As a generation so tightly woven into digital platforms, the idea of No-Scroll November sounds as daunting as it is radical. Yet a pause in the endless content can be the perfect opportunity to take a step back and rediscover more meaningful ways to spend free time.
The beginning of my ‘no-scroll’ journey was a mixed wave of withdrawal, restlessness and a tad of unexpected calm. That first week, it felt like my thumb had a life of its own, sprinting toward social media whenever I reached for my phone.
My social life and entertainment were tethered to scrolling, yet the rediscovery of time I didn’t know I had was a dopamine high almost as enticing as sharing a relatable TikTok with friends.
Week 1 & 2: The Detox Phase
The first week was the hardest, but the payout was clear: unexpected free time. It made me realise I often equate productivity with being busy. Scrolling had been a buffer for that, a habit I’d grown too accustomed to.
During the first two days, I kept unlocking my phone only to blankly stare at the screen, unsure why I’d reached for it. With social media icons tempting me, hiding the apps from my home screen became the antidote to reaching for them at the slightest hint of boredom. I knew I had to develop new habits and rediscover old ones, too.
Week 2 & 3: Filling the Space
There had always been constant thoughts in my mind, a to-do list, and a nagging sense I was missing something — a forgotten notification or a story everyone had seen but me. Without scrolling, the silence was nice.
My feet started taking me on small crusades outside, listening to my favourite seasonal playlist as the day unfolded around me. Life stopped feeling like a marathon against time and more like an easy-paced hike through a familiar Peak District hill.
I also rediscovered my passion for reading. Books that had gathered dust — embarrassingly late to the trends — finally drew me in. I had the time to reach for them, and November became the first month in a long time where I finished more than two books and actually remembered what they were about. Unsurprisingly, my mind wasn’t as clouded as before.
Week 3 & 4: A New Normal
The last two weeks of No-Scroll November didn’t feel like a challenge anymore. It felt like default mode. I was more present in conversations, less in my head, and noticeably happier.
Social media can be the great bridge across the world that it is, but alongside its dopamine-inducing features, it can highlight the bumps on personal roads. Anxiety is something many in our generation know too well, and I realised much of mine stemmed from scrolling, feeling like I was wasting time yet needing it to fill empty spaces in my mind.
Looking back, the biggest transformation didn’t come from how long I spent on my phone, but from how scrolling made me feel. I didn’t become a social media-free monk, but the new hobbies – and the rediscovered old ones – became habits I want to continue, not because I suddenly had spare time but because I wanted to make time for them.
The hardest, yet most important, lesson of this journey was learning that productivity doesn’t have to be quantified by how much you do, but by how you feel doing it. If something doesn’t bring joy, cut it off – hide it from your home screen too. But if it ignites that childlike spark that dimmed over the years, let yourself enjoy it. Make time for it. Reset your time the way you’d reset a phone.
Life is far more vivid when you live it, rather than watch it through a screen.
