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How to Break the Doomscrolling Habit

How to Break the Doomscrolling Habit

S.J. Scott
June 20, 2024

Welcome to another edition of the 1% Habits Newsletter!

This is where you’ll get up-to-date information on small wins to improve your habits, productivity, and life satisfaction.

Here’s what we’ll talk about today:

● How to Break the Doomscrolling Habit

● How to Set Time Limits for Addictive Apps

● 14 Income Producing Assets

● The Resource Roundup

● Unlock This Free Stuff

Let’s get to it…

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📈 How to Break the Doomscrolling Habit

Do you find yourself obsessively scanning social media and other websites for bad news?

Well, it turns out this behavior has a name and it’s called “Doomscrolling.”

Doomscrolling starts with something as innocuous as reading a few bad articles but ends with you falling into negative spirals due to a large amount of upsetting and depressing media you are exposed to.

Doomscrolling can have very real negative mental and physical health effects.

It can contribute to anxiety, depression, lack of motivation and generally lead to choices that can negatively impact your life and health.

Also, with our increasingly polarized world and increased use of manipulated images created by artificial intelligence, it will be harder to resist the lure of doomscrolling.

So if you want to break this negative habit, then today’s featured article will provide five strategies to make this happen.

So, here are our five strategies to help you break this bad habit.

Strategy #1: Don’t Use Your Phone to Start the Day

How many times have you started the day by immediately looking at your phone?

Unfortunately, this simple habit means you’ll start the day by doomscrolling.

So, think about replacing your phone alarm with something else - like a simple alarm clock.

While it is handy to have an alarm on your phone, it sets you up to start the day by immediately looking for news, which then sets you up for anxiety or poor motivation throughout the day.

Generally speaking, starting your day with technology causes you to be less present with the world around you.

You might ignore or be less communicative with your partner or spouse - it’s like starting the day with a drug that saps your motivation and will.

To learn more, check out our video about the five reasons to stop using your phone as an alarm clock:

Strategy #2: Set Limits

Doomscrolling is a habit that can cost us hours of time where you get sucked into a rabbit hole of negative media.

Why?

Because that’s how media is designed!

Negative headlines and over-exaggerated and overblown negative language drive our emotions and hijack our attention.

Media companies understand this perfectly well - these are huge businesses and understand that the more attention their articles bring in, the more revenue they earn.

Unfortunately, due to this, there is an over-representation of negative stories in a lot of big media channels and the average person is paying for it with poorer mental health.

To illustrate this point, the Pew Research Group analyzed two decades of media coverage and found the most commonly reported stories involved the following:

● Negative politics

● Natural disasters

● War and terrorism

● Man-made disasters

● Crime and social violence

Think about it this way - if the information which acts as the raw materials for your impression of the world is all negative and bleak, are you going to feel positive or negative about your future?

So, here is a two-part strategy you can use to limit the information you consume:

Set a time for 15 minutes of news or articles that you read about early in the morning.
Use apps like Freedom - which are great tools to prevent distracting and clickbaity websites from hijacking your attention.

Setting limits is all about reestablishing control of your own time and attention.

(For more on how to set limits on your phone, be sure to check out today’s 1% habit idea.)

Keep up with AI

How do you keep up with the insane pace of AI? Join The Rundown — the world’s largest AI newsletter that keeps you up-to-date with everything happening in AI, and why it actually matters in just a 5-minute read per day.

Social media also understands that negative content drives engagement.

Apps like X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram leverage this to keep your attention on their site, and this can trigger a doomscrolling session.

Social media sites employ algorithms that they claim “direct you to content it thinks you want more of” but this isn’t really true.

Most algorithms direct you to the content that keeps you on these social media sites, regardless of the impact it has on your mental health.

Having a constant connection to it 24/7 from your phone is not good for your health and well-being.

This is especially true for younger people.

An eye-opening report by the Child Mind Institute stated the following:

“Some experts worry that teens are more anxious and have lower self-esteem because of social media and texting. There are key differences to socializing online. Teens miss out on things like body language and facial expressions. This can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. It can also make talking in person feel more intimidating.”

While there are control methods that you have to filter content, there is such a barrage of content on social media that it is all but impossible to curate perfectly to your needs.

Here are some ways that you can mitigate some of the more negative effects of social media:

● Delete these apps from your phone. There are plenty of ways of remaining in contact with your friends, you can use Facebook Messenger and delete the Facebook homepage.

● Or you can use WhatsApp to communicate.

● Be very selective about who you follow on social media; choose uplifting and positive profiles.

Social media isn’t something you can just escape from in the 21st century. But there are a few simple steps you can take to minimize your exposure to this type of content.

Strategy #4: Choose Positive Sources of Media

One of the best things about being in the 21st century is the abundance of information that we have access to.

This gives you the choice to select only positive sources of information.

You can read about uplifting quotes, inspirational stories, the latest technological breakthroughs, and all kinds of wonderful, positive developments (that often don’t get reported in mainstream media or clickbait websites).

For example, the Good News Network has a positive and impactful story to share each day.

