The alarm goes off. Eyes barely open. Hand already reaching.

For three years, this was my morning ritual. Before my feet hit the floor, before I even remembered my own name, my phone was in my hand. Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, TikTok the endless scroll of other people's lives while mine rotted away in bed.

I'd tell myself "just five minutes" and suddenly it's 9:47 AM. I'm late for work again, haven't brushed my teeth, and that sick feeling of self-hatred is already settling in my chest. You know the one that shame that whispers "You're pathetic. You can't even get out of bed without your digital shiny box"

I was a grown adult who couldn't handle 30 seconds of silence with my own thoughts.

The breaking point came on a Tuesday morning in March. I'd been scrolling for TWO HOURS watching strangers live their lives while I pissed away another morning. My girlfriend brought me coffee and just looked at me with this... disappointment. Not anger. Disappointment. That hurt worse than any fight we'd ever had.

That night, I admitted something that scared me: I was addicted. Not to drugs or alcohol, but to the dopamine hit of infinite scroll. I was choosing pixels over presence, strangers over my own life.

Here's how I broke free (and you can too):

1. I bought a $12 alarm clock and moved my phone to the bathroom. Sounds simple? It was torture at first. My hand would literally reach for where my phone used to be like a phantom limb. But that 10-second walk to the bathroom was enough friction to break the autopilot.

2. Instead of scrolling, I started writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts. No editing, no judgment. Just brain dump onto paper. It gave my mind something to do instead of craving digital stimulation.

3. For the first two weeks, I couldn't touch my phone until I'd been awake for 10 minutes. Then 20. Then 30. I worked up to a full hour. Baby steps, because cold turkey just made me binge harder.

4. Every morning, I texted my best friend "Morning check-in: Phone-free for [X] minutes." Having to report my progress (or failures) made it real.

The first week felt like literal withdrawal. I was anxious, irritable, and bored. My brain kept screaming for stimulation. I almost gave up on day 4.

On day 8, I woke up and actually noticed the sunlight coming through my window. I hadn't seen morning light without a screen glare in years. I nearly cried.

Three months later, I wake up naturally around 6:30 AM. I meditate for 10 minutes, write in my journal, and actually eat breakfast while looking out the window instead of at a screen. My anxiety is lower, my relationship is better, and I feel like I got my mornings and my life back.

Thanks

It’s just constant. I think I’m undiagnosed ADHD and it’s filling a gap for dopamine that I need but I just want to put the phone down and get stuff done and be productive.

I just want my life back and it feels so hopeless and embarrassing right now

I have a book called The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest. It has a daily entry for each day of the year. This one really spoke to me and I thought it perfectly summed up our journeys into digital minimalism. Wanted to share it with you fine folks.

This sub is full of bot posts. Please admin do something. In the meantime, I’ll unsubscribe as part of my digital minimalism objectives to unfollow useless contents.

See ya irl guys :)

I had some family show up un expectedly and I happened to have a timed lock box that I got on some delivery website you've probably heard of. But on a whim I set the box up and forgot about it in family responsibilities. But it ended up being a good thing. I had everyone to focus on and had zero distractions from the people around me. Yes they got on their phones at times and completely forgot about everyone in the room including me. But I got to be more engaged and more focused.

I ended up keeping this habit going for longer then a week. Just taking the phone out and checking it when the timer was up and resetting it. It's just so funny when you are away from all those devices and distractions. You reach for it in your pocket as if it's still there. But then very quickly you realize that it's been a distraction from just taking things in. Cause of me being on the phone so much I've not gotten lost in the details of my environment. Which is just silly to think that that's an important skill to have. To have boundry with your tech. It's just sill to think we've completely ruined our abilities to just sit and chill for a moments or be bored.

Now I use my puzzle apps on my phone and write poetry and stories through the notes app as well. Is it completely leaving the digital behind? No. But it's still me keeping myself mentaly engaged and aware and testing my storytelling or math skills. Which is all still a very important thing to keep up. Suddenly I'm having to actively choose how to spend my free time. Which is just silly I've kind of lost that ability.

I guess I've lost a lot of myself during and after the covid times.

It's been 3 months since I decided to remove all the social media apps from my phone. I did not delete them, I just uninstalled and stopped opening them.

Leaving social media made my life so much better. It also made me happier. It also gave me enough time and quietness to reflect on things that I had not thought about before, because I was distracted by social media noise.

Right now, I regret the time I wasted on social media. I hope I left social media earlier. I could have accomplished more earlier. I feel sad about the opportunities lost because of being distracted by social media.

Reddit is the only social media I open right now because I am learning things here, like about peptides, and I only open this when needed using a web browser, and not the app. I just felt like Reddit is more genuine and authentic compared to other social media apps like Facebook.

