10 things to do instead of doomscrolling
Summary
TLDRThis video explores how to break free from 'doom scrolling'—the addictive habit of endlessly consuming content on phones. The key approach is 'replacement over removal,' which involves replacing mindless consumption with intentional, rewarding activities. From engaging in research projects, using apps like Pinterest or ChronoPhoto, to adopting analog alternatives like physical notebooks or cameras, the video provides 10 practical ways to reclaim control. It emphasizes cultivating curiosity, avoiding sensationalism, and making productive choices that enhance well-being instead of feeding digital addiction.
Takeaways
- 😀 Focus on Replacement over Removal: Instead of completely removing unhealthy behaviors, replace them with healthier alternatives that provide similar benefits.
- 📚 Engage in Mindful Consumption: Set research goals when browsing online to turn mindless scrolling into intentional and productive learning.
- 📱 Hijack Muscle Memory: Replace harmful apps like Instagram or TikTok with educational apps like Wikipedia or bird-watching apps, turning compulsive unlocking into something beneficial.
- 🎨 Find Dopamine Hits in Healthier Ways: Replace content consumption that makes you feel self-conscious with platforms like Pinterest, which offer inspiration without comparison.
- 📝 Create an Anti-Chum Bucket List: Compile a list of quality content you want to consume and use it as a replacement when tempted to watch low-value content.
- 📸 Use Analog Alternatives: Replace core functions of your phone with analog equivalents like using a physical camera or notebook to minimize phone dependency.
- 🎧 Enter the Audiobook Vortex: Instead of getting lost in visual scrolling, pair audiobooks or podcasts with activities like cleaning or exercising to make distractions productive.
- 📰 Avoid Sensationalism: Opt for non-sensationalist news sources like Our World in Data for a more informed and less anxiety-inducing worldview.
- 📚 Embrace Lindy Media: Mix up modern content with timeless classics (books or movies) to reduce the obsession with cultural recency and stay grounded.
- 🛠️ Make Stuff: Combat passivity by actively creating—whether it's art, writing, or another creative pursuit—to find fulfillment beyond passive consumption.
Q & A
What is 'replacement over removal' in the context of addiction?
-'Replacement over removal' is a strategy where instead of simply removing an addictive behavior (e.g., going to the pub and not drinking), a person replaces it with a different, engaging activity (e.g., going rock climbing). This approach helps avoid the mental strain of constantly thinking about what is being avoided, making the process of overcoming addiction easier.
How can giving yourself a research project reduce mindless phone use?
-Instead of engaging in mindless consumption (scrolling without a goal), giving yourself a research project involves consuming content with a specific goal in mind. This way, you focus on mindful consumption, which allows you to feel more in control and engaged while using the internet productively.
What does 'compulsive unlocking' refer to, and how can it be managed?
-'Compulsive unlocking' refers to the automatic habit of unlocking your phone and opening apps like Instagram or TikTok without thinking. It can be managed by replacing the apps that fuel this habit with ones that offer positive content, like Wikipedia or a bird-watching app. This interrupts the habitual loop and creates moments of clarity.
How can using Pinterest or Chrono Photo replace the dopamine hit from doomscrolling?
-Pinterest provides the positive aspects of social media (creativity, inspiration) without the self-consciousness that comes from platforms like Instagram. Chrono Photo turns scrolling into a fun game by letting users guess the year of historical photos, providing a dopamine hit of discovery and learning rather than consuming endless, mind-numbing content.
What is 'anti-chum bucket' content, and how can it be used to avoid doomscrolling?
-'Anti-chum bucket' content refers to a curated list of things that inspire or improve you, like quality shows, albums, or books. When you find yourself engaging with low-quality or mindless content, you can instead turn to this list and consume something that benefits you, turning negative habits into positive ones.
How can replacing core phone functions with analog equivalents help reduce phone dependency?
-Replacing key functions of your phone, like the camera or music app, with physical alternatives such as film cameras or vinyl records, can reduce reliance on the phone. This approach allows you to enjoy the benefits of those functions without falling into the trap of using the phone for hours.
