Recently, Wirecutter published an article about 118 Things to Do Instead of Doomscrolling. I’ve been trying to reduce my phone time and all things subcription-based, alogrithmically-based and “social media”-based so I was curious about their suggestions.
Some suggestions are exactly what I would pick but others still have an internet component. Like the suggestion to find a new recipe it says “Research a new-to-you recipe.” with a link the NYTimes Cooking section. Instead, I think it should say something like “grab that cookbook in your kitchen and pick a recipe.” The other cooking suggestion like “make some pasta” or “churn some ice cream” feel like filler to get to that whopping 118 Things. The tip to research a new restaurant is also likely to lead to grabbing your phone and getting lost on an app. But a tip to “walk around your neighborhood and try a new-to-you restaurant” or “ask your friends/family to recommend a restaurant” is less tied to social media and the doomscrolling suck.
Some suggestions seem written for anyone inclined to procrastinate or fighting their ADHD demons like “schedule an appointment you’ve been putting off” or “check the batteries in your smoke detectors”. I feel scolded by these. I read this post looking for a way to spend time when I am looking for entertainment, not my phantom inner-critic reminding me I’m goofing off when I should be “maximizing my time”. Ugh! If you are triggered by these too, replace them with something you like to do but haven’t done them lately like “spend 10 minutes chilling with a face mask on” or “grab a puzzle book and do one or two.”
Overall, the suggestions inspire me to get up and do something. Just don’t get caught by the links in the post though or you’ll be down a different internet rabbit hole.
I suggest taking the list from Wirecutter and cherry-pick some of the items that resonate with you. It could be 10 things or 100 things. Maybe add your own ideas. Write the list in the back of your notebook, planner or journal to inspire you when you need it most. If you pick 6, 8, 10, 12, 20 or 100, you could turn this into a “Roll for Initiative” and grab your DND dice bag and roll the appropriate dice when you need some help making a decision.
How do you fight the urge to doomscroll? Give me your best your suggestions in the comments.
There are also two new sticker sheets: 
