7 Things to Do on (And Off) Your iPhone Instead of Doomscrolling
Priscilla Du Preez
Doomscrolling isn’t something that only happens to a few people; we've probably all done it at some point on an average day. You pick up your iPhone because you got a notification, and while you’re there, you decide to check Instagram or TikTok for a minute, and before you know it, you’ve spent nearly an hour scrolling through content you probably won’t even remember tomorrow.
It’s incredibly easy to fall into this pattern. Social media gives you an effectively endless supply of new posts and videos, so you could literally scroll forever and never reach the end. There’s always something else waiting for you.
Of course, telling yourself to simply stop using your phone isn’t particularly helpful. If you’re bored after work or have 20 minutes to kill before an appointment, you’ll probably still want something to do.
Fortunately, you don’t have to replace doomscrolling with another productive task every time you get the urge to open social media. There are plenty of alternatives that are just as entertaining, while others might help you learn something or get you moving.
So, the next time you realize you’ve been staring at an endless feed for too long, read on for 7 things to try instead.
Go For a Walk
Going for a walk is one of the easiest ways to get away from your screen, and it also has a ton of benefits for your mind and body. Put your iPhone in your pocket (or leave it at home) and walk around for 10 or 20 minutes. You don’t need to turn it into a workout or a new habit. Just walk.
You can walk around your neighborhood or visit a nearby park. Even a few laps around your building will get you moving after you’ve spent a long time sitting down.
Walking has been studied extensively for its physical and mental health benefits. Research has found that regular walking can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety (two things many people suffer from because of doomscrolling). Depending on where you live, talking to neighbors or just looking at nature will definitely relax you after a busy day.
Try leaving your headphones behind occasionally too. You don’t always need a podcast or music playing in the background. A quiet walk gives you a few minutes where your brain doesn’t have another piece of content demanding its attention.
Read a Few Pages of a Book
Let’s face it: we could all read a little more. Because when you give it a shot, reading is way more fun than endless scrolling. Even if you’re not that into it, you can still read for just a few minutes every day.
While it’s extremely easy to carry thousands of books with you on your iPhone, if you want to spend more time offline, you’ll need to go physical. Keep a book somewhere you normally reach for your iPhone. If you usually doomscroll in bed, leave the book on your nightstand, so you’re always ready to read instead of doomscroll.
If you don’t have many physical books but do have a little extra cash, you can get an e-reader. Some are very cheap, especially if you get a refurbished one, and they work really well if you find the right one.
Don’t worry about choosing something educational either; read a mystery novel or pick up a comic book. Anything you’re genuinely excited about is going to make getting into the habit of reading so much easier.
Even if you don’t like reading much, doing it for a few minutes every day will add up over time. You’ll eventually finish a book without even realizing it, and you’ll probably want to read something else afterward. If not, you can always try one of the other alternatives on the list.
Listen to an Audiobook or Podcast
Sometimes you’re too tired to read but still want something entertaining (which is how most of us end up on social media). An audiobook or podcast is perfect for those situations.
Find something you’re genuinely interested in and let yourself listen without constantly looking for something new. There are podcasts covering practically any subject you can imagine, while audiobooks can give you dozens of hours of entertainment from a single title.
Audio also leaves your hands and eyes free. You can listen while you’re doing dishes or taking a walk. It can even make boring chores around the house a little more enjoyable.
Use Your iPhone to Work on Puzzles
You don’t necessarily have to stop using your iPhone to stop doomscrolling. You can still use it for something that requires a little more brain power, like a puzzle.
There are countless puzzle apps on the App Store. You can find classic jigsaw puzzles that bring a new one to work on almost every day. Or, you can get more creative and find a different type of puzzle.
Try solving a Sudoku or crossword puzzle. Chess puzzles are another great option if you enjoy strategy or want to learn how to play.
The nice thing about puzzles is that you’re actually working toward something. You’re looking for patterns and testing different possibilities until you eventually reach an answer.
Learn Something New
Think about something you’ve wanted to learn for years but never seem to have time for. Chances are, you have more time than you think.
You could start learning another language or finally understand the basics of coding. Maybe you’ve always wanted to get better at photography or learn more about history.
Think about all the time you’ve spent doomscrolling, and think about how far you’ll go if you use it a fraction of that time learning something you want. You’ll improve rapidly at first, which will make you want to keep going.
Just make sure you have a specific subject in mind. Jumping between dozens of supposedly educational videos can easily turn into another form of scrolling, especially when an algorithm is deciding what you should watch next.
Play a Game With an Actual Ending
When people think of gaming on a smartphone, they usually think of endless free-to-play games that only want to get as much money from you as possible. But the truth is that those games aren’t the only ones available; you can also find a ton of gems that you’ve never played before.
Sure, playing a game on your iPhone might seem like a strange recommendation when you’re trying to spend less time staring at it. However, a good game can provide something an endless social feed deliberately avoids: a stopping point.
Try a puzzle game or something with individual levels. Premium games are often a good choice because many of them aren’t designed around keeping you engaged indefinitely through timers and constant rewards.
There are tons of games for you to try. Some are great, while others are literal masterpieces. Whatever game you play, make sure it isn't a game whose whole goal is to make you spend as much time and money on it as possible. An offline game that offers a finite story or a fixed number of levels is the best thing you can choose. Apple Arcade is one of the best places to find these types of games for your iPhone.
Do Absolutely Nothing For A Few Minutes
This might be one of the hardest suggestions on the entire list, especially if you’re used to instant gratification and dopamine hits that social media provides.
Sit down somewhere for five or ten minutes and don’t do anything. Don’t watch a video or listen to a podcast; don’t check your email or try to turn the time into a meditation session. Just. Do. Nothing.
Let yourself be bored for a while. We’ve become extremely good at filling every empty moment with something from our phones. If we’re standing in line or waiting for our food to arrive, we instinctively pull out our iPhones and check social media.
Sometimes, it’s good to let your brain simply wander for a few minutes. You might think about something you need to do later or remember an idea you wanted to explore. You may just sit there and be bored, which is perfectly fine too. Whatever you end up thinking about, just avoid getting distracted by your phone.
Believe it or not, it’s way harder than you might think. But just five minutes without another notification or video demanding your attention can be surprisingly refreshing.
You Don’t Need to Become a Productivity Machine All the Time
Avoiding doomscrolling doesn’t mean you need to focus on something productive all the time. There are plenty of ways for you to kill time that are healthier and more rewarding in the long run.
By doing one or two of the activities on the list, you’ll stop doomscrolling so much and have more control over your digital life. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should cut down social media completely, especially if you don’t want to. You can still doomscroll from time to time, but make sure that you are the one in control.