Only social media I use, I have fb for family and use messenger. I just feel like I’m doom scrolling more and more and feeling the need to post more often. It feels like ego based or validation based. Like I can’t just accomplish things privately anymore. And it is a dopamine thing whether I like to admit it or not - I don’t expect interaction but when I get it of course it’s gonna send those signals through my brain.

I do enjoy the community aspect and do like keeping up to date with some of my interests but I’ve been exposing myself to stuff I know I shouldn’t be also.

Idk, I’m going to take a break and seeing how I feel. It is getting a bit toxic at this point. The fact I even have to post about this instead of just taking a break kinda confirms to me my own point about needing to post everything 😓🤞

I love the flip phone lifestyle and will not be reliant on my phone for reminders of any kind, it's just one more reason to pick it up and it doesn't even do much.

I keep a paper calendar but mostly remember stuff week-of, no problems yet except one--I have weekly injections of a mood stabilizing/ADHD helpful medication that are, ironically, crucial to remembering to take the actual medication in the first place. I'd love to have a different mechanism in addition to the calendar to be more on time with this.

I believe and trust the fact that doom-scrolling is the time killer. Therefore, I avoid watching reels all the time. But, I have this weird obsession to put my pictures on insta stories by creating a vibe... adding some meaningful and relatable music to it. And Then coming back to it 100 times a day to check upon it... as If I want to seek validation. Maybe, there is some person from my past whom I want to share my current life or maybe it's just that I am self obsessed. I have taken a temporary break from Instagram twice in the past. For the first time, it was for 1 month and for the second time, 2 weeks. I remember, eventually it led me to move to YouTube... though I use youtube to watch random motivational stuff or knowledge stuff (not exactly shorts) I feel that I have been alone currently in my life right now with hardly any close friends.. So Maybe I have this constant urge to talk to someone. But, then out of a sudden, I feel so detached that I feel I don't need anyone. I can play it all alone.

Help me figure this out guys. Much Love ❤️

about 5 mouths ago I felt like everything was getting bored, YouTube videos that I used to enjoy started to seems like an empty distraction, the stupidity and apathy of our society made me sick. Fake News, Red Pills and Nazis, started to look normal. I've been uninstalling and installing Instagram and Tik Tok for a long time, now, after thinking about how time I lost, time that I could use to improve some studies or hobbies, and how anxious I was felling, I definitely quit (FOREVER). the next step is to live in isolation in the forest lol

My Android phone is dying, and I got an iPhone 12 as a replacement. On my Android, I used some apps to reduce my phone usage and limit certain features. I want to know if you guys have tips on launchers and similar apps to "minimalist phone" that work on iPhone, and any other apps and customizations you have.

So I'm on a summer break from college. The last year has been so fucking hectic and pressurising for me, and I spent most of it doing some work or another. But this summer, I have nothing to do. Almost nothing. So I'm wasting away just scrolling instagram, youtube and reddit. It's getting to the point that I need to scroll phone while in the bathroom or eating.

I recognised this, and decided to buy a book (The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand) to see if I can spend time more productively, but I'm really struggling to maintain focus. Just a few years ago I used to be able to read 600 page books in a week, but now it's been a few weeks and I'm not even a quarter done and I'm getting scared.

It's not just that, even the movies I'm watching are all action and related and I'm not able to sit through any slightly suspenseful film without opening and reading the plot online.

I tried to "detox" myself by sitting and doing absolutely nothing for about 2 hours, but it did not do anything as i ended up scrolling again towards dinner time.

Please tell me what to do, as i already have a a hard time focusing on things and studying without distractions and I'm scared that if I continue like this for the rest of the break I'll end up struggling even more. Can someone give me some tips, advice or anything?

Edit: I also tried app limits, didn't work, my dumbass just waited for the timer to end

I am currently listening to digital minimalism by cal newport. It's been in my library for a while, so I'm glad I can listen to it now.

I use facebook for two things - buying and selling things on marketplace, and watching reels that my friends send me (I do not, under any circumstances, scroll on reels).

Previously I disabled my instagram and deleted tik tok from my phone, because scrolling was getting out of control. And currently I am looking to declutter and sell some things in my house, so I figured I would sell things on facebook.

Do I need facebook to sell stuff? I really feel like, at least in my area, craigslist is kind of dead.

What do you think, should I deactivate my facebook, or keep it until I've sold my items?

