I Quit Doomscrolling—Here’s What I Learned

The mirror isn’t always friendly. Sometimes, it forces you to see things you’d rather ignore.

For years, I told myself I was productive. I worked harder than most. I over-delivered. I built a business, a brand, a reputation—all on the back of relentless effort. My phone was my lifeline. I justified the hours spent on it. It’s work. It’s research. It’s networking.

Then I checked the numbers.

Eight hours and fifteen minutes. That was my daily screen time. And over four of those hours? Social media.

The realization hit like a freight train.

I wasn’t just working. I was distracting myself. I was filling every empty moment with a quick scroll, a dopamine hit, a false sense of progress. I had convinced myself I was staying ahead, but in reality, I was falling behind—on the things that actually mattered.

So I did something drastic.

The Experiment: Three Big Changes

I didn’t just cut back. I completely changed how I operated.

1. I Gave Up My Phone for a Month

I handed my phone over with one rule: You tell me when something is important instead of me thinking EVERYTHING is important. My team and inner circle became the filter. No notifications. No endless checking. No phone sitting next to me at all times.

The first few days were brutal. The withdrawal was real. That subconscious itch to check, to refresh, to be available at all times—it was relentless. I had trained myself to react, to feel important when my phone lit up. The silence was uncomfortable.

So I had to replace the habit.

Instead of scrolling, I started doing crossword puzzles. Instead of refreshing feeds, I went on long walks. I reintroduced things that felt slow—things that didn’t come with an instant dopamine hit.

2. I Gave Up Doomscrolling

It wasn’t just about the phone—it was about what I was consuming. No more mindless scrolling. No more letting social media dictate my mood, my focus, my energy.

At first, it felt like I was missing something. Like the world was moving on without me. But then I noticed something strange:

I stopped worrying about things that had nothing to do with my actual life.

I wasn’t bringing up aliens in casual conversation anymore. I no longer felt like I needed a backup generator in case the grid shut down next week. I wasn’t mentally preparing for the collapse of society because some algorithm decided that was my recommended content for the day.

I had been carrying other people’s narratives as if they were my own. And without the constant flood of noise, I realized how much of my worldview wasn’t actually mine.

3. I Cut My Travel by 80%

For years, I had worn my travel schedule like a badge of honor—239 days on the road, speaking, working, chasing. But being away that much meant I was never truly home. The more I stepped back, the more I realized how much I had been missing.

And here’s the thing: stepping back didn’t hurt my business. It made it stronger.

The Unexpected Outcome

With more time, space, and focus, something wild happened.

I created a six-figure product that over ten people purchased in the first month—without stepping on a plane. My creativity skyrocketed. I became more intentional with my time. The things I used to stress over felt smaller, clearer, easier.

And the biggest shift?

I was actually present.

Before, I was in two places at once—never fully engaged. When I was working, I felt guilty for not being elsewhere. When I was elsewhere, I was thinking about work. I was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

That’s not efficiency. That’s burnout in disguise.

8 Months Later: The Lasting Change

It’s been over eight months since I quit doomscrolling. And I haven’t gone back.

• I spend more time in the gym than ever before.
• I sleep better—no late-night scrolling, no endless mental loops.
• I have more time for family and have never missed a single game.
• My focus is sharper. My work is better. My life feels fuller.
• And most importantly—I stopped planning for apocalyptic scenarios that were never actually happening.

The biggest realization? I didn’t need my phone nearly as much as I thought I did.

If Any of This Feels Familiar…

This isn’t about judgment. It’s not about being anti-phone, anti-social media, or anti-hustle. It’s about being honest.

I share this because, if you’ve ever felt stretched too thin, constantly “on” but never truly present, maybe this gives you permission to take a step back. To pause. To ask yourself if the way you’re working—or the way you’re living—is actually working for you.

And if you’re someone who already has a strong grip on this—if you don’t let distractions run your life—I hope this reminds you that your discipline is worth it. That choosing presence over noise is a real advantage.

For me, it took hitting a wall to finally make a change. But you don’t have to hit one to start making shifts now.

All I know is this: when I finally faced the truth about my habits, I got my time—and my life—back.

And if you’re willing to try, you might just do the same.