similar to me - same text on screen, similar delivery, everyone tries to get them to loop in stupid ways, ads keep getting more and more annoying, especially on mobile with a similar look and feel to reels or tiktoks or whatever they're called now.

Some ShortFormCelebrity discovers a word in their Word-A-Day calendar and they use it in a video and suddenly everyone is using it without really knowing what it means or how to use the word correctly (see 'demure').

It's all just quite similar, that it feels factory made and to me it just bores me.

The one thing that no longer gets traction anywhere online is written content, but I assume that's because no one wants to write their own content and would rather let AI do it for them and people have very small attention spans to be able to read (and comprehend) a long wall of text.

It's depressing.

A big question I’ve been riffing on is when does excessive screen time shift from being a “bad habit” to an actual problem?

I ultimately landed on these two guiding questions, and have found them helpful for looking at my own screen time. Hopefully you do too.

1) Are you achieving everything that you want to do in the day? 

Nearly every person I’ve spoken to has what I like to call ‘The Someday Goal’. 

There’s always at least one thing that they ‘wish they could do if they had more time.’—maybe it’s picking up an instrument, tackling a fitness goal, or deepening a personal hobby.

Ironically, most of these goals would see major progress with just one hour of deep daily work and many of these same people have daily screen times ranging from 2-4+ hours . 

See what I’m getting at? 

2) Are you leaving your ‘tech time’ feeling better than when you started it? 

There's a running joke that after spending all day working on our medium-sized screens, we unwind (and ‘reward’ ourselves) by switching to our small screens (phones) and our big screens (TVs).

It’s dystopian af and a little sad, but it’s true. 

A lot of people use their phones and social media as a form of relaxation. And tbh, I see no problem with that. 

As long as you meet these two criteria: 

a) You have accomplished everything that you’ve set out to accomplish during your day (aka you’ve hit all the things you truly prioritize. For me, it's health, career, family, friendships.

b) You actually feel relaxed when you put your phone down or close your laptop. This is often where the problem lies — most of us feel worse after prolonged tech use.

This was by far my biggest issue, I would use Twitter for hours per day and actually feel like shit after it every single time. When I caught myself subconsciously opening up my browser and pressing "T" before I did anything else, I knew I had to change.

If you meet these two criteria, then great. Keep doing you. 

If you’re hitting both, great. Keep doing you.

If not, consider what this pattern really means. You’re engaging in something daily that leaves you feeling worse, yet you keep coming back to it. Sounds like a problem to me.

Why? Maybe there’s a reason, maybe not. 

The answer doesn’t have to mean cutting it out entirely but could simply be auditing your screen time and content diet to include less of what is causing you stress and unrest.

Gonna write an entirely new post re: auditing our content diets because imo it's just as important as our physical diet.

--

p.s. -- this is an excerpt from my weekly column about how to build healthier, more intentional tech habits.

All the internet is just gone and we go back to living the way before it was invented. How would you life change? Would you like it or not? What would you do differently if you find out there's no more internet from Jan 1st?

Hello,

Most of yall dont realise this but excessive phone usage steals your life force energy and messes with your biofield . After changing your biofield you will experience different thoughts/interests/ideas, most of these wont be to better yourself but more of what the media you consume.

Think about your humam biofield as a radio channel, if you spend hours next to these electronics, the radio channel will be tuned to receive and work with information from that.

You need to get a 3g old ass mobile phone for calls/texts only. Limit internet usage to work related projects. And do alot of grounding work like running in the morning and being around nature/other so your biofield resets.

Being out of the loop is peaceful, but the more I stay out of it. The less I care about online issues.

People always ask me if I have heard of this or that, and when they proceed to explain it's always something about some YouTube guy who ripped off some other guy or a Tiktok person who used AI and is getting heat from that.

And I'm always thinking "Who cares?" and I'm starting to wonder if people see me as bitter for not caring about online drama.

I'm not bitter, I'm actually quite content, however... do I actually have to care about these things?

How are these users relevant in offline settings?