Welcome to Doomscroll December Participants!

If you're here from the Doomscroll December challenge, welcome! You are free to use any of these tips and tricks to reclaim your time. If you have your own tips or want to share your journey, please message me at hello@potloodgum.com.

Also, GREAT F*CKING JOB, look at you, who would have thought huh? not me?

Also, if you don't know what Doomscroll December is, it's the iniative to stop consuming at least one platform for a month to see how you feel.

Adding Friction

We often open apps unconsciously. It's a muscle memory: unlock phone -> swipe -> open Instagram. We need to break that loop.

The Fix:

• One Sec: This app forces you to take a deep breath before opening a distracting app.
• How it works: When you tap on Twitter or TikTok, One Sec intercepts the tap, covers the screen, and asks you to breathe for a few seconds. It then asks: "Do you really want to open this?"
• The Result: Often, the answer is "No, I was just bored." This micro-pause is enough to bring your conscious brain back online.

The YouTube Detox

YouTube is a prime example of a slot machine.

The Fix:

• Install an Extension: Use browser extensions like Unhook or DF Tube (Distraction Free YouTube).
• Hide the Junk: Configure these tools to hide YouTube Shorts, the comments section, and the algorithmic sidebar recommendations.
• Redirect to Subscriptions: Set your default view to the Subscriptions page. This ensures you only see content from creators you've actively chosen to follow, turning the platform from a random feed into a curated library.

The Instagram Paradox (Chat Only)

Instagram is often a double-edged sword: it's how we stay in touch with friends, but the "price" of admission is wading through a swamp of algorithmic reels and ads.

The Fix: You don't need the app to use the chat.

• Use an Aggregator: Apps like Beeper or Texts allow you to connect your Instagram Direct Messages to a single, clean inbox that has zero news feed. You get the connection without the addiction.
• Feed Blockers: If you must keep the app, tools like BeTimeFul or modified Android clients can strip the feed entirely, leaving only the functional parts.

NextDNS: The Firewall for Your Brain

Willpower is a finite resource. Don't rely on it. Instead, block the distractions at the network level.

The Fix:

• NextDNS: This is a free functionality that works as a "firewall" for your internet connection.
• How it works: You recognize specific domains that are harmful to your focus (e.g., tiktok.com, gambling sites, or ad servers). You add them to your blocklist.
• The Result: When you try to load these sites whether on your phone, laptop, or tablet they simply won't load. It cuts the loop before it even starts.

Fixed Device Locations (The "Simone Giertz" Rule)

We've made our devices portable, so they follow us everywhere: to the toilet, to the bed, to the dinner table. This ubiquity is the root of the problem.

The Fix: Give your devices a permanent home.

• Laptops: stay on the desk. They are work tools, not lap warmers for the sofa.
• Phones: live in a specific bowl in the hallway or a charger in the kitchen.
• The "Plant" Holder: Queen of Shitty Robots, Simone Giertz, created a brilliant device that grows a plant only when her phone is placed inside it. If she removes her phone, the light turns off, and the plant dies. It’s a tangible, living reminder that your phone belongs in its place, not in your hand.

The Weekly Blackout (Kill the Router)

Sometimes the only way to win is not to play. Pick one day a week (maybe Sunday) to just... turn it off.