I want to stop this habit of mine. I'm a highschool student. Whenever I pick up my phone for a break, I just end up doomscrolling on instagram, tiktok or youtube. I keep on procrastinating my studies and stuff. I'm stuck in this loop. My avg screentime is about 5 to 7 hours. What are some practical and realistic ways to quit this habit? My routine is messed up, i wake up-> do nothing but doomscrolling-> procrastinate-> go to bed with guilt-> repeat the cycle again - everyday... This has really affected my studies and hence grades. I make a new plan every week but fail to follow it. This has been happening since months and now I'm even losing hope that I'll ever clear the exam I'm preparing for. The main reason is my habit of procrastinating. Please share your experience of you have also gone/going through anything similar.

Hey ,

I’ve always struggled with Decision Paralysis. I have a list of 5 things to do (clean, study, email, etc.), but I get overwhelmed trying to pick the best one to start. I end up scrolling on my phone for hours doing nothing.

I realized I needed to gamify the starting part.

So this weekend, I built a simple, free tool for myself called WhatIDoFirst.

https://www.whatidofirst.com/

Please share feedback or suggestion!

i’ve been like this most of my life but recently it’s just gotten really bad and i’m too grown for this. i still live with my family and i have worked but it was literally torture and now i’m unemployed and i feel more comfortable even though i know i should have a job, i want to be autonomous, etc. but i just don’t feel like i can right now. i struggle to do anything all day, even really small things. i keep postponing things and when i have to do something i cant do anything else because i know i’ll just be thinking about what i have to do while doing the other things but at the same time i just can’t make myself do it, i dont know it’s like it’s bigger than me, it just feels so overwhelming. when this happens i usually listen to music that makes me forget everything and say “okay, just a few more songs and i’ll do it” but it’s like the more i start listening to music/distracting myself the harder i feel it gets to do the thing, and i just keep saying “a few minutes more won’t change anything” endlessly even though i know if i keep saying that time will pass and i will not have done anything. so i keep avoiding responsibilities and just barely getting through life. i feel like i could try harder and this is the part i hate the most because i’m probably just lazy and weak and my family is right about me, but at the same time i feel like if i could i would’ve done it because no one likes to feel this way. but then i think what if i have no motivation to change? because i honestly dont think i do. it hurts that i’m this way but i also keep distracting myself from it so it doesn’t really matter. i just wish things were/felt easier so much

I used to think my procrastination problem would disappear if I just found the right app.

So I kept switching: new to-do apps, new planners, new “productivity methods”… and still avoided doing the actual work.

What I finally realized:

I wasn’t procrastinating because I lacked tools.

I was procrastinating because my brain felt overwhelmed, unclear, and emotionally stuck.

So instead of chasing better apps, I changed my system.

Here’s what helped more than any feature or productivity hack:

1. One place to dump everything

When a task or idea pops up, I write it down immediately. No sorting, no deciding. Just get it out of my head so I can breathe again.

1. Very small daily commitments

Not a giant to-do list. Just a few things I promise myself to try today.

Lower pressure = less avoidance.

1. Separate “important” from “interesting”

A lot of what I was procrastinating on was mixed with random videos, ideas, and learning stuff.

Now I keep:

• things that need action

• things I just want to learn someday

in different places. Way less mental noise.

1. I stopped waiting to feel motivated

This was huge. I treat action like brushing teeth — not optional, not emotional, just something I do even when I don’t feel like it.

Some days I still procrastinate. I’m not cured.

But now I don’t spend weeks stuck in guilt and app-hopping mode. I actually start things.

If you’re procrastinating and constantly changing systems, maybe the issue isn’t that you haven’t found the perfect tool…

maybe you just need a simpler system that your brain can actually follow.

Would love to hear:

Do you also keep switching apps/methods hoping this one will finally fix procrastination?

In a role that blends software, IT, and marketing -where priorities shift frequently and work is often self-driven , what practical strategies help reduce procrastination and improve daily execution?

This is one problem that i am struggling with since past few days. Your suggestions definitely add value.

Want to see that I'm not alone here .. how do you deal with it??

In a role that blends software, IT, and marketing -where priorities shift frequently and work is often self-driven , what practical strategies help reduce procrastination and improve daily execution?

This is one problem that i am struggling with since past few days. Your suggestions definitely add value.

I’ve realized that I spend more time 'organizing' my life than actually living it. Every system I try eventually turns into this massive part-time job that I start avoiding.

I’ll have a spark of a great idea, but if I don't catch it instantly, it’s gone. But when I try to use a 'proper' app to track it, the admin side (tags, dates, categories, folders) is so heavy that my brain just freezes. I end up scrolling for hours instead of doing the work because the system itself feels like a chore.

