Digital Detox: 7 Ways to Break Free from the Scroll

By Marni Hill

Credit: Instagram / @wildscottishsauna

If the word ‘procrastination ’ stirs up some feelings of familiarity, or maybe even a little guilt, then this article is for you. And if you are just looking for some alternative things to do instead of looking at your phone, keep reading. 

How many TikTok’s do you think you’ve scrolled past in one sitting? How many times have you said “Just 5 more minutes…” and somehow, you’re still there 20 minutes later? We’ve all been there - sometimes it feels so much easier to mindlessly scroll instead of facing your long list of tasks, but, at the end of the day, you can’t out-scroll your to-do list. So here are some small steps you can take to break free:

Fake It Til You Make It:

1.     Welcome to step one of your Digital Detox. If you can’t physically pry yourself from the screen, make your phone do it for you.  Setting daily screen times for your most used apps creates a physical barrier to scrolling. When your screen time is up you are forced to make the decision of sticking to it or breaking it, this small choice pulls you out of autopilot.

Podcasts:

2.    Podcasts educate you, stimulate your mind, and importantly -  take you away from your phone. Next time you need to complete some tasks but can’t will yourself to do so, click play from your comfortable scrolling position and go from there. Worst comes to worst you are still in said position when the podcast is over, but at least you might have learnt something new. 

Credit: Mel Robbins Podcast/ melrobbins.com

The St Andrews Special:

3.    Go on a beach walk and hit up Dooks, and if you’re feeling brave even take a cold dip (post sauna if you’re not feeling so brave). Just getting yourself outside and moving your body can really help to promote productivity and clear your mind.

Romanticise It:

4.     Pack up your work and nestle into one of the endless cute cafés around town. Changing your environment can change your mindset.

Be Creative:

5.     Create a vision board. Make a new playlist. Listen to an album start to finish, that song you keep skipping might just become your favourite. 

Find Your People:

6.     Immerse yourself in your social world, hang out with your friends/flatmates. If you miss one one who’s not here, call them. Forever scrolling can disconnect you from people so re-connecting can feel pretty refreshing.

Flat Tips:

7.     And lastly, here are 3 collated tips from my flatmates on what they do to stop scrolling:

• Lauren Dekker says “It begins with baby steps, start by leaving your phone outside your room and see how long you can focus on your other tasks.”

• From Thomas Russell, “For me, rugby training is an easy way to get off my phone.”

• And finally, Jodie Qursha says to switch from TikTok to Zombie games….. Whatever works, eh ;)

I hope this article helps you gain some of your time back, spend your time more intentionally,  or offers some ways to practice being a little more mindful. Even reading this article was a step in the right direction, so here’s to that!