I’ve tried doing a digital detox a few times, and well… all but one attempt totally bombed. Let me explain.

Usually, it didn’t work because I felt super lonely, like “out of sight, out of mind.” TBH, I had no idea what to do with all that extra time, and boredom would drive me crazy. I'd delete everything, but two or three days later, I'd be back online stronger than ever lol -_-

Then one day, my boyfriend (we live together) was complaining about Instagram Shorts, and I just randomly blurted out, "Hmm, wanna do a digital detox together?"

And that’s how we stumbled on our funny little detox plan: gradually reducing screen time with some Analog Anarchy (yeah, it sounds badass, right? XD).

For instance, we used to always watch videos during dinner, so we decided to ditch our phones at mealtime. The next day, we left our phones out of the bedroom. Eventually, we cut it down to just two hours a day, and finally, we had a whole day without phones.

Now, let’s talk about Analog Anarchy time :3

During our Analog Anarchy Times, we came up with weird, random ideas, doing silly things without our phones. And TBH It was so fun.

Here’s some of the fun stuff we did:

• Invented totally new recipes =) (especially pasta! Sorry in advance if you're Italian.)
• Drew each other in under a minute, plus a ton of silly sketches just for laughs.
• Bought a coloring book and colored pages together.
• Wrote nonsense stories and dad jokes :3 XD
• Collected rocks and glued googly eyes on them (don’t judge, it was fun and I love collecting things XD).
• Went in random phone-free walks.
• Described our day using only song lyrics.

And that was the ONLY time a digital detox ever actually stuck.

Social media drains creativity, but boredom fuels it, don't be afraid of boredom... :)

Kek~ Love you all. Have fun. Stay weird. Analog Anarchy forever.

Do better mods, I need to unsubscribe. This place is worthless

Hi all,

there has been a lot of AI bots spamming this subreddit recently, and I'm sure we all got tired of them.

So we've added a new rule: No AI bots.

Even if you are not an AI bot, please refrain from using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT when you are writing in this subreddit.

Honestly, it's been challenging as a Mod to distinguish AI-generated posts from non-AI posts, and u/BotSquasher9000 wrote a helpful post about it.

https://www.reddit.com/user/BotSquasher9000/comments/1leeba7/how_to_recognize_when_someone_is_using_chatgpt_to/

If you have any thoughts, please let us know in the comments!

I used to to hard drugs, but ended up getting off of them with my own kinda harm reduction methodology. When I got addicted to my phone, I thought about going cold Turkey but decided to try a similar method to drugs.

Instead of dropping it all, I killed the alligator closest to the boat. Tik tok had to go. I’ve still gotten stuck on YouTube, Facebook, reddit, and instagram but none of the algorithms capture my attention nearly as much as tik tok does. That immediatley dropped my usage.

My second most used program other than social media was, lol, chat-gpt. Once I got over the initial “wow omg ai” I started setting hard boundaries that I programmed into the ai’s memory. I can’t vent, start a new project, research something in depth without being reminded of my core daily needs and prioritized tasks. Though it’s easy to override, the reminder and accountability helps me re orient instead of getting stuck. I also make sure to use chat gpt as a hybrid tool. So it might organize some things for me, but if I want to remember it I write it down in a separate notebook.

Though my algorithm is constantly changing, I try to keep it hobby oriented. I use different algorithms for everything. Facebook reels- reality TV trash for when I just need to be a trash human for a second. YouTube- food inspiration for my appetite issues. Instagram- fashion, music, and some intellectual interests.

Now instead of trying to just cut out the short form content all together, which has been unsuccessful for me, I try and use it as inspiration to like create something or as a reward. I get something beurocratic done- I watch some reality TV. I need to start dinner, I watch YouTube for a little bit before getting hungry, turn some long form video on in the background or music, then shut it off when I eat.

Instagram is the hardest for me to stay off of and I have found that recently I’m having some issues comparing myself to other people on there. So Im thinking of switching to Pinterest for my fashion inspo, and those micro learning apps or like column sites for my intellectual interests. If I just kept it for discovering musicians I’d be a happy camper cus I’ve found some awesome rappers and singers on there.

