3 Tools To Use Social Media More Intently And Significantly Reduce Mindless Scrolling
Relying on willpower cost me thousands of hours.
I’ve made this mistake constantly throughout the years trying to learn more, faster. I went down the rabbit hole of every topic I liked because I thought it was information I needed to achieve my goals. All it did was leave me feeling overwhelmed, alone, and lost.
It was a mistake to think one more YouTube video would be the one to tell me how to achieve my dreams.
It was a mistake not to try anything myself.
It was a mistake to think I could rely on willpower alone to stop watching after the video was over.
Once I realised the spiral I was stuck in, I started looking for ways to escape. I found that it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be and there were deeper issues causing my procrastination.
It’s not your fault.
Nobody wants to be a slave to the algorithm but most people fall into its clutches at some point or another. Being unaware of this means you won’t achieve your goals, your life will pass you by, and what’s left of it will make you miserable.
It’s important to understand that big companies spend a lot of money researching psychological vulnerabilities in our brains to keep us on their platforms. As a result, many of us are stuck engaging in mindless content instead of building meaningful connections with real people, discovering who we are and creating a life that fulfils us.
Minimising the countless distractions we face everyday can have a big impact on our life. By spending our time more intentionally we can begin to create changes that will lead to a life we can be proud of.
It’s not your fault that you can’t stop scrolling.
Here are three tools that I’ve used to see major improvements in regaining my time.
#1. FreeTube
An open source YouTube alternative.
FreeTube.com is a free, open source app where you can view YouTube videos with no algorithm. Meaning no video recommendations enticing you to waste time. Now I only have to use the YouTube website when I deliberately want to discover new creators.
In FreeTube you can create a profile for the topic you want to research. Only creators you subscribe to in that profile will show up on the home page. This allows you to have entire feeds dedicated to creators in different niches without ads, tracking, or an account.
#2. OneSec
Scientifically makes distracting apps less appealing.
OneSec is a mobile app that gives you a second to decide if you actually want to open the app. As someone whose screen time report says they spend five hours a day on their phone (yikes!), this app has been incredibly helpful.
It reminds me to think about why I’m opening an app and it creates breathing room for me to decide if I still want to go ahead. About 80% of the time, I close the app.
#3. Arc Browser
An app that re-imagines the internet.
Arc Browser has done so much for my productivity. It allows me to create different, customisable spaces for each topic or project i’m working on. It incorporates AI in smart ways. It also allows me to make the most out of my screen real estate with features like split view. The best feature for being mindful about screen time though is called ‘zap’.
Arc boosts allow you to control the way a website looks. You can change colours, fonts and elements with boosts. Zap is a feature of boosts that does just that — zaps away a part of a website you don’t want to see. Ever wanted to use a minimalist version of X, Instagram or LinkedIn? Simply zap away the features you don’t want to look at and have a less distracting experience.
By using these tools, you don’t need to rely on willpower to keep you on track.
I used to mindlessly consume social content without having the space to reflect on what I was doing or why. I assumed it was helping me learn. I understood the content at the time but I wasn’t able to recall half the stuff I watched.
I was stuck in this cycle for ages. When my screen time report showed that I had spent 14 hours on my laptop one day, I decided to take a step back and observe what my life had become.
I had no friends, no health, and no progress to show for all my ‘studying’.
I was miserable.
When I found these tools, I found a way to free my mind from the internet’s grasp and everything changed. This was the first step towards the realisation that it wasn’t the content that was the problem. It was deeper internal beliefs and fears that were actually holding me back. I wouldn’t have had the chance to realise that if these tools didn’t give me the space I needed to come to terms with myself.
Now after a lot of work, I’m at a point where I don’t need them anymore and I couldn’t be happier.