Here are a few examples of wonderful stories they have:

● Cancer treatments in Israel with a 90 percent success rate.

● An elderly person stopped a bank robbery with a few words and a hug.

● Revolutionary developments in clean car fuel.

The advantages of conscious positive consumption of media, as opposed to the unconscious “binging” style of doomscrolling, are pronounced:

● Positive stories don’t hijack your attention in a way negative stories do - you’re in control.

● Positive and uplifting stories make us feel good about the world and our fellow humans.

● Positive stories inspire and motivate us to contribute - negative stories make us feel helpless.

To learn more, check out sources of positive and inspiring news apps like Goodable and Squirrel News.

Strategy #5: Convince Yourself Not To Doomscroll

Doomscrolling is a habit and just like any habit, it is malleable to change.

Sometimes, the best way to break a bad habit is to make it less attractive.

One way you can do this is by cultivating a negative attitude about it.

For example, when you catch yourself doomscrolling just tell yourself “stop” and go and do something else.

This behavior builds associations in your mind and over time tells your subconscious that this is not a desired behavior.

Another way you can make this behavior less attractive is by reading about the negative effects of doomscrolling.

Look into some of the literature and understand for yourself why consuming negative media leads to anxiety and depression.

When you’re fully convinced that this habit is having a negative impact on your life, it becomes much easier to quit.

That brings us to the end of our five strategies to stop doomscrolling.

Make no mistake, doomscrolling is like a trickle that can become a torrent.

A few negative stories here and there won’t do much to affect your mental health, but when you have a large volume of negative information hitting your mind every day, the effects are completely different.

Breaking the habit of doomscrolling requires conscious effort and mindful strategies.

By setting time limits, turning off app notifications, and redirecting your energy towards positive activities, you can regain control over your digital consumption.

⚙️1% Habit Idea

Today’s 1% habit will continue the conversation about how to break the doomscrolling habit.

If you're struggling with an addiction to certain apps, then learning how to set up time limits can be a game-changer.

You can learn how to do this by checking out one of the articles we’ve posted on our Notion database. (This is part of a product that I’m launching in the next month.)

This simple post guides you through the process of using built-in features on Apple and Android to set daily usage limits.

By establishing these boundaries, you can significantly reduce the time spent on addictive apps, helping you regain control over your digital habits and fostering a healthier relationship with technology.

This article is a must-read for anyone looking to curb their screen time effectively.

💲Millionaire Habits

In the podcast episode "14 Income Producing Assets to Build, Buy, and Bank On," Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation delves into various strategies to generate passive income.

He discusses a range of assets, from traditional investments like rental properties and dividend stocks to digital opportunities such as creating online courses and building niche websites.

Loper emphasizes the importance of diversifying income streams and offers practical advice on how to start with minimal upfront costs. He also shares success stories and actionable tips to inspire listeners to take control of their financial future.

This episode is a valuable resource for anyone looking to build sustainable wealth through multiple income-producing assets. For more details, you can listen to the episode here.

🗂️ The Resource Roundup

💰 A Few Thoughts on Spending Money – This article from Morgan Housel discusses how spending money wisely can greatly enhance happiness and fulfillment. It emphasizes the importance of valuing experiences over material goods, understanding the difference between needs and wants, and finding joy in simple pleasures.

🛑 How to Stop Obsessing About What Other People Think of You – This article from Self.com offers practical advice on overcoming the fear of judgment: focus on self-acceptance, set personal goals, and surround yourself with supportive people to build confidence. Reduce the influence of others’ opinions by shifting your mindset and prioritizing your own values.

🥳 From Shy to Social: How I Learned to Engage Wisely and Avoid Heartbreak – Ryan Delaney talks about how embracing the discomfort of talking to strangers is a great way to enrich your life and broaden your social network. These interactions can lead to unexpected opportunities, new perspectives, and personal growth.

😄 How to Be Happy (Or At Least Hate Your Life Slightly Less) – In this article, Mark Manson suggests that the pursuit of happiness often leads to unhappiness. Instead, he advises focusing on meaningful activities and accepting life’s inevitable ups and downs. True happiness, he explains, comes from living in alignment with your values and embracing personal growth.

⤴️ The 7 Reasons You Stop Improving (and How to Keep Getting Better) – This article breaks down seven common reasons you may feel like you’ve hit a plateau in your personal growth journey. It touches on factors like fear of failure, lack of feedback, and not setting clear goals as key culprits. By understanding these obstacles, you can better navigate your own path to continual improvement and break through any stagnation you might be experiencing.

That’s it for today.

I hope you’re having a great week!

Cheers,

Steve Scott

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are a few ways I can help you:

#1. 90 Days to Your #1 Goal: How to Achieve a Breakthrough Goal in Under 3 Months: Whether it's starting a business, getting in shape, or writing a book, this course is your step-by-step framework to make it happen.

#2. Steve on Twitter: Get up-to-date messages and threads. I publish a few times a day on this platform.

#3. What is Your #1 Challenge?: Are you struggling with something specific? If so, can you take a few minutes to answer this one-question survey.

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