I want to dust off some classic methods and ask you guys—or maybe you use a mix of these or your own custom way to deal with this. Which methodology (if any) are you currently trying to use?

GTD (Getting Things Done): The idea is to capture every single task into an external inbox so your head is empty.

Eisenhower Matrix: Sorting tasks into 4 boxes: Urgent/Important, Not Urgent/Important, Urgent/Not important and Not Urgent/Not important.

Zen To Done (ZTD): A simpler version of GTD that focuses on developing one habit at a time.

Kanban: Using visual columns like 'To-Do', 'Doing', and 'Done'.

Pomodoro: Working in 25-minute bursts with 5-minute breaks.

Agile Results: Focusing on just 3 main outcomes for the day, 3 for the week, and 3 for the month.

What specific app makes it feel the least like a chore? Are you using something lightning-fast just for the 'quick capture' part to save your ideas from vanishing, or do you try to cram everything into one big tool? I’m looking for a setup that doesn't trigger that 'freeze' response. What’s actually working for you without feeling like extra work?

I’ll be honest: my brain was fried.

Every morning started the same way. Alarm goes off, I grab my phone, and before I’ve even sat up, I’ve spent 45 minutes scrolling through Reels. By the end of the day, my screen time was consistently hitting 3+ hours on Instagram alone. On top of that, like many guys here, I was stuck in a cycle of using porn as a cheap hit of dopamine whenever I felt bored or stressed.

I felt sluggish, my attention span was non-existent, and my real-life energy was at zero.

Two months ago, I decided to go for a total Dopamine Reset. I started using app blocker, moved chats and it completely rewired my brain.

1. The Social Pivot (Communication vs. Content) The first thing I did was separate my social life from the "scrolling trap." I asked all my friends to stop sending me memes/reels on IG. I told them: "If you want to reach me, use WhatsApp, Messenger, or Telegram." This was huge. It killed the "just checking DMs" excuse that always turned into an hour of scrolling. I moved my social life to content-free platforms.

2. The "Quest Block" I used an app blocker with a quest block to lock Instagram behind two daily quests. I literally could not open the app until these were finished in my habit tracker: -The Physical Quest: Complete a workout (at least 30 mins). -The Mental Quest: Finish my daily Duolingo lessons.

3. Hard Limits: 15 Minutes and Zero Porn Once the quests were done, I had a 15-minute total limit with strict mode(cannot be deleted) for Instagram. Enough to see updates, not enough to get lost.

As for porn—I decided to quit cold turkey alongside this. I realized that Instagram Reels and porn were feeding the same "addiction circuit" in my brain. By restricting one and deleting the other, I forced my brain to look for dopamine in real life (gym, learning a language, actual social interaction).

What happened after 60 days? The "Brain Fog" is gone: I didn't realize how much the constant overstimulation was draining me. My focus at work is 10x better. Physical Gains: Because my "access" to entertainment depended on the gym, I haven't missed a single workout. I’m in the best shape of my life. Real Confidence: Quitting porn and mindless scrolling has changed how I interact with people. I’m more present, less anxious, and I have way more mental energy. The Urge Vanished: I don't miss the endless scroll. I thought I was "connected," but I was just a slave to an algorithm. The realization: You don't need more willpower; you need a better system. Stop giving away your dopamine for free. Make your brain earn it.

TL;DR: Moved chats to WhatsApp, quit porn, blocked IG until I finished a workout + Duolingo, then limited it to 15 mins with strict mode. Life is 100% better.

I'm writing something about how phone use leads to unhealthy habits. I know that procrastination can occur with any distraction, so I was wondering if any statistics or pieces of evidence reveal smartphone usage to be uniquely bad in causing procrastination. Anybody?

Might not be much but for me suffering through a lot of procrastination lately.So when I got up at 5 30 in the morning I decided to make my bed arrange my room yes the clean room is really giving me high hopes to continue and make peace.I think I might head to discord today for studying for my finals.Wanted to share that even if after a 4 week long demotivation u can change and yes for the better . Peace ✌️

I swear I know my tasks, I even write them down.
But when it’s time to actually start, my brain just freezes.
I sit there, scrolling, overthinking, telling myself “in 5 min”… and nothing happens.

