Chapter 1: The Impact of Social Media on Daily Routines

Let me share how I inadvertently disrupted my morning routine. There’s a fun little game called Wordle that has captured everyone's attention. In this game, you attempt to guess a five-letter word within six tries. Each guess provides feedback on the letters’ correctness and their positions. It’s genuinely entertaining.

Since I discovered it, my mornings have started with me grabbing my phone from the nightstand, playing Wordle, solving the puzzle, and then getting up to begin my day—an enjoyable little ritual. However, things began to shift gradually. After completing Wordle, I found myself opening Twitter to check notifications, then Instagram, and eventually TikTok. Before long, my wake-up routine transformed entirely. Instead of spending just five minutes on Wordle, I was wasting 30 minutes scrolling aimlessly before I could pull myself together to start my day. I certainly wasn’t the only one losing valuable time.

Recent studies indicate that individuals now spend around two hours daily on social media. This means we’re dedicating significantly less time to activities we genuinely want to engage in, such as reading, pursuing hobbies, or even finding simpler ways to alleviate boredom. Interestingly, since the original iPhone launch, chewing gum sales have plummeted as people now stare at their phones in checkout lines instead of impulsively purchasing a pack of gum.

Essentially, social media has become a massive time sink. For many of us, the hours spent scrolling through feeds are often done mindlessly. This lack of intention creates a disconnect, as we know there are better ways to align our time with our goals and desires. So, what can we do to tackle this issue? Ironically, technology, which created this problem, also seems to offer solutions. We now have apps and browser extensions designed to block social media. Plus, for iPhone users, there’s a focus mode to limit app usage each day.

However, there’s a simpler solution. In fact, it's so straightforward that I initially thought it wasn’t worthy of a full discussion. But after trying it myself, I was astonished by the results. To break the cycle of mindless scrolling and regain control over your phone usage, you don’t need any fancy application.

Use social media only when you intend to and then log out. If you want to check it again, log back in. If you feel like scrolling TikTok during your lunch break, go for it—that's your choice! I won’t judge you; Hank Green’s take on trends is quite creative.

But let your phone's default state be logged out. You might think there are better solutions, like tossing your phone across the room or deleting social media apps entirely, or even quitting social media altogether, as suggested by Cal Newport. These methods can indeed be more effective, but this narrative targets the larger audience that either doesn’t want to or can’t bring themselves to delete those apps.

For those individuals, and sometimes I find myself in this category too, logging out offers a much simpler solution. It presents a barrier without completely cutting you off from your apps, allowing you to sign back in whenever you choose.

Your phone is still accessible. So if you receive an important call or message, you can still check it. The slight inconvenience of logging in creates a significant difference. You transition from three seconds of effortless scrolling on Twitter to needing 30 seconds to retrieve your password, input two-factor authentication—which I hope you’re using—and actually log in.

This simple act disrupts the mindless urge to scroll because such impulses thrive in environments devoid of any friction. This is the very atmosphere that smartphone manufacturers and social media companies have designed for us, and many of us live in that reality. But you can dismantle that environment just by logging out and introducing a little resistance into the mix.

This approach mirrors a concept shared by Michael Pollan in his Netflix documentary "Cooked," where he discussed weight loss and dieting. He suggested, “Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you cook it yourself.” While there’s a deeper explanation for this in the second episode, the essence aligns with our discussion about logging out.

Many negative habits persist simply because they require no effort. These ingrained behaviors thrive on convenience. If we can inject even a slight inconvenience, we can naturally break these habits without needing any elaborate apps or motivational videos.

In "Atomic Habits," author James Clear summarizes this idea by explaining that sometimes success is less about making positive habits easy and more about making negative ones difficult. Initially, I thought this idea was too simplistic to warrant a full narrative. A tweet seemed sufficient—how could this be an entire story?

However, my perspective shifted once I observed my own behavior with this concept. After coming up with the idea, I still didn’t log out. I had the thought while reading a book and thought it could be useful, but then my brain began to throw up objections—what if I miss an important DM? Wouldn’t it be a hassle to keep signing in and out? What will I do while waiting in line at the supermarket?

Interestingly, none of these objections hold up under scrutiny. They are simply the dopamine-seeking side of my brain attempting to procrastinate, putting off addressing the issue. This is a common tactic employed by anything that challenges the status quo, whether it’s a person, an organization, or that part of your mind that urges you to check Twitter whenever you feel like it.

That part of me prevailed for nearly a week before I finally sat down, opened all my social media apps, and logged out. Once I did, the change was remarkable. I remember a day after logging out, I was standing in a café, reached for my phone, and instinctively began to swipe open Twitter, only to be met with a logged-out screen. Instantly, I didn’t care anymore because I wasn’t actively trying to check Twitter; I was merely seeking a quick dopamine hit, and now there was an obstacle in my way.

Soon after, my cravings to check my phone began to fade as well. I believe this method is incredibly beneficial, and I suspect many of you will agree it’s a solid idea. Yet, you will likely encounter those same objections popping up again—the same little procrastination tactics from the dopamine-driven part of your brain.

So, here’s my challenge to you: ignore those little objections. Open Twitter, TikTok, or any app you mindlessly scroll through and log out. Give it a try because, once again, you’re not truly giving up anything.

The first video, "Michael Jackson - I Can't Help It (Audio)", captures the essence of the struggle with self-control and distraction, perfectly complementing our discussion on breaking free from mindless habits.

The second video, "I Can't Help It", reflects the themes of temptation and the desire for change, reinforcing the message of our need for intentionality in our daily routines.