Somebody recently asked me, upon seeing my low screentime, how I managed to (mostly) avoid doomscrolling. And really, the answer was quite simple; hobbies.
I, personally, like to identify as a ‘Jack of all trades’. There are simply so many things that I love doing, experiencing, and want to know, that it’s impossible for me to focus on one single thing.
Therefore, I have an almost never-ending list of hobbies, tucked safely into my notes app and scribbled in several half-used journals.
I strongly recommend anyone struggling with phone-use to make a list like this aswel; just write down one or two things you enjoy doing, and add something new to the list whenever you find something new to do. And then, hopefully, next time you grab your phone and find yourself opening tiktok, Instagram, or whatever you use to scroll, you’ll get yourself to open the notes app and pick another thing to do instead. (A second tip is to add hobbies/activities of all difficulty levels, for when you’re exhausted or when you need a challenge. Different energy levels ask for different activities.)
As an example, here’s my list;
writing (fiction, writing prompts (fiction/journal), essays, journaling, letters, philosophising, reviews (movies/books/food), etc.)
research (random interests, Q&A, fiction-related (Harry Potter, Maze Runner, etc.), etc.)
art (sketching, drawing, photography, art walks (possibly + research at home afterward), etc.)
Spanish (music, puzzles, etc.)
exploration (discovering new places)
alone time (no screen, nothing specific: just sit in your room or living room, perhaps browsing through bookshelves or collections. Boredom is the savior of the mind. Being alone with a simple pen and paper is also an option.)
studying (especially at the library)
Creating cookbooks/plant research/herb research/etc. pages in my journal (with text and drawings)
Being offline (no-screen challenges, for example)
Lyrics (writing them or analysing existing ones)
Working on my personal archive
Trying to learn something new (instrument, sport, tricks, etc.)
Taking the train somewhere
Working/Earning extra money/Selling things
Maths (seriously, it’s so fun)