Doomscrolling is something a lot of us don't really want to do. Yet we now spend an average of four and a half hours online every day. Some of that time, of course, will be useful things like work or navigating. But a fair chunk of it is probably lying on the sofa watching someone you'll never meet reorganise their fridge.
And let's be honest, scrolling gets a lot more tempting in the winter months, when it's darker and we're inside more. Unlocking your phone takes no effort at all, whereas other hobbies take a bit more energy.
Happiness researcher Shawn Achor wrote about this in The Happiness Advantage. He wanted to practise guitar every day, but it lived in a cupboard, and the 20 seconds it took to get it out was enough to stop him. When he moved it onto a stand in the living room, he played 21 days in a row. He called it the 20-second rule: make the things you want to do 20 seconds easier, and the things you don't 20 seconds harder.
So the key to reducing your doomscrolling might be to make your phone a little harder to reach and something else a little easier. Having something to swap your scrolling for makes it easier to choose. If you have a colouring book by the sofa, you're more likely to reach for it than if it's in a drawer. You have a visual cue and little friction to start.
We've shortlisted some ideas for an analogue basket... a list of things you can reach for instead of doomscrolling.
The anti-doomscrolling list: what to put in your analogue basket
Whether you fill a basket or dot a few things around your home or bag, everything here takes less than a minute to get going.
1. A sudoku or puzzle book
Buy a sudoku or crossword book to reach for. Puzzles are great for your brain health as they build strategic thinking and hold your attention. Choose a book that's achievable for you but not so hard that you give up.
2. A jigsaw that never gets packed away
A half-done jigsaw on the table is an open invitation every time you walk past it. If you don't want to leave it on a table, pop it on a jigsaw board so you can move it. Unfinished tasks nag at us (it's known as the Zeigarnik effect), so a puzzle in progress has a habit of pulling you back in for one more edge piece.
3. A deck of cards
Learn one game properly. Patience (aka solitaire) if you're on your own, rummy if someone else is on the sofa. A deck costs a couple of quid and needs no setup at all. You could even train yourself to get really good at shuffling.
4. Knitting or crochet
One of the most popular grandma hobbies that's making a comeback. Knitting or crocheting keeps both hands busy, and you get a physical result at the end of it. It's also been shown to promote feelings of calm for regular knitters.
5. A cross-stitch kit
If knitting feels like a big commitment, a beginner's cross-stitch kit comes with everything in one packet and a pattern to follow. Cross-stitch is repetitive handwork, with something to frame or gift at the end.
6. A colouring book and pencils
Colouring is therapeutic and helps reduce stress. Because there are lines to follow, you don't need any sketching skills (which can be a barrier for perfectionists). Or if you do enjoy sketching, then a blank book works wonders too.
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7. A fiction book
Reading fiction is the best form of escapism and is also great at building empathy. If you find it tricky to get into books, ask a friend for a recommendation or visit your local library and borrow something. The due date gives you a gentle nudge to actually read it.
8. A notebook for a brain dump, facts or questions
Having a physical notebook to reach for is great for journaling or brain dumping. Why not try having one for random facts you learn, or questions you'd like to know more about? Then you can revisit these books when you want to learn something or reflect.
9. A game for two
Have games you like to play with someone else within reach or in view. Even if someone else is in the room, it's easy to reach for your phone. But if you have a game in your line of vision, you're more likely to reach for it.
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10. Paint by numbers or line tracing
A very easy way to be creative, even if you don't think of yourself as arty. They only take a pen or glass of water and a paintbrush and you can get lost in it for hours.
11. A mending kit
In a world obsessed with replacing and buying new, spend a bit of time fixing up old clothes or sewing on new elements to spruce them up.
12. Beads for bracelets or chains
Having a beading kit is a very easy way to make something with your hands. Make a bracelet or a keyring for yourself or as a gift.
13. A Rubik's cube or wooden puzzles
Physical puzzles are a great way to engage your brain with something challenging and rewarding. There are lots of these in game shops that can sit on the side or pop in a basket.
14. Magazines and coffee table books
Magazines and books have a natural start and finish. They hold your attention in a different way to reading on a screen and are both visual and written. They're great for guests to pick up too.
15. A film journal
Write a list of movies you want to watch, and then document your experience of them after you've watched them. This means you don't have to scroll through Netflix if you fancy a rom-com, and keeping a journal on them encourages you to pay proper attention.
16. A personal recipe book or 'screenshot book'
How many recipes have you screenshotted or saved and then forgotten about? Instead, create a physical version of this to reach for if you fancy baking or cooking. Either print it off or write it by hand in the book. The effort of documenting it will give you more motivation to actually cook it.
How to make it stick
A basket full of things to reach for is the first step. These will help it stick...
Keep the basket where you scroll.
By the sofa, next to the bed, wherever the phone usually comes out.
Charge your phone in another room.
One study found that people whose phones were in a different room did noticeably better on focus tests than people whose phones were on the desk in front of them. As they say... out of sight, out of mind.
Ring instead of texting.
If you want to chat to a friend, phone them instead of texting them. This gives you a deeper sense of connection and keeps the screen out of your eyes.
Decide your swap in advance.
Something like "after dinner, I'll do the crossword instead of picking up my phone." Psychologists call this an implementation intention, and planning the when and where makes a new habit far more likely to stick than hoping you'll remember.
Cutting down on doomscrolling doesn't take superhuman willpower when you have something in easy reach to replace it with it. So pop a few things in a basket by the sofa and give it a try!
