A couple weeks ago, I deleted social media off my phone. Insta and reddit was all that was left, but I noticed how much of a useless time sink they were becoming. My daily mood has also improved.

Now, I’ve been reading manga and playing chess online to fill the gap. But I’m still looking for suggestions on what else there is to do besides doom scroll. It’s not like I’m outlawing the internet entirely, I still have interests and hobbies etc, but I’m open to just about anything.

  • OhVenus_Baby@lemmy.ml
    0·
    6 hours ago

    Check if my apps are up to date. Then remind myself fun is in real life not my phone. I’m not being pedantic it just helps to focus on my real happiness and keeping my hands busy than not and dooming in my phone.

  • danhab99@programming.dev
    0·
    10 hours ago

    In terms of chances:

    • 90% Tiktok
    • 8% Lemmy
    • 2% YouTube

    When I’m actively doing something (not just on my phone):

    • 70% YouTube
    • 10% Crunchyroll
    • 5% Friends jellyfin servers
    • 5% Netflix
    • 10% Browser / Chatgpt / Termux / any other tool
  • Lemisset@lemmy.world
    0·
    15 hours ago

    I read lots of books. Libby is an app to electronically check out books from your local library for free. You can also read lots of amateur stories online on various sites. Royal Road has been one of my favorite sites for regular stories that you can read in public.

    • ___@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      0·
      7 hours ago

      +1 for Libby. Also shout out to Z-Library, Library Genesis, and the Internet Archive for all the book epubs and pdfs you can find there

  • tiny@midwest.socialEnglish
    0·
    21 hours ago

    I have miniflux setup for RSS feeds, and I’ll doom scroll lemmy. For games I emulate old pokemon games. You can also just get lost in your thoughts for a bit too. It can really be good for your brain to just sit with your thoughts for a while.

  • SwearingRobin@lemmy.world
    0·
    19 hours ago

    Play the NYT wordle, mini crossword, connections for the day. I have some small simple games that can be stopped at any time. My most played ones are cake sort, water sort, sudoku and sometimes minesweeper. Also scroll lemmy sometimes, it’s small enough that it doesn’t take long to see everything that is new, so there’s no risk of getting sucked in for long

  • Monster@lemmy.world
    0·
    1 day ago

    PPSSPP and Dolphin. Playing through the entirety of Paper Mario: TTYD, Luigis mansion, Sims 2, and Killzone wasted a good chunk of idle time for me.

  • SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.ml
    0·
    1 day ago

    Doomscroll the news, play some games, check if there are any updates to social media accounts. If I’m feeling ambitious I’ll follow rabbit holes on wikipedia or google some obscure science subjects.

    • HipsterTenZero@dormi.zone
      0·
      1 day ago

      slap a controller on that bad boy and practice your street fighter 2 combos. That’s an easy half hour right there

  • DigitalDilemma@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    Mostly tiktok scrolling. It’s got a bad rep, but there’s a huge amount of seriously talented people on there doing amazing and creative things. I’m a 50-something year old guy and it quickly figured out I like videos about mine explores and restoring vintage vehicles. Once you learn to downvote stuff you don’t like, it’s quick to learn and aside from the comment bots or obvious trolls (Typically pro-Russian or Pro-Trump, if there’s a difference) it’s generally a positive thing, in moderation.

    I totally get your desire about avoiding socials and have experienced the mood swings it can bring too. That’s made me quite tuned into how the algorithms are steering me. For me (and everyone’s experience is different) - Facebook is mostly bland generic stuff but quite useful for local content - just avoid the drama llamas), and use an advert blocker. Reddit is mixed. I used to be on there a lot and contributed and modded a bunch of stuff, but quit for a year after spez screwed over the app people. I skim it a bit now, but don’t give it much mind. X is awful, won’t go near it. Lemmy is less of a shitpost zone than most but still has too few people to be significant. We’re all helping with that though.

    Lemmy aside, I think most algs will figure you out pretty quick. If you get involved in nasty commenting, it’ll feed you more of that. If you do the odd positive thing (as I try to) then it can be less toxic - but with all things, remember why you’re there. The more you feed it, the bigger to you it becomes. Balance is important, and be aware of how stuff is affecting you.

    Anyway, beyond TT, crosswords, some news sites and the occasional candy crush.

    Good question though, I’m reading other comments as it’s harder to find stuff outside of the main channels now.