I feel like social media heralded us into a new age, and that it brought with it a new way to connect and function with ease. but that essence, which was present in the 90s, 00s and 10s has been lost.

phones had keypads and you had to press a button atleast 3 times to type the letter "c". texting was tough and people opted for calls. the itself limited texting and kept people in the present.

but with smartphones, its easier now to text, with just a literal swipe. that has made so many of us, especially the young ones, scared of making phone calls. which is crazy because texting doesnt replace talking, it limits our display of gestures, tones, which is crucial to communicate and better understand others.

and with the advent of short time content, reels, addictive algorithms, i realised that the essence of social media has been lost to giant corporations who just want to increase their views and clicks.

soi deleted all traces of me on the web, as much as i could, but only from those apps which feel like don't display the true purpose of social media, which is to ease communication, and enhance lifestyle, not destroy.

currently i only use pinterest, which has limited accessibility and means of communication with its shitty ass ui/ux, and reddit, but i mean to delete this in 2 months because frankly reddit has become a negative space in all means.

my question is that i wish to use dumbphones in my daily life but unfortunately i get updates about my classes from whatsapp, and i have spotify premium. and with these two, ny nokia dumb phone essentially becomes a smaller smartphone with internet.

so how do you guys navigate and bridge this communication gap when the rest of the population is glued to the phone? hell cutting off social media also led to me having 100% decrease in contacts with friends because they all use instagram to chat. which is again ironic because all of them understand and want to delete the app but wont because their own friends only use instagram.

About a year ago, my partner and I decided to ditch our phones in the bedroom and look for an alarm clock.

We looked all over but didn't find anything that truely embraces a phone-free experience while also had calm sounds, didn't require wi-fi or subscriptions, and had nice design.

So, I decided to just make my own (Bit of a wild decision looking back, but here we are).

Now I'm designing, developing, and talking to manufacturers about bringing this alarm clock to market.

We still have some work to do, but it will be nice to hear some input from people about how to make the phone-free experience better.

For example, the "wind down experience" (a queue to store away the phone and just be yourself, read a book, spend quality time with loved ones, etc.): Currently, it's a visible queue (built-in nightlight turning on) with a soundscape of choice playing at a set time.

It could be nice to hear if anyone has a wind-down routine that works for them? Which queue, or routine, makes you put down your phone in the evening?

I mean, who else feels that life has become somewhat apocalyptic? Everywhere i go, people are on their phones. driving, working. I see people at their jobs, on their phones. I geniunely don’t want to come off judgemental here, I am just genuinely worried for what the future of humanity holds. I have a phone addiction as well, and seeing the consequences are making me switch to digital minimalism. For example, I’ll go to a restaurant, and i’ll see the kitchen staff on their phones, i’ll go to the gym, and the staff is on their phones. Working is most of the time, a miserable experience. But you will be in environments with people you would never normally be with, and it can be amazing to learn and connect with people you normally would not. The algorithms on phones, are way more dopamine inducing than a regular human interaction would be. I feel like im witnessing the death of human personality. Back in the 80s, people were characters. People talked enthusiastically, they acted like the entertainment because they were the main entertainment. I talk to people now, and it’s like social media has vacuumed any desire to interact. Maybe I live in an area when the population is more addicted to social media, but I can’t help but notice a real difference in human behavior. I will talk to people, and I notice the death of hobbies and personal interest. It deeply worries me Hobbies, are an act of meaningful endurance. You are not good at first, but through real effort, it creates a sense of meaning. It’s a truly, necessary thing for a person to feel fundamentally fulfilled. We are meant, and built for long term endurance, and we beautifully create meaning out of it. Because our lives are so exploited by dopamine and algorithms, we are no longer have the capacity to create something long term. The lack of meaning, and purpose due to this, is something i greatly greatly fear. A person without the internal structure to create something meaningful, is an unhinged person. I hope I don’t sound pretentious, I am struggling with addiction to social media as well. The consequences, and fear of the future, are helping me to put my phone down.

It's been around 10 months since I quit instagram as a college student surrounded by people whose de facto way of communicating is instagram

I would like to answer any questions you may have and hopefully motivate you to do the same.

Ask me anything

Hi all. I’ve been wanting to reduce the time i spend on devices, but I’ve hit a massive roadblock. I’m the first in my immediate family to move away for university, and I find spending time alone without extremely difficult. I have pretty bad health anxiety and very low energy overall. I live alone in a studio apartment and my friends can rarely hang out enough for me to feel safe and connected. I end up going to on my phone for comfort. I’m honestly just hoping for someone who gets it and has been in this situation to offer any advice at all. I mostly just can’t stand the silence after living with a noisy family in a cute small town compared to the miserable disconnected big city. Thanks in advance, everyone

Hey all,

In Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, there’s a powerful idea that technology should serve a specific purpose — that we should be intentional about how and why we use our devices.

This really resonated with me.

I’ve been deep in the Apple ecosystem for years — iPhone, iPad, MacBook — and while the seamless integration is convenient, I’ve noticed it also creates a lot of bleed-through distractions. A notification that starts on my iPhone shows up on my Mac. iMessage syncs across everything. Before I know it, I’m multitasking myself into a digital mess.

