Blog.

My struggle with doom scrolling

It's been a few months since I deleted a lot of apps on my phone and instead installed many restrictive apps to control my insatiable scrolling addiction.

Fighting the interconnected reality

There are simply too many means to escapism in one's electronic devices:

  • Content apps: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.
  • Work apps: Slack, Workplace, etc
  • All these apps have moderate web apps, so no getaway while you have an easily accessible browser on your phone
  • You can easily login to these websites on your work laptop

Everything is hyper-connected and available at all times to occupy us. Wouldn't people prone to procrastination, such as myself, naturally choose to enter the rabbit hole if everything is at their fingertips? I think they would. At least, I did so.

Do I need all these means of viewing content and scrolling at all times?

Probably not. Let's experiment.

The solution

  • Delete content apps
    • Entertainment: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit
    • Information databases: GoodReads, StoryGraph, IMDB
    • Messaging: Gmail, Slack
  • Delete the browser from the phone
    • Chrome, or rather disable it, because deleting it is not an option on my Android phone
    • Google, a super-app on Android phones with the browsing feature
  • Delete personal profile/browser from the work laptop
    • I used to have "Arc" browser on my work laptop with my personal Google account profile

Some early-stage issues

  • Sharing a link/content from the work laptop to a personal space got more difficult. However, it's not a frequent problem.
  • I lost access to some services I used with my personal account. It was more convenient to do a simple task while working on my corporate laptop. Again, a problem that one can get used to.
  • Deleting Chrome browser and Google apps caused worse problems
    • I didn't even realize until then that some separate apps rely on the Google super-app. Like the weather app or some functionalities of the translation app! I lost access to these functionalities with disabling the super-app.
    • In some rare cases, the web app is better than the native Android app. I lost the ability to use them because I didn't have a browser anymore.
    • Some bank transfers need the browser page for authentication. Rarely, some other operations get blocked too without a browser.
    • Some quick, simple tasks don't need a whole Android app, a browser can handle them. But without a browser, those simple tasks become cumbersome.
    • Without the Email app, it's difficult to quickly access a ticket or receipt when you need it outdoors, away from your laptop.

Current Situation

  • Deleting the personal account browser from the work laptop was successful. After a while, I got used to the minor inconveniences. More importantly, I removed some easily accessible procrastination tools from my professional workflow. No more checking personal emails, running quick online errands, or look something up.
  • Deleting work feeds from my phone was also successful. I realized I don't really need Slack, Gmail and Workplace apps all the time. It helped me set healthy boundaries with work. Now I only check my messages when I'm behind my desk and I'm not busy with focused, deep work.
  • Deleting content apps from my phone was another successful attempt. I've tried this method now and then. This time, I stuck with it once and for all.
  • Deleting the browser apps from my phone proved more problematic, though. It impeded some daily operations with my phone.
    • Some actions became impossible, as I mentioned in the previous part
    • To resolve that, I had to return to having browser apps on my phone, but with new restrictions.

Later modifications

To resolve the complications of not having a browser on my phone, I took these steps:

  • A minimal launch UI to break my habits:
    • The new UI is a simplistic black screen with no widgets or app icons
    • This app can restrict other apps or hide an app from the view
      • For example, I use this feature to enable the Google super-app, but hide it completely. So it's difficult for me to open it directly.
  • A more advanced website blocker and set restrictions on social media and browsing websites
    • An interesting method I found in this app was to block distracting websites based on the location. I set them to be blocked at home, where I spend most of my focused time.
  • A new browser instead of Chrome
    • Doing this helped me break some old habits I've formed over the years with a browser I'm used to. For example, the Google ecosystem knew me too well and constantly recommended articles to me to click on. A new browser without this historical data helped me to focus on the task at hand instead of getting distracted by the shiny, new, but useless information online.

The Results

After a few months of making the above changes and applying some adjustments, I'm seeing its effects. I still procrastinate, however, my devices can't lure me into the rabbit hole anymore. I have more control over what's available to me and I have an easier time choosing the alternatives over infinite scrolling.

These days when I spend time on my phone, I usually play "Spelling Bee," a game I enjoy and it has a daily "end" state unlike the infinite content apps. When I reach that point, I know that there isn't much to do with my phone. I always wanted to expand my reading time but never got to do that with the constant exposure to easy content. It's been a while that I'm able to choose to read when I'm looking for something to do besides work and chores.

I constantly need to find new ways to constrain my media consumption addictions, but I'm happy with my efforts. When it works, I feel saner and calmer and I do what I actually enjoy doing with my time. And if not, at least I'm doing what I need to do.