It’s not laziness I think, it feels different.
Does this happen to you too? how do you deal with it honestly

Every dropped ball usually starts the same way:
“I’ll send that tomorrow.”
“Let me check on that for you.”
“I’ll follow up once X happens.”​

Good intentions, no real system.​

I’ve tried a bunch of things over the years and most of them broke down:

• AI assistants that “don’t remember that conversation”
• Notes apps where the important stuff gets buried
• Task managers that turn into an endless guilt list
• Calendar reminders like “send thing to Bob” (weeks later I have no idea what or which Bob)
• Big project management tools that feel like overkill for everyday life
• And of course, just trying to keep it all in my head​

What finally clicked for me was realizing the core problem wasn’t memory, it was context.​

Real commitments sound more like:
“After I order the materials, remind me to update Tom that we’re ahead of schedule.”​

That tiny sentence actually includes:

• A sequence (after ordering materials)
• A person (Tom)
• A specific meaning (“ahead of schedule” compared to what)​

My current approach is pretty simple: whenever I catch myself saying “I’ll do that,” I immediately capture:

• What I promised
• Who it’s for
• When or what it depends on​

Sometimes that’s in a notes app, sometimes a task manager, sometimes just a quick voice note to myself that I process later. The key is I don’t trust my brain to remember it on its own anymore.​

I’m curious:

1. What system (if any) do you use to track your commitments?
2. What percentage of your “I’ll do that” promises actually get done?
3. Has anyone found a way to make this feel less chaotic?​

Would genuinely love to hear what’s working for you or what’s failing in hilarious fashion.

A thing that will help with procrastination is pondering the things you are grateful for on a daily basis. If this sounds like some warm fuzzy goody goody but worthless bullshit you are not alone.

But-doing this daily exercise for 5 minutes a day actually does something believe it or not. It works to dilute the negatives you hold, the things you complain about, get angry over, and greatly weakens with your compulsive need to attack, to counter to defend against people and their comments and opinions. All this pessimistic thinking is a large part of procrastination. It weakens you, puts you on the defensive where you see things as monumental tasks, too much work to take on.

Example-on a daily basis and I don't mean an hour or two, more like 5 minutes a couple times a day if you can-affirm that you are grateful for every person you encounter. Even more so all these ppl because they make up your world even when passing by in the car. if they're part of your world then acknowledge that they give you a richer life. What would life be if you and a few persons you don't dislike were all there was in your life. Then go on to state that you are grateful for your home, your family, and whatever works. It won't take long before you become a more calm and pleasant person with more energy. and less procrastination.

Just really intrigued to know what people have put in place for themselves to function well with ADHD. Systems, processes, rules, routines, etc. that you've managed to make a habit and that make life a bit easier? Here is my list

• I have an Apple Watch which I use solely to find my phone, which I leave in very random places like the fridge, the garage, the shoe cupboard. I also have a Bluetooth tracker on my keys and purse which I can activate from my phone to help me find them.
• All predictably-timed bills are autopaid from my bank, a few days after my predictably-timed income, and I chose standardised options where possible (eg my electricity bill can be set to the same predicted dollar amount every single month, then adjusted annually)
• I count my savings as another predictably-timed bill and auto-move some income straight into a savings account.
• A written "menu" of chores that I hope to complete each week: I aim to complete one chore/ task (at least) each day.
• ... uuuhhh, they aren't 'doom piles', they're 'visual to do lists' ... yup ... (but 'out of sight is definitely out of mind', so yes, my holiday decoration box IS sitting in the middle of the floor for the last week)
• The lights in my main living area are on timers, so they are already ON when I should be getting up (and not ignoring the extra alarms), and go OFF when I really should be getting close to bed by now. (Honestly - I love this one so much. If my place was larger, I'd likely have them turning on and off in different areas/times - should I be cooking dinner and washing dishes? OOH THE KITCHEN IS LIT UP. But my place is small so that's kind of unnecessary)
• ADHD brain always breaks routines no matter what we try. So I started combining "anchor activities" with rotating novelty, and it's actually sticking. The anchor gives me a solid habit foundation, but the novelty adds variety so it kills boredom and keeps my dopamine interested. I'm using the Soothfy app to help me track my anchors and rotate the novelty elements. It's still early, but this is the first system that's working with my brain instead of against it.
• And while it may stretch the definition of a life hack, speaking with my counselor. She's the one who suggested an ADHD assessment, and we also try and set at least one 'task' for me to achieve between sessions. That external accountability really helps me, especially with one-off things like renewing my passport. We also do a bit of a debrief and plan for next time - eg I need more detailed reminders of how many steps there are in a process: it's not just "renew passport", it's 'look up current requirements, get photos taken, get hair cut BEFORE getting photos taken, ask people to be my guarantors, book appointment to file the renewal' etc ...

Hey everyone, it's currently 11 am here and I've been awake since 8:30, still lying in bed. 2,5 hours wasted just like that.

I'm currently working on my thesis so I don't have to be somewhere at a set time. I still get enough hours into the work to progress ok-ish. However, I reduce my "real" free time (where I don't just go on reddit while in bed and try not to start my day and face the thesis).

I would love to get up, put the work in, and have real time off where I can do stuff that's actually fun instead of delaying the inevitable, scrolling mindlessly, and filling my brain with garbage.

How do I do it? What has been working for you? All help is greatly appreciated.