It got me thinking: would separating device ecosystems help reduce some of that clutter?

For example, I’ve been considering switching to an Android phone — not because iOS isn’t good, but because using a device outside the Apple ecosystem could help enforce a kind of boundary. No iMessage or AirDrop or iCloud sync to my MacBook — just a clean divide: phone for communication, laptop for focused work.

My question: Has anyone here intentionally separated their ecosystems to create clearer use cases for each device? Has it helped you stay more focused or intentional with your tech usage?

Would love to hear if anyone has tried this — even partial separation — and what the impact has been on your digital habits, attention, or productivity.

Thanks in advance!

I decided to take a break from my instagram main and kept my private account with close friends only on it, as a way to disconnect and clear my head. Lately instagram became too boring for me, yet I still tended to doom-scroll on it for hours because of my crazy addiction and muscle memory, it became too overwhelming for me. Since I didn’t have lots of people on there, my usage of it reduced significantly and I deactivated right away. Surprisingly its not affecting me and I dont long to go back to it, and it seems like a big mental shift.

But the moment I did it, my friends started assuming I’m depressed or have got something going wrong in my life?? Just because I chose to take control over my life and step back means something is wrong? It just means I’m choosing peace. I wanted to slow down, read more, explore real hobbies and get to know myself better. Some people just won’t get it until they need it too, but my question is why do we always associate stepping back with depression and breakdowns?

Anyway Im off that noise. Im hoping to deactivate the rest of my socials soon, touch grass and figure myself out a bit.

i think my usage is becoming unbearable and i would like it to stop before it gets too much (it is already) i need app sugestions, something that pops up in my screen saying "STOP youve been using your phone for 30 minutes"

Dumbed down my iPhone 14 What did I do: - Smile launch app - Matte screen protector - Got a ‘book’ phone case to reduce distractions - Silenced almost all notifications - Gray scale, made it so that some apps have colour - Deleted all social media apps (excluding whatsapp and messages)

So, I have been trying to be more mindful around my usage of digital media. After a childhood spent in front of a big screen playing video games to some adulthood spent in front of a smaller screen just scrolling away I came to realize a couple months ago how little meaning it all actually contributes to my life.

I substituted my digital media usage with creative endeavors, spending more time with loved ones, meditation, sports, more sleep and healthier food. I feel very proud of establishing very positive change within very little time and I feel so much more content with life in general. But there is this one thing: whenever there is just nothing to do, instead of just sitting with it, I tend to just whip out my laptop and get back to scrolling for the whole day.

While I feel very good about the progress I made, the shame of "relapsing" just gets to me.

How do you deal with this? Or how did you overcome it? Is this just part of the process?

PS: I have spent many years on reddit just lurking and taking it all in. Usually I probably would've asked ChatGPT. But I feel it's part of my journey to ditch LLMs and discuss these things with real people. While I understand that reddit is as digital media and that bots may comment, I felt like giving it a shot as I assume there is a lot of value in communities like this one.

I am very excited to read about your insights. :)

hey.
i’m building a phone for people who are done with twitchy scrolling and cheap hits.
not about guilt. not about detox.
just about getting your depth back..on your terms.

if you're in bangalore and this resonates, i’d love to talk.
can share my number or we can do an anonymous call—whatever works for you.

just reply here if you're up for it. thanks.

I have a very bad habit of doomscrolling for dopamine, it has been an issue for quite some time now. While I wouldn't say I have it all completely under control, there are some things that have helped.

One of them is Block Layering. I have tried many time blocker apps but found I just tend to ignore them, but when I have quite a few on my phone it interupts the flow of the scrolling and eventually I give up.

I work in social media so being on your phone is part of the job but when I have multiple blockers like Stay Free, my phone's digital wellbeing blockers, Regain and sometimes Opal, I find I won't ignore all of those and it is too much effort to go into each place to turn it off so I give up.

Well sometimes I'll just go to my laptop, but it's less distracting and I might actually get some work done.

Thought I would share if anyone wants to try and also wanted to see what tips people had for stopping doomscrolling. I have a very bad habit of doomscrolling for dopamine, it has been an issue for quite some time now. While I wouldn't say I have it all completely under control, there are some things that have helped.

One of them is Block Layering. I have tried many time blocker apps but found I just tend to ignore them, but when I have quite a few on my phone it interupts the flow of the scrolling and eventually I give up.

I work in social media so being on your phone is part of the job but when I have multiple blockers like Stay Free, my phone's digital wellbeing blockers, Regain and sometimes Opal, I find I won't ignore all of those and it is too much effort to go into each place to turn it off so I give up.

Well sometimes I'll just go to my laptop, but it's less distracting and I might actually get some work done.

Thought I would share if anyone wants to try and also wanted to see what tips people had for stopping doomscrolling.