What to do instead of scrolling

Why just stopping does not work

When you take the feed away, a gap opens. Your hands, your eyes and your free minutes still want something. If nothing is there, the old habit walks right back in.

People describe this gap a lot. Even someone building their own blocker app wrote:

Annoyed, with nothing to do, is exactly when you go looking for a way around the block. The fix is not stronger rules. It is a better list of things. And the list should be short. One person said:

So this page has 40 ideas, but you only need a few. Pick the ones that fit you, and forget the rest. When we counted what people on r/nosurf and r/digitalminimalism say helped them, “replacing it with something” came second, right after reading. It is one of the most named fixes of all.

Two questions first

Before you pick, ask yourself two things: How tired am I? And how much time do I have?

A great idea at the wrong energy will fail. Nobody goes for a run at midnight after a long shift. Here is a small map. Find your square, and start there.

Every idea below has its minutes and an energy tag: Low, Some or More.

40 things to do instead of scrolling

The ideas are grouped by the four powers in Scroll Ninja. You do not need the app to use them. The powers are just a simple way to find what you need right now.

Focus: stay on one thing

1. Focus for 10 minutes on one small task. 10 min · Some Set a timer. Stop at the bell.
2. Do a 25-minute focus session. 25 min · More One task, phone in another room.
3. Tidy one drawer. 5 min · Some Just one. Enjoy how it looks after.
4. Finish one small task you keep putting off. 10 min · Some
5. Cook something simple. 30 min · Some Eggs, soup, a sandwich made with care.
6. Do a puzzle on paper. 15 min · Low A crossword, a sudoku, a jigsaw.
7. Practice an instrument. 15 min · More
8. Plan tomorrow on paper. 5 min · Low Three lines are enough.
9. Water your plants, one by one. 5 min · Low
10. Mend or iron one piece of clothing. 15 min · Some

Wisdom: choose well

1. Read 3 pages. 5 min · Low Any book. Slowly.
2. Write one line about today. 2 min · Low
3. Call a friend, even for 5 minutes. 5 min · Some
4. Ask someone near you a real question. 5 min · Some “What was the best part of your day?”
5. Listen to one album from start to end. 40 min · Low No skipping.
6. Write a short thank-you note. 5 min · Some
7. Read 10 pages. 15 min · Some
8. Write down 3 good things from today. 3 min · Low
9. Write a short letter to your future self. 15 min · Some
10. Visit a library and pick one book. 30 min · More

Fantasy: rest and dream

1. Look at the sky for 3 minutes. 3 min · Low Clouds by day, stars by night.
2. Draw your window. 10 min · Some It does not have to be good.
3. Write three lines of a story. 5 min · Some
4. Doodle for 10 minutes. 10 min · Low Any pen, any paper, no erasing.
5. Write a haiku. 5 min · Some Five, seven, five.
6. Color a page. 15 min · Low
7. Build something with your hands. 20 min · Some Clay, paper, blocks.
8. Daydream on purpose. 5 min · Low Sit, close your eyes, let your mind wander.
9. Put on one song and dance in the kitchen. 4 min · More
10. Take a slow bath or shower. 15 min · Low

Discipline: say no kindly

1. Take a 15-minute walk with no phone. 15 min · More Look up. Breathe.
2. Do slow stretches on the floor. 5 min · Low
3. Drink a glass of water and take 5 slow breaths. 2 min · Low
4. Make your bed. 2 min · Some
5. Wash 5 dishes. 3 min · Some
6. Put the phone in another room for 20 minutes. 20 min · Some
7. Lay out tomorrow's clothes. 3 min · Low
8. Do 10 squats. 2 min · More
9. Take out the trash or the recycling. 3 min · Some
10. Step outside and take 10 deep breaths. 2 min · Low

For tired people

Some evenings, even “read a book” feels like work. Someone asked r/digitalminimalism for exactly this:

Most lists say journal, read, meditate, do yoga. That is a lot to ask from someone who is worn out. Here are softer ideas. They ask almost nothing of you:

• Lie on the floor and stretch for 5 minutes.
• Take a warm shower.
• Drink tea by a window.
• Crochet or knit something simple, the same few stitches again and again.
• Listen to an audiobook or a podcast with the screen off.
• Fold laundry slowly, with music on.
• Pet your cat or dog.
• Sit outside for 2 minutes and listen.

Being tired is not a reason to scroll. It is a reason to rest. The feed only looks like rest. As one post put it:

For small breaks, 30 seconds to 2 minutes

The urge is often strongest in the little gaps: the toilet, a queue, a waiting room, the rest between sets at the gym. One r/nosurf post asked just this: “What to do in the small breaks to not use the phone?” A reply said:

Small gaps need small things:

• Name 5 things you can see.
• Take 3 slow breaths, a little longer out than in.
• Carry a small paperback and read one page.
• Notice your feet on the floor.
• Look out the nearest window.
• Roll your neck and shoulders.
• Just wait. One minute of boredom is fine. It passes.

Make it stick

Put it within reach

Make the good thing easier than the phone. A book on the pillow. A sketchbook on the couch. Shoes by the door. One person wrote:

Use an if-then plan

Write one sentence: “If [moment], then I will [thing].” For example: “If I sit on the couch after dinner, then I will read 3 pages first.” Researchers call this an implementation intention. A big review of many studies, by Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran, found that if-then plans help people follow through on their goals.

Start with one idea, not 40

Pick one idea for one moment of your day. Do it for a week. Then add a second. A short list you use beats a long list you forget.

Let the urge pass

The urge to scroll rises and falls, like a wave. You do not have to obey it. You only have to wait. One person on r/nosurf set a delay on their apps and noticed this:

That is one person's experience, not a rule. Try it and find out what yours is.

Make your own list of 5

Write your five things on this card. You can type on the lines and then print it, or print it blank and use a pen. To print the card on its own, open the card, then use Print in your browser. Put it on the fridge, or by your bed.

If your hard time is night

Night is a special case, because the tired you is in charge. The best “instead” in bed is very easy: a paper book, a notebook, three slow breaths. Keep it by your bed, and let the phone sleep in another room. Our full guide shows how to stop doomscrolling in bed, step by step.

If your thumb opens apps before you even decide to, read how to stop mindless scrolling. And if short videos are your hardest pull, see our guide on YouTube Shorts addiction.

How Scroll Ninja helps

In the Scroll Ninja app, ideas like these become small missions. After your daily mission, the app picks one next step for you, so you never have to choose from 40. Each one grows one of four powers: Focus, Wisdom, Fantasy or Discipline. The powers are game points, not a test of who you are. Your ninja grows when you do the real thing, away from the screen. If you do one mission a day, your ninja picks up a sword by Day 5. One honest limit: the app cannot see you read or walk. It trusts you. Scroll Ninja is coming soon to iPhone.

Questions

Sources

We checked every fact on this page on the date below. If something has changed, tell us at support@scrollninja.app.

1. Gollwitzer and Sheeran, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2006: Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Checked 3 October 2026.
2. Arctic Shift: a free public archive of Reddit, used to read r/nosurf and r/digitalminimalism. Every quote on this page links to its own public thread. Checked 3 October 2026.