What is the value of pairing cleaning or hands-on activities with audiobooks to avoid doomscrolling?
-By pairing a hands-on activity like cleaning with audiobooks or podcasts, you can still engage in a distraction (which may sometimes be necessary) while adding productivity. This method ensures that your day ends with a sense of accomplishment rather than feeling drained from passive consumption.
How can you avoid sensationalist news headlines while staying informed?
-To avoid sensationalist headlines, you can choose sources that offer more thoughtful and slow journalism, such as Our World in Data or solutions-based journalism. These sources focus on deeper analysis without the clickbait packaging that causes anxiety or alarm.
What is a 'Lindy detox,' and how can it help reduce the bias toward recency in media consumption?
-A 'Lindy detox' involves consuming content that has stood the test of time (e.g., classic books or films) rather than focusing on new or trending media. This reduces the cultural recency bias and shows that older content often has long-term relevance, offering a more stable, thoughtful form of media consumption.
How can creating things replace passive consumption as an alternative to doomscrolling?
-Instead of passively consuming content, engaging in creative activities—whether it’s writing, drawing, or building something—offers a flow state that is more fulfilling. Active creation helps replace the easy but draining habit of doomscrolling with something more meaningful and productive.
Outlines
📱 Overcoming Content Addiction with Replacement Strategy
The speaker introduces the idea of replacing content addiction habits instead of removing them. They draw a parallel between addiction to alcohol and addiction to excessive phone use, explaining how removing the habit without replacing it leads to misery. Instead of removing phones from our lives, they suggest focusing on meaningful activities like rock climbing or other engaging projects. The video will explore strategies to replace doomscrolling with healthier alternatives.
🔍 Embrace Mindful Consumption through Research
The speaker suggests combating mindless content consumption by engaging in 'research projects.' Instead of scrolling aimlessly, viewers are encouraged to consume content with a purpose, such as exploring a specific topic. This intentional browsing leads to a sense of agency and helps users feel more in control of their internet usage. Even if the information gathered isn't immediately useful, the act of mindful consumption becomes a form of empowerment.
🤳 Rewire Compulsive Phone Use with Positive Apps
Compulsive phone unlocking is driven by muscle memory, often leading users to apps that harm rather than help. The speaker proposes a replacement strategy: replace addictive apps like Instagram with educational or hobby-based apps like Wikipedia or Merlin (a birdwatching app). By breaking the expected dopamine loop, users may feel momentary disappointment, but ultimately gain a moment of clarity and shift to healthier content.
🎨 Creative Apps: A Healthier Dopamine Hit
Doomscrolling gives people a dopamine hit from endless headlines and content, but it's harmful. As a replacement, the speaker recommends apps like Pinterest, which offers creativity and inspiration without the self-consciousness of traditional social media. Another suggested replacement is ChronoPhoto, a historical guessing game that turns curiosity into a fun learning experience. Both apps provide dopamine boosts but with the added benefit of learning or creativity.
📵 Digital Detox and Environmental Control
Our digital environment is designed to be addictive, with apps exploiting human psychology to keep us hooked. The speaker mentions techniques like turning your phone to grayscale, using browser extensions like Newsfeed Eradicator, and disabling attention-grabbing features on platforms like YouTube. These environmental changes help reduce the temptation of clickbait and sensationalist content, giving users more control over their screen time.
📝 Create a Curated ‘Anti-Chum’ Content List
Instead of falling into the 'chum bucket' of mindless content, the speaker advises making a curated list of valuable content you truly want to consume. This list should include inspiring, educational, or enjoyable media that aligns with your personal goals. When tempted by low-quality content, this list acts as a trigger to switch to meaningful alternatives, like watching an episode of a classic TV show or listening to a full album.