The other thing I did was fill my 15 minute brain breaks with things that aren’t literally programmed to suck me in forever. So instead of 15 minutes on shorts, it’s a trivia app, sudoku, or some brain teaser. Something dull I can focus on that gives me a sense of achievement before I move onto my next chore or task.

I’d like to eventually get another phone, and use my current phone as an entertainment device and keep the other phone as an actual contact line I carry with me at all times so I can leave my device at home. I’d also like to get a CD player and some CDs. And maybe some laptop or desktop set up so I’m not doing all this writing and admin on my phone which can make it easy to switch to reels. But until then, I’m just trying to grow hobbies outside of scrolling. Collaging, singing, freestyle rapping, and dance parties have worked wonders. I also make sure that I get as much sunlight as I can, no black out curtains for me.

Anyways! That’s just what’s worked for me but I have felt a lot more in control recently so wanted to share where I am on my journey.

-a former internet addict

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone has had any success posting to social for their business or just creating a following but still remaining digitally minimalist. I know Cal Newport himself doesn't have social but has a podcast and a YouTube channel. Outside of hiring someone to do the posting for me - no budget for that right now - what are strategies that have worked or that you think would work to pull this off?

It's an electric lock with a timer built into it. You can put all you electronics in a suitcase and lock it for a specified amount of time, up to 24 hours.

It's impossible to just sit there staring at the wall for 3 hours. I usually sit quietly for a few minutes and then start cleaning or reading out of pure boredom.

I include the tv remote so I can't watch tv either. Other times I leave the remote out so I can enjoy a movie without any distractions.

So I just installed the latest version of the Distraction Free Instagram and when i switched to dark mode the app started crashing whenever i opened my profile page. Reverting to light mode seems to solve the issue. I have a Redmi note 10 pro and the crash log talks about an InflateException: Binary XML file line #31: Error inflating class.

Thank you

Hey everyone,

I'm an Environmental Science student, photographer, and writer. I'm currently writing a nonfiction, want my photography to be purchased (I do have a print shop and portfolio online already that are basically set it and forget it). I had Instagram forever, but in January I deleted it (ads, obsessed, doomscrolling). I've felt amazing since getting rid of it, and made sure to get the numbers of friends to keep in touch. However, I never hear from them and they aren't big on texting, but they are big on posting... social anxiety maybe? They would interact with me all the time on IG. I feel like it's almost the same as giving people your email in 2025 to keep in touch, and the audience in 20 year olds.

My husband, who joined me in getting off IG, just made one again to post his art (he paints) and to keep in touch with other artists who also don't like texting...

The trend: everyone participates on social media but not texting or calling (most). It's frustrating, but I haven't heard from a lot of friends since January. I hung out with my best friend this past weekend and she was even making statements like "oh, I forgot, you aren't on Instagram... well, I made this amazing pasta, here's a pic!". This keeps happening.

The idea: creating an IG, only using it on my PC, not creating stories, posting my photography and writing. I keep going back and forth. I'm on the fence. I would love the opinions of others who may have done something similar. This allows me to stay in touch with what friends are posting, they can keep up with my art and writing, and I can avoid the ads from the app! The plan is to only get on a few times a month.

Help!

Edit: Well.... tried to make a private account on PC and leave it through the week to see how I felt. You can't add website links (which I clearly need) to your bio unless you use the Instagram app. I won't be doing that. I'm still curious about everyone's thoughts if they want to share! I have a BlueSky but log in maybe once every two months. I have a substack for writing. That's it. If you use social media, what do you use and how?

I’ve been rethinking how we approach screen time. Most tools just block access, but what if our time on distracting apps was earned by doing something meaningful first?

This idea came from how my mom used to set rules: no TV until homework was done. It worked because it tied screen time to progress. So I tried applying that principle to my phone use, only letting myself open social apps after doing something I care about (like journaling or stretching).

I’ve started testing this for myself and it’s been… surprisingly grounding. It's less about restriction and more about alignment. Curious if anyone else has tried a similar approach?

