A phone addict has revealed how they managed to overcome their eight-and-a-half-hour doomscrolling habit by making a simple change to their phone settings. The adjustment has reportedly transformed their life.
The Problem with Doomscrolling
Almost every smartphone user is guilty of doomscrolling occasionally, especially when there is nothing better to do. However, those minutes can quickly accumulate into hours. According to an IPA survey, the average screen time for Brits now stands at nearly 7.5 hours per day.
Feeling ashamed, one phone addict shared their story on Reddit about how they broke their phone addiction. They wrote: "I'm honestly ashamed to write this… but my screen time was averaging eight hours a day (mostly social media videos). It was completely destroying my focus and relationships."
Breaking down their daily usage, they explained that they would spend an hour and a half scrolling in bed each morning, followed by another 45 minutes during coffee breaks or mealtimes. Their "quick check" after work typically added another two and a half hours, and their "10 minutes before bed" often turned into two hours. They admitted to even waking up in the middle of the night to scroll for an hour before falling back asleep. Additionally, they estimated spending another hour and a half throughout the day for no conscious reason.
They added: "I finally hit my breaking point when I realised I'd spent an entire Saturday just… scrolling. Like literally the whole day was gone."
The Solution: Grayscale After 6pm
While they employed four tactics to combat their screen time, the most impactful change was switching their phone to grayscale after 6pm. They explained: "I absolutely hate how it looks… which is exactly the point. Everything becomes so much less appealing when it's not designed to hijack your brain with colours and notifications."
In addition to this, they implemented a social media blackout between 9pm and 9am, set up screen-time blockers, and replaced the habit with activities they genuinely enjoyed. They noted: "This was huge. You can't just remove something without filling the void. I had a stack of books I bought months ago just sitting there, so now I keep one with me for those random five-minute gaps."
They also rediscovered old hobbies: "My keyboard was literally gathering dust in the corner. Now I mess around with it for 20-30 minutes most days, and it's honestly more satisfying than any video I've ever watched."
Furthermore, they reconnected with friends: "I've been texting old friends I'd been meaning to reach out to but never did because I was too busy being 'busy' on my phone. And I'm actually learning Spanish (slowly) instead of just saving 'learn Spanish' videos that I never watch again."
Life After the Change
Thankfully, their efforts paid off. They now report having "so much more mental energy." They added: "I'm not constantly anxious about missing something. And I'm actually doing things I've been saying I wanted to do for years. Still not perfect, but going from eight hours to 90 minutes feels like getting my life back."