📷 Swap Digital for Analog to Break Phone Dependency
The speaker points out that phone dependency often leads from good use (like taking a photo) to bad use (doomscrolling). To replace this dependency, they recommend using analog alternatives for core functions, like a physical camera instead of the phone's camera or a notebook instead of a digital notes app. This analog switch helps break the automatic loop of bad phone use while still fulfilling the need for those tasks.
📚 Replace Scrolling with Productive Distractions
While distractions can be comforting during tough times, they often spiral into hours of unproductive doomscrolling. The speaker suggests replacing visual distractions with audio ones, such as audiobooks or podcasts, paired with a hands-on activity like cleaning or exercising. This approach keeps the mind engaged while allowing for progress in other areas, turning distractions into productive habits.
🌍 Learn Without Sensationalism
News often manipulates users through sensationalist headlines that provoke anxiety. The speaker suggests replacing sensationalist content with more thoughtful, slow journalism and informative sources like 'Our World in Data.' These sources provide deeper insights without the fear-mongering often found in traditional news outlets, allowing users to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed by negativity.
📖 A Lindy Detox: Mixing Old with New Media
To overcome the bias for constantly consuming new media, the speaker introduces the concept of a 'Lindy detox.' This involves mixing modern content with timeless works that have stood the test of time, like classic books or movies. By engaging with older, enduring media, users can overcome the cultural tendency to prioritize the new, and instead connect with works that offer lasting value.
🎨 Be a Creator, Not Just a Consumer
The final recommendation for replacing doomscrolling is to create rather than consume. The speaker emphasizes the joy and fulfillment that come from making things—whether it’s art, writing, or other creative activities. By shifting from passive consumption to active creation, users can avoid the mental burnout of constant scrolling and instead experience the therapeutic benefits of being in a flow state.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Doomscrolling
💡Replacement over Removal
💡Compulsive Unlocking
💡Dopamine Hit
💡Digital Environment Manipulation
💡Chum Bucket List
💡Analog Replacements
💡Comfort in the Vortex
💡Sensationalist Headlines
💡Lindy Detox
Highlights
Content addiction is a growing problem, and the key to overcoming it is replacing negative habits with more positive ones.
One lesson from sobriety is the importance of 'replacement over removal' when changing a habit.
Mindful consumption: Replace mindless phone scrolling with a research project or intentional consumption of content.
Hijack compulsive phone unlocking by replacing addictive apps with more educational or productive ones, like Wikipedia or a bird-watching app.
Pinterest can be a replacement for social media; it provides dopamine hits without the self-consciousness or social comparison of apps like Instagram.
Chrono photo (a game) turns phone usage into a learning experience by encouraging curiosity about history while delivering dopamine rewards.
Our digital environments are designed to be addictive. Understanding these manipulations can help users break the habit.
Implement tools like grayscale or browser extensions that reduce the lure of attention-grabbing digital designs, such as clickbait thumbnails.
Create an 'anti-chum bucket list' where users consume pre-selected quality content rather than falling into mindless scrolling.
Replace core functions of your phone, like the camera or music player, with analog equivalents like a physical camera or vinyl records.
If you need distraction, switch from visual content to audio content like audiobooks or podcasts, and pair it with a productive activity like cleaning or exercise.
Doom scrolling often provides an illusion of being informed. Replace sensationalist news sources with more in-depth, solutions-based journalism.
Combat cultural recency bias by mixing modern media consumption with 'Lindy' content — books, movies, and media that have stood the test of time.
Instead of consuming content passively, focus on creating things, which can lead to flow states and a greater sense of accomplishment.
Acknowledging that passive content consumption is easier than active creation, but making hard choices today can lead to easier and more fulfilling experiences in the future.