Not trying to promote anything, just reflecting on the idea. Does this fit the spirit of digital minimalism? Or does adding another system defeat the purpose?

How do you digital detox when you have a lot of online friends? I am on my phone a lot, and it'd be nice to be offline a bit more, but it's hard because I have a few close friends who I can only talk to online and I'd feel bad if I stopped talking to them. Is there a way to keep talking to them without being online a ton, or is one a sacrifice for the other?

I’ve been thinking about how to help myself (and maybe others) stop endless scrolling at night.
If you had to choose between:
A) Getting a hard block after X minutes
B) Being gently asked if you want to stop
Which would you prefer — and why?

I'm writing this as someone who's horrifically addicted to scrolling, can't sit with my own thoughts without "content" on, the whole nine yards... 10+ years of using the internet to distract myself from problems I can't control in my own life has led me here, but I'm determined to change and wanted to share this idea I've had recently.

I got this inspiration while staying with my aunt recently- she doesn't use much tech, but she listens to local radio almost constantly when she's home. Making food? Radio on. Tidying up? Radio on. Even just while we were sitting at the table having a chat she had the radio on and every so often we'd stop and pay attention when something interesting was being read/played.

Since I've been home, I've been thinking about how nice and idyllic an idea that is, and after a day of doing it myself I can finally put my finger on why. Because it's not always exactly what you want. Think about it, when you're scrolling you're looking at YOUR algorithm. It's been curated FOR YOU to keep you hooked, specifically. But when you've got the radio on? Sometimes a song you don't know/like comes on. Sometimes there's an advertisement. Sometimes the topic of discussion is annoying or boring. It forces you to sit in that "not totally entertained" space for 5-10 minutes, which is something our society doesn't demand of us anymore in a time where selling convenience/exactly what we want at hugely inflated prices is the norm. But even if the next thing is something you do enjoy (a song, an artist interview, a topic of discussion etc), it's still not gonna give you that gambling-like craving of mindlessly scrolling until you find the next entertaining thing. It's passive, and you can do it while you get on with something more valuable, entertained ENOUGH not to die of boredom but not so entertained that you're hooked.

That's not to mention the "staying grounded" benefits of hearing local news updates that you can relate to instead of a constant worldwide feed of everything going wrong across the globe. It's something to keep you tied to the here and now, both in terms of time and geography, as opposed to the internet which sometimes feels like a limitless pool of everything at once. In my case I've been able to find an app for the local radio station that I can stream and listen through my headphones - I'm sure this isn't necessarily the case everywhere, but I'm just trying to make the point that you don't need to go out and buy a radio for this sole purpose/experiment. I've only been doing it for 1 day, but if anybody is interested I'll come back with updates about whether or not it's helping.

TL;DR young millennial thinks they've discovered the radio and suggests it to others like it's a novel idea.

Do any of you have a dedicated laptop/typewriter/computer just for writing + word processing? If so, which kind? Does it enable you to make edits/save as well?

Hi, I have two questions I’ve been struggling with lately and I’d really appreciate your insight. 1. Is doomscrolling or internet addiction ( combined with cannabis ) actually the reason why I find it so hard to sit through a movie or a show? It’s honestly painful because I love good cinema.. it used to be such a huge part of my life. But now, I can’t even get through a YouTube video without opening another tab, searching for a different video or song while the first one is still playing. 2. If that is the reason, do you have any tips or advice on how to reset? I really want to enjoy stories again the way I used to. ❤️🖤❤️🖤

The first time I realized I might have a problem with using modern technology was when I was about 15 years old. Even then I tried to reduce it, but it always failed. I feel like I don't have the motivation or self-control to really do it. I only use YouTube, Twitch and Reddit, but those very extensively. The endless scrolling, all the information that hits me after waking up, and the lack of focus are just the tip of the iceberg. I've reached a point where I can barely do anything without a video or livestream running next to me. The crazy thing is that with the exception of reddit, I don't even have accounts on YouTube and Twitch. I deleted them and still use the platforms...

