A Simple Hack for Avoiding Doomscrolling

I have been critical of myself for scrolling a wee bit too much. 

I realized that I scroll to learn, to know, to look for wisdom, to know people, to be exposed to possibilities. But what I often get is a few good ideas surrounded by an ocean of sloppy content that diminishes you. 

Here is a simple hack that I have started following, and it seems to be working – Whenever there is an urge to scroll, I pick up a book and read. Consumption becomes slower, mind becomes calmer, and I immerse myself into a continuous, nuanced conversation focused on one topic. 

I have often regretted scrolling mindless reels and content, but never regretted picking up a book even once. 

Scrolling short-form content is like having fast food – enjoyable in the moment but ridden with guilt later on. 

Reading a book (or any other long form content like podcast, good essays etc.) is like savoring a nice home-cooked meal that is both delicious and nourishing. 

So, it is simple: Pick up a book when you find yourself wanting to scroll. 

Internal Void and Outward Quest

If you asked Viktor Frankl, “Why do we scroll so much?” he would respond with this quote:

“When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.”

This doesn’t mean seeking pleasure is inherently bad. But constantly seeking pleasure one reel after another, one travel after another, one party after another is a clear sign that one lacks a deeper sense of meaning in their lives. 

Who knows what internal void people may be trying to fill by constantly seeking outwards? 

Seek, Don’t Scroll

We live in a world where choices are abundant. Social media tools make EVERYTHING accessible to us on a 24×7 basis. The dopamine hit that we get from scrolling endlessly robs us of our agency and choice. When you scroll, you never know what the next reel or post will be. This exposure fills our minds and hearts with all kind of junk information that may be stimulating in the moment but have no long-term value. 

Scrolling can take up may other forms in the physical world. We can scroll through a mall and fill our closets with junk. We can scroll through social communities and fill our time with unproductive engagements.

You get the point.

The opposite of scroll is to SEEK. Seeking is a purposeful exploration. Seeking is proactive. Looking for something great to read on a specific topic that is aligned to your area of work? Doing research on the new ways to solve a problem? That’s seeking, and when you seek, your mind activates the filter on what’s useful to the purpose and what’s not.

Seeking can take many forms as well. You can seek right people, right conversations, right resonance, right resources, right events, right books, right opportunities etc. that help you move forward and learn something new each day.

Seek, don’t just scroll.

An Ounce of Action…

Chase dopamine that you get from making progress through actions, however small. 

Scrolling is dopamine that we search in information. It is a bottomless well that sucks us in. 

Consuming mindfully, and acting on what we consume is how we make any progress.