I used to tell myself I’d just check social media for five minutes. Forty minutes later, I’d still be scrolling, feeling lazy and guilty. My Instagram and YouTube reel addiction was draining my dopamine. That’s when I decided to swap doomscrolling with more useful habits.
Doomscrolling or doom surfing came with the pandemic. All of us have fallen prey to the mindnumbing feeds and endless scroll through addictive apps on our phones. It feels like we are doing something—staying informed, catching up, being entertained. But the truth is, we are just hooked.
The infinite scroll and unpredictable rewards are the same tricks slot machines use. Sometimes you get a funny post, sometimes shocking news, sometimes nothing at all. The urge not to miss the next great thing is what keeps us all swiping. I realized the worst part wasn’t the wasted time, it was that I came away with nothing useful to show for it.
My First Swap: Micro-Reading in spare minutes
I wanted to look at screen time without guilt. Instead of deleting social apps or avoiding the phone, I decided to use those same pockets of time differently. My first experiment was micro-reading. Instead of opening Instagram instantly, I started a micro-reading habit.
Downloading concise or abridged books to the phone was an early micro-reading hack I employed. As a second option, I saved and read a series of articles on a specific topic I am interested in.
The shift took some time. But reading even half a chapter or an article felt more satisfying than scrolling through negativity. Soon, I made it a routine: one page in Apple Books during my Pomodoro breaks, a Kindle highlight revisited after lunch, or a saved article read in line at the grocery store.
Micro-reading works because it doesn’t demand a big block of time. You don’t need to set aside an hour. All it takes is a few minutes, which is the same amount of time you’d normally waste doomscrolling. The difference is that the dopamine rush of memes and reels won’t drag you into a sinkhole as you scroll through the pages.
My second swap: Micro-Learning that adds up
After micro-reading clicked, I tried micro-learning. It works on the same principle: replacing endless swipes with quick, intentional learning sessions.
For me, an app called Kinnu was the gateway. I swapped a 10-minute Reddit break for a 5-minute Generative AI lesson. Instead of “just one more scroll,” I found myself chasing streaks and celebrating tiny wins. Other times, I use flashcard apps like Anki to review definitions. Wikipedia widgets are a treasure of information, even if it’s a simple Featured article of the day. I avoid Wikipedia’s Top read offerings because that’s also a backdoor to social media.
A short YouTube explainer video (I love the Kurzgesagt channel), a glossary term, or a mini-podcast episode all count. Over time, those little lessons add up in a big way.
How I made the habit stick
The hardest part was rewiring my reflexes. My thumb was so used to tapping the Twitter or Reddit icon that it went there on autopilot. So I pushed all addictive apps to the very last screen. The better alternatives came to the first homescreen. You can also remove the apps from the screen without deleting them from the phone to create another barrier. Also, there are a variety of apps that stop mindless scrolling on social media.
I also set small rules. At night, I’d allow myself one saved article or one short lesson instead of social feeds. In the morning, I gave myself five minutes to revisit a book highlight saved as a widget (I use a book highlighter app on iOS). Micro-habits have a better chance of sticking without feeling forced.
Finally, I leaned into streaks and reminders, but only till it became a habit. I prefer this low-tech habit tracking method instead of another distracting app.
The wonderful part of this strategy is that you can tailor this to your needs completely. Don’t like reading? Well, you can play educational games or even populate your social feeds with constructive content.
Now, I sense a genuine sense of progress. This has been an unexpected payoff. And no, I haven’t quit doomscrolling overnight, but the swaps have reduced it and calmed my anxious brain.
So, if you want to cut back on doomscrolling, don’t aim for a total detox right away. Just try one swap. Next time you reach for Instagram while waiting in line, open a reading app instead. Try a two-minute flashcard review instead of two minutes on TikTok.
Before long, you might start thinking of tiny experiments to do. For instance, following up a social media check with a reading or learning session. That’s what happened to me, and now I can’t stop.