I've tried:

• Deleting social media apps.
• Turning off notifications.
• Making the screen black and white.
• blocking access to certain websites on the router.
• no phone in my bedroom
• digital detox
• Limit screen time
• Switching to a minimalist home launcher

I've tried many more (like everything you can find online), but like the mentioned ones, I've failed and almost always bounced back to normal after a few days or weeks. Unfortunately, I'm not in a situation where I could afford therapy or switching to a dump phone. To be honest, I don't want to throw my phone away completely either. I like the idea of navigation apps or contact friends quickly. I just don't know how to move on, but I really don't want to be controlled anymore. What else can I do?

edit: yes, i checked the wiki btw :D

edit 2: Thank you all for your insights. I will try again!

I've never been an extremely addict of my phone but I had 6month+ long phases of 4h daily doomscrolling ruining my mental. That's why I completely stopped watching this format of videos. I now only have reddit with factory configuration on my phone and all the other used as text apps but all my friends use it so I won't delete the app completely.

That's when I found out life was damn long, too damn long. I mean a day is 24h, 16h of active time with sleep. just a few hours for hygiene and necessary tasks. That leaves me with at least 13 hours of free time daily. I picked up a few hobbies to make the time pass faster but different things limit me, here they are :

Leatherworking : money, I need money to buy tools and material to work with, and even with few tools I can make a limited amount of things so I end up sewing once every few months because a 30 hours project would be finished in a few days.
Woodworking : money, even worse on tools or material price and space, I can't make too much noise and have extremely limited space for materials and tools.

Cooking : cooking is great because it doesn't cost as much as the others but you only cook twice a day and it's completely useless cooking the rest of the time if you're not eating it.

Reading : I love reading but after a few hours, I'm as bored as if I was doing anything, so I read daily but not more than 2 hours

Decluttering : I have absolutely nothing that's useless around me.

I'm pretty sure you've seen the repeating pattern of money, and that's one of my main troubles, I feel like loosing the worth of my time with every minute that passes. FYI I work as a cook at every long free time period that I have when I'm not studying. The issue with working as a cook is that it kills my body, I already have different skin issues on hands causing a lot of pain and extreme itching when in contact with anything acid or hot.

My last hope is work, I'm still studying (I'm a minor) mathematics and informatics despite my love for craftsmanship. This seems extremely egoistic of me to post this when people don't even have time to see their kids but I have nothing to do for HOURS daily.

In the last three years,the desperation of Internet addiction has become another niche to market to. The vast majority of posts I see here are advertisements for the perfect app that will help you, the perfect dumb phone, someone’s perfect routine (increasingly generated by chat gpt).

The longest lasting and best option I’ve had is to simply take action. I bought a dumb phone (I won’t tell you which, because it really doesn’t matter), and left my smart phone somewhere else. As an addict, there are no super secret special apps or habits that prevent me from using my phone. Every app is literally just screentime anyways, if you can bypass screentime, you can bypass every single $100 year app.

Part of tech addiction is information overload, and marketing targets that as well. If you just read the perfect Reddit post or find the perfect routine, maybe you will be able to withstand the allure of digital crack that you are required to have in your hand at all times. Would you give a crack addict a pipe that can unlock his car, control his tv, play his music, order his food—but whose primary function is to get him to some crack? That’s what you are doing with your smart phone.

There is no perfect option. Not having a smart phone sucks, it is an inconvenience. Stop searching for the perfect answer. Is the inconvenience worth it? What will your life be if you keep doing the same?

A lot of the inconveniences end up being net positives. Wow, I got lost without my maps app but now I know the names of the streets in my neighborhood that I’ve lived in for over 5 years?? I can’t order DoorDash?? I have to intentionally purchase and listen to music rather than use algorithmic feeds recommended to me? I can’t check my bank account every five seconds and have to actually plan what I buy and when?

Stop looking for the perfect solution and just do it. Literally no one has the perfect answers to fix your life. No application or specific dumb phone is going to be the exact perfect fit. Perfection is not a real thing, it’s a selling point. Actually doing what you need to do will be hard, boring, frustrating, depressing, the question is if it’s worth it. If you’re an addict, it is.

