Late-Night Scrolling Regrets? Here’s My Fix

Are you ever shocked at the time when you look up from your phone? How does that affect your day?

My last call of the day is over, and I'm exhausted. I walk downstairs and sit on the couch. I pull out my phone and am immediately lost in the virtual world. I'm scrolling through social media, cracking up at dog videos. Before I know it, I look out the window, and it's dark. Where did the time go? Shit, I have to eat! I scramble to cook some food, finish up, and head to bed—later than expected. Ahh, tomorrow is going to be brutal. I wish I had gone to bed earlier.

Effect: By getting sucked into my phone, I waste my evening, go to bed later, and wake up feeling tired.

Desired Outcome: Instead of scrolling, I’d love to enjoy my evening, have a nice dinner, and get to bed at my set bedtime.

Plan:

1. Download the Clearspace app.

2. Set a "breath time" before entering a social media app. "Breath time" is the amount of time I have to wait before entering the app—I use 30 seconds. This increases the resistance to entering an app and gives me a second chance to do something else before I'm flooded with instant dopamine from my timeline.

3. Set limits on the apps. I use 15 minutes. If I decide to go into an app, this helps me avoid scrolling for more than 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, I have to go through another 30-second breath time (read: stops the dopamine hits) and allows me to make an intentional decision to do something else or continue.

4. Replace the activity with something fun or productive. Recently, this has been cooking fun meals or playing the guitar.

Outcome: I end my day and head downstairs. My phone somehow ends up in my hand. I click on the social app, and bam, Clearspace pops up and says, "You have to wait 30 seconds before entering. Are you sure you want to enter?" I realize, no, this is the trap! I put my phone to the side and start cooking. I'm back on track. What a great evening, and tomorrow will thank me. :)

Favorite Photo from the Week:

This week was special. It was the first time all of my cousins got together in one place. This was a crazy realization. I see my cousins every year, but always in small groups since we live all over the country. It was so nice having everyone together at once. Hopefully, we’ll have another chance at my wedding next year!

Till next week, be kind, be curious, and work hard.