Don’t delete social media. Do this instead.

Key wellness & self-care strategies / productivity tips

• Quit the “scrolling before life starts” loop

  • Don’t open social media immediately on waking—it fuels compulsive dopamine-seeking behavior.

• Acknowledge the addiction mechanism (dopamine-based)

  • Treat social media addiction like other dopamine addictions (e.g., smoking): quitting usually takes time, not one attempt.

Step 1: Clean your feed (reduce “brain rot”)

• Unfollow accounts that derail you, including:
  • sexualized/bikini model content
  • meme pages that rot your attention
  • irrelevant/negative pages
  • people/accounts that increase comparison
• Only follow accounts you genuinely want to see in the next 6–12 months.

Expected benefits: better focus, better memory, less anxiety, and less comparison.

Step 2: “Engineer” your algorithm (build the feed you want)

• Consider creating a new account to reset recommendations.
• When scrolling:
  • Skip low-value/negative content.
  • Engage (like/comment/repost) with inspiring/wholesome content so the algorithm learns your preferences.

Goal: reshape both your feed and your mindset/habits over time.

Step 3: Use social media to improve real-life connection

Shift from passive consumption to social interaction:

• Like, comment, repost
• DM people whose content you enjoy
• Share memes/“brain rot” with friends as a bonding tool

Expected outcome: more friendships/plans IRL → less mindless scrolling.

Step 4: Reduce screen time by increasing “fun” in life

Instead of swapping scrolling with rigid “discipline” routines, replace it with enjoyable activities.

Examples given:

• start a new video game
• join an amateur football team
• go to a pub
• (small habit) message a best friend daily to help plans form

Principle: boredom drives scrolling; fun reduces it.

Step 5: Swap “dopamine from consuming” to “dopamine from creating”

Creating content is framed as a healthier addictive outlet than consuming it.

Ideas:

• post on an anonymous meme page / animation / anonymous Twitter
• you don’t need to show your face

Expected benefits: increased creativity, improved ideas, and new connections—without requiring face exposure.

Use habit-locking tools

• Mentioned using an app that blocks short-form apps unless daily habits are completed (see “Presenters/sources” below).

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Presenters / sources

• Monkeykey (speaker/creator in the subtitles)
• Monkey Habit Game (app mentioned)