Transcripts
hello let's talk about 10 things to do
instead of Doom scrawling that was cool
Doom scrolling brain ride being
extremely online Internet poisoning swap
nothing content journalism 12 hours of
screen time whatever you want to call it
it's hard to deny just how many of us
have been gradually lured into content
Addiction in this video what we can do
to fight it to get our lives back based
on a key lesson that helped me beat a
different kind of
addiction so used to be addicted to
drugs and alcohol not anymore yay stop
it anyway one of the key lessons that I
learned about sobriety is this idea of
replacement over removal so let's say
you drink a lot of alcohol and you want
to stop if you just focus on removing
that alcohol from your life and not
actually changing your life around it
what this might mean is you going to the
pub sitting there with your drinking
buddies and just not drinking and that
is going to be miserable and incredibly
hard all you are going to do is think
about how good a beer would be and how
much you don't have one that's removal
replacement on the other hand says well
what if instead of going to the pub and
not drinking a beer you go rock climbing
and not even think about beer that's
replacement baby and that is what I want
to do for this list I want to take a
reason as to why we consume so much in
our phones how it looks and then what we
can do to replace instead of remove this
so keep getting the hit somewhere else
one give yourself a research project why
so we don't default to Mindless
consumption mindless consumption as a
default so what this looks like is
scrolling with no goal just basically
being like I will go on my phone now and
not having an intention to remove this
would be like putting your phone in a
lock box which does work admittedly but
if we are trying to I don't know go for
replacement here what this would look
like is strolling with a goal instead of
mind less consumption it's mind full
consumption which I Define as a research
project mindset so you know when people
research stuff they have a goal they're
like all right I want to find out
everything that I can about those I
don't know alien mummies in NASCAR Peru
right now when you go to consume content
you have an intention you want to find
out information about something
specifically if you want to take it to
the next level you might even want to
compile notes gather your research and
you might never need this information
but that's not the point the point is to
feel agency you are using the internet
instead of the internet using you two
take advantage of compulsive unlocking
compulsive unlocking the thumbs do it
not us you know just go and then muscle
memories already on like one of these
bad UPS you got Instagram Tik Tok Reddit
this one and then your brain just starts
melting so here remove would again just
look like not using it which can be
really really tricky so replacement is
hijacking the muscle memory and
repositioning apps that will do you good
in place of the apps that will do you
bad so if your thumb keeps going to
Instagram now it's going to go to
Wikipedia or Merlin a bird watching app
and what I like about this is there's
kind of like a disappointment that you
feel when you're like oh this isn't
candy this is information and then you
feel a second disappointment not in the
situation but in yourself for being
disappointed because you're like oh oh I
have been lured into content addiction
damn it but yeah what we're trying to do
here is interrupt the compulsion Loop so
by not giving yourself the reward that
you're unconsciously expecting you get
this Moment of clarity at best you're
like oh I don't want to do this anyway
and at worst you end up using an app
that makes you hopefully better yeah
three Pinterest and Chrono photo why the
big old dopamine H so the way that Doom
scrolling and brain rot does this is by
serving us headlines and endless content
how terrifying is the endless scroll it
just doesn't stop that is an incredibly
predatory design feature I do not like
it it's weird anyway the way that we're
going to replace and not remove this
isn't by simply taking away the phone it
is by finding that big old dopamine hit
from something that doesn't come with so
much baggage yeah dude so take Pinterest
right Pinterest for me is social media
without the self-consciousness because
what I do like about social media is
seeing inspiring stuff I like seeing
creativity I like seeing art I like
seeing other people's Talent right but I
hate thinking about myself because that
really interrupts the process and if I
have an account on something like
Instagram then it's like everything that
I see I'm going to be having this second
thought where I'm like you should do
that why aren't you doing that you suck
it's just pointless Pinterest however I
can just look at the art it's good and I
still got that dop me hit of Discovery
if you prefer the big old dopam mean hit
of information uh may I suggest Chrono
photo holy moly dude I love this game so
much so basically it's like geoguesser
but for historical photos you get served
a photo that was taken anytime between
1900 and now and you have to guess the
year that it was taken but but here's
