The Quest for Boredom

 From the time I turned thirteen, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and later TikTok became a big part of my life. Bigger than I want to admit. I dislike how much time I spent mindlessly scrolling with no destination in mind, just an easy distraction from boredom, a dopamine hit with every scroll of the thumb. This was an addiction. I always knew it, but I never wanted to admit it. No one wants to admit they spend more time living in their phone than in their real life, but it’s true. My profile and the way I interacted with friends, that was me. It felt like my entire personality had to be digital.

Unfortunately, when you fill the boring moments of life with mind-numbing scrolling, you lose something very important: boredom itself. The reason you feel dull is because you aren’t bored enough. Because guess what happens when you’re bored? You begin to notice things. Gradually, you start to feel things again. You get inspired. When you are bored, you begin to do something humans were made to do. You create.

Whether it’s practicing music, dancing, painting, drawing, writing, crafting, sewing, cooking, decorating, or working out, all of these are forms of creativity and self-expression. I want you to know that the “childlike wonder” will come back when you let yourself live outside a screen.

Unfortunately, we live in a time where it isn’t realistic to throw away everything digital. I use my devices for banking, DoorDash as a side gig, paying rent, music and audiobooks, YouTube tutorials, and more. Obviously, yes, I could probably figure out complicated loopholes, but you understand what I’m saying.

What I am trying to do this year is make sure I control my devices. My devices do not control me.

I am not perfect. I spend so much time on Pinterest I can’t even talk about it. Pinterest doesn’t drain me like other social media does. It usually leaves me inspired, but sometimes I use it with no actual goal, and that’s the issue.

I deleted Snapchat and TikTok in 2025. In 2026, I deleted Instagram and Facebook.

That leaves me with YouTube and Pinterest. I do have a private Twitter account that I use to stay informed about politics, but I rarely use it. It isn’t addictive to me, and I see it more as a news outlet. Here’s something interesting though: after you delete social media, your screen time can stay the same. You may find yourself scrolling through photos, emails, or old text messages instead because your brain is having dopamine withdrawals. 

At that point, it becomes bigger than social media. It becomes a phone addiction.

Here’s what I do to help with that (again, I’m not perfect):

• I downloaded an app called Ascent. You can block Reels and YouTube Shorts, so even though I have YouTube, I don’t just doomscroll. It can also block websites if you tend to use the web for social media. I love this app.

• Make your phone boring. Reset your home screen to the generic wallpapers your phone comes with. Delete apps you don