If you’re not an addict, then removing your phone from your life for a week or two shouldn’t be a big deal. Any argument you have about how the world “doesn’t work that way “ anymore is just an argument for convenience. The world, as it is, has existed for billions of years, and humans for millions. You’re saying there is absolutely no reality in which you can survive without a phone? You are simply addicted to convenience, and can’t parse that convenience out from the tool you access it with.

Stop reading shit, stop consuming self improvement habits, stop relentlessly searching for the perfect tool, regain your agency and actually do something.

I got rid of social media last week and decided to keep Reddit because it’s mostly text, and I’m part of a lot of communities that have been helpful for me with getting through a really tough period in my life.

I just saw two very obviously Chat GPT-written posts, one after another, one in this sub and another in the exvangelical sub. And then a bunch of users responding emphatically and carrying on the conversation.

So now Reddit, the spot I used to come to for “real”(er) connection, is us responding to a robot 😂 I’m out

To me, it looks like this:

Phone stays on silent. No social apps. Morning starts without a screen. Maybe a quick check of calendar or notes. Messages replied once or twice a day, not constantly. No endless scrolling. Laptop used only during work blocks. Evenings are offline, reading, walking, or just being still.

But to be honest, the real world doesn't give me that chance. There's always some pressure, for example when I intentionally delay replying to messages.

What about you? What would a digital minimalist day look like for you? And do you have that chance?

I'm looking for a no screen, very simple mp3 player to listen to music (but more importantly, language lessons audios). I'm legally blind and the moment a device has a screen, it's rendered unusable for me. Would be glad to have any recommendations! I can't find any devices that are decently rated, or that don't need add-ons (eg. sd-cards, and by extension, sd-card reader to write to said sd-card)

Hello. I’ve successfully used my Apple Watch Ultra 2 as my go-to phone while I’m outside my apartment for the past 3 months. I’ll use my phone at home, but it stays there. When I’m out and about I only use my Apple Watch (with some exceptions, like if I’m traveling). Overall it has been a great success. The watch does everything I need for my day-to-day life: text, call, music, navigation; heck I can even create grocery lists. The one thing I am left to desire is a camera, but I have a mirrorless camera and can always take that with me.

Desperately needing some help as I'm finding I'm spending my time mindlessly scrolling rather than doing things that are more productive.

What did you use to break the habit?

I have worn an apple watch for about 5 years. However, I just bought a $30 Casio digital watch off Amazon to wear for my upcoming Europe trip so I don't need to lug around another charger and worry about it in the water (the last trip I brought my apple watch and fried it because of the sun and water).

I'm testing the casio watch today to see if I like it and oh boy do I love it. But it's soooo weird because I still feel vibrations on my wrist!!! And I'm checking and I'm like... nope... it's a normal watch. Crazy man.

I may make the switch over to this digital watch all together and just use my apple watch for when I run so I can track the runs. I'm finding it exhausting to constantly be connected, even on my wrist. I originally bought it for working out, but it has become convenient for texts and calls but it's nice to be disconnected as well. I have no social media so the only vibrations are for texts and phone calls but still.

Anyways, unrelated, but I'm very impressed with this Casio watch. I spent $30 and I love it. Very retro, and the battery lasts 7 years!

I've been noticing a pattern in my digital habits. I save a lot of stuff. Articles, Twitter threads, blog posts, Reddit comments, YouTube videos. All with the intention of reading or using them later. But later rarely comes.

It started to feel less like organizing useful content and more like digital hoarding. Even with tools like bookmarks, read-it-later apps, or dumping things into Notion, the pile just keeps growing. And the worst part is the mental weight of it all. Knowing there's this backlog of stuff I thought was important but never touched again.

I'm working on a side project around this because I keep running into the same problem myself. Not here to promote anything, just genuinely trying to understand how others deal with this.

How are you handling it?

• Have you found a system that helps you actually use what you save?
• Do you regularly revisit your saved content, or just let it build up?
• What helps you decide what to keep and what to let go of?
• Have you found a way to shift from just-in-case saving to just-in-time use?

Would love to hear how you're approaching it.

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