the thing so I got real into this game
and what I found is that all of my
complacency from using my phone turned
into curiosity all because I wanted to
get a higher score so I was like all
right when were those hats in fashion
what year did the horse become a car
what year was this dress in voke and in
the pursuit of a score you still get
your big dopamine hit but you also end
up learning about history and feeling
connected to the past and just becoming
I don't know just a whole lot more
fascinated by things or at least that's
how I felt massively recommend man all
righty next one four
undoomed by our digital environment news
flash did you know that all this stuff
is designed to addict what in the words
of Facebook's first president Sean
Parker it's a social validation feedback
loop how do we consume as much of your
time and conscious attention as possible
and that means that we need to sort of
give you a little dopamine hit every
once in a while it's exactly the kind of
thing that a that a hacker like myself
would come up with because you're
exploiting
vulnerability in in human psychology and
I just I I think that we understood this
consciously and we did it anyway God
only knows what it's doing to to our
children's brains that's conning so when
it comes to the manipulation of our
digital environment one thing that we
can do instead of Doom scrolling is to
phone you can do things like grayscale d
Google if you want to go hardcore
Newsfeed eradicators a cool extension
and this one which came from a comment
on my most recent video D Arrow
basically what it does is on YouTube it
gets rid of the arrows the big red
arrows essentially it turns things that
look like clickbait into just normal
videos with normal titles here's a fun
example H yeah five create an anti- Chum
Bucket List this is about putting the
stuff that you actually want to consume
in a list and then associating garbage
content as a trigger to open that list
the next reason why we Doom scroll or
just use our phones incessantly is that
brain rot syrup is tastier than brain
nutrients you know it's like high
calorie content it's like ah yummy yummy
sugar sugar and then you just feel
terrible for like ages so when I find
myself watching just the worst content
here we have some reaction content
someone's doing one of those ones uh I
like to ask myself this question would I
respect someone who consumes this
invariably the answer is no God no God
no not at all so why am I doing it so
with that Loop interrupted we can start
to focus on replacement what we can do
instead of Doom scrolling is firstly
compile a list of things that we think
will either Inspire or improve us and
second when we are kind of ke for like
you know some mindless time on our phone
instead of just going straight to the
freaking chum bucket of content you go
to that list and you actually watch
something that you have pre-selected for
yourself to watch on mine I got a couple
episodes of The Twilight Zone I got a
hypnosis just want to give it a shot a
couple of albums I just want to listen
to as albums and then a few books I
guess think of it as a a watch later
list that you will try use terrible
content as a trigger to consume when
you're like ah I can do better than this
six replace a core function of your
phone with its analog equivalent next
one why are we Doom scroll good old
fashioned phone dependency we need it h
this one I find pretty annoying cuz it's
like yeah you might be using your phone
for good you know you are just taking a
photo of your dog and then before you
know it you are using your phone for bad
you now on the X app watching people
argue about
honestly nothing anyway so phone
dependency can go from good use to bad
use real quick and we Doom scroll
without even realizing it in terms of
replacement this is kind of a fun one
and the others are not fun but basically
it's about replacing a core function of
your phone with its analog equivalent so
instead of the camera app getting a
physical camera I've been having a lot
of fun with film cameras lately which is
probably from Chrono photo instead of
Music getting vinyl or instead of the
notes app using a physical notebook but
basically just acknowledging that these
are good functions but that you don't
need your phone for them there is a bit
of a physical media resurgence let me
know if you want a video on that cuz I
very much like it seven if you're going
to enter the vortex make it a cleaning
and audiobook Vortex number seven why we
Doom scroll there is comfort in the
vortex if you are having a terrible day
then having like an endless stream of
content right here centimeters from your
face is at the very least going to take
your mind off it so you start and then
next minute you've got 4 hours in the
Tik Tok stuper or because brain is sad H
this is a tricky one so replacement not
removal for this one I think
the distraction is actually good
sometimes what I think is not good in
this equation is the lack of
intentionality and the visual aspect
check this out what we can do instead of
this is Ditch the visual part of it and
instead keep the distraction but only in
audio form and pair it with doing
something Hands-On basically like
audiobooks and drawing podcast and
running lecture and cleaning but
essentially what we're doing is
acknowledging the bad mode and that
distraction sometimes is necessary but
we are also adding some sort of progress
to that so at the end of the for
distraction Vortex your day hasn't
gotten worse no your house has actually
gotten cleaner but you've been to the
gym life's not terrible hopefully eighty
learn about the world without
sensationalist headlines all right the
next reason why we do it this is like
classic dream scrolling for an informed
world view sometimes sometimes it's
informed uh you know you see these
headlines they like we're all going to
die uh that's alarming oh man sorry I'm
looking for my phone cuz I saw this one
there was like open AI Insider estimates
70% chance that AI will destroy destroy
or catastrophically harm Humanity the
world isn't ready and we aren't ready so
with journalism you got an article or a
video or whatever it happens to be and
then you have the way it's packaged the
headline and these are two different
things often done by two different
people or at least the same person in
two very different mindsets one of them
is what they actually want to say and
the other one is them responding to a
system where hold on know clickr rate is
basically the only hope of commercial
viability so they have to get your
attention and I know that if I'm looking
for something on a News website I will
still take in every sensationalist
headline and surprise surprise it makes
me feel alarmed of course it does we're
all going to die remember for the
informed worldview the replacement not
removal is about opting for sources that
aren't playing the alarm game here I've
got our world in data I really like that
website you can get lost there for hours
and while I'm at it check out Hannah
Richie's work she's one of the writers
there she wrote not the end of the world
it's a great read uh will leave you more
optimistic about things than I think the
news will and also slow journalism or
Solutions based journalism where people
take time and really try and understand
things from a point of view that
empowers you and informs you instead of
just turning you into a passive audience
for clicks nine give yourself a Lindy
detox of course the word slow might be a
bit of a hiccup and that is because of
our cultural reeny bias another reason
that we like to consume so much Doom man
because it's all happening right now
this reeny bias we can see it literally
in the word news it's new the sort of
undertone that by consuming today's
stories you are staying informed and the
weird importance that things get when
they feel urgent you know posted 5
minutes ago so in order to overcome this
what we can do instead of J
scrolling is subvert it mix up the news
with some olds so tangibly what I
recommend doing here is giving yourself
a bit of a Lindy diet Lindy detox what's
that Campbell I'll tell you so Matthew
Lindy was this social scientist who
noticed that with pieces of media
however long they had been around
relevant in the cultural Zeitgeist was
usually a pretty good measure of how
long they would stick around so for
example if you look at an old text I
don't know like Dante's Divine Comedy
that's been around for 700 plus years
according to Matthew Lindy it will at
least be around for 700 more because it
has stood the the test of time compare
this to a video that my friend sent me
of this kid aing himself on a scooter if
it was posted yesterday and it's been
relevant for the entire day we can at
least predict it'll be relevant for 24
more hours probably so when it comes to
Lindy things it's like Lindy books books
that have stood the test of time Lindy
movies are movies that have done the
same thing and I find it's a really good
way to get over your cultural recency
bias cuz it's like I've been watching a
lot of old movies and reading a lot of
old books lately and damn the thing that
keeps hitting me is how similar we all
are I'm like oh man I don't know maybe
I've got this like belief that modern
people respond to things differently
emotionally no not at all it's all the
same 10 make stuff and finally why we
Doom scroll because being passive is
easy and active is hard and generally we
want to conserve energy so we pick the
easy option here we have this person
when it comes to all this stuff just
consuming yeah here comes the content
airplane of course in the beautiful
words of Jersey Gregor easy choic is
hard life hard choic is easy life when
we take an easy option it often makes
the future a bit harder and when we do
take the hard option it'll make the
future a bit easier so our final thing
to do instead of Doom scrolling instead
of consume stuff is to make stuff oh man
yeah get in that flow state it is so
therapeutic and you can just I don't
know have a much better time than
whatever this is blue light brain rot
and I don't know bombs anyway that's the
list hope you enjoyed it if you have an
interest in Doom scrolling specifically
like the actual doom and new and check
out this video that I made last year
otherwise try one of these things and I
don't know have a beautiful day catch
you
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