Mindless scrolling :)
It starts innocently. You pick up your phone to check one notification. Five minutes later, you’re deep in Instagram reels, YT shorts , and an hour has vanished.Sound familiar?That was my daily routine, and honestly, it felt like quicksand.My laptop would sit in a corner, collecting dust, while I promised myself, "I'll start coding tomorrow."
Spoiler alert: tomorrow never came.
At first, I didn’t even realize how much time I was wasting. “It’s just a break,” I’d tell myself.
One night, I decided to check my screen time stats out of curiosity. That was the wake-up call I needed: 5 hours a day on social media. Five hours! That’s over 1,800 hours a year. The thought made me sick.I felt like scrolling monster.This needs to stop - should I break my phone?throw it away in the sea? millions of questions wihtin a second yet my shameless thumb kept scrolling!!
The Moment I Knew I Had to Change
The turning point came during a weekend when I promised myself I’d work on a personal project. By Sunday night, I’d done absolutely nothing. The hours I had were spent scrolling through memes, watching funny videos, and hopping between apps like it was my PhD paper reasearch.
RESOLUTION : No more AUTO-PILOT scrolling
Step 1: Becoming Aware of the Trigger
The first thing I realized? Scrolling wasn’t random—it was triggered. Every time I felt bored, stuck, or overwhelmed, I’d reach for my phone. It wasn’t about the content; it was about escaping discomfort!!
Once I spotted this pattern, I made a promise myself. Before unlocking my phone, I’d pause and ask, “What am I feeling right now? Why do I want to scroll?” Nine times out of ten, I wasn’t even enjoying the scrolling—I was just avoiding something else(maybe reality!)
Step 2: Swapping the Habit Every time I caught myself reaching for my phone, I’d grab a notebook instead.Sometimes I’d write a to-do list. Within a week, I noticed a huge difference : I was recovering from this,i felt.
Step 3: Setting Boundaries with My Phone(friendzoning your phone) This was the game-changer. I started treating my phone like a tool, not a entertainer. Here’s what helped:
- I gave myself two “scrolling windows” a day, 15 minutes each. Outside those times, I had to keep my phone away.
- My workspace and dining table became phone-free zones. If I wasn’t working or eating, I didn’t need to check my phone.
- The endless buzz of notifications was a big part of the problem. Once I silenced them, my urge to check the phone dropped .
The Unexpected Payoff My life didn’t just get more productive—it got happier. I stopped feeling like I was “always behind” because I wasn’t wasting hours on mindless content. I had more energy, more clarity, and (ironically) more time for the things I actually enjoyed.
If you’ve been trapped in the endless scroll, here’s my advice:
- Notice the triggers. What’s making you pick up your phone?
- Start small. Replace one scrolling session a day with something meaningful.
- Set clear boundaries. Decide when and where you’ll use your phone.
You don’t have to quit scrolling completely—just make sure it’s something you choose, not something that controls you. Trust me, the freedom you’ll feel is worth it.
Put the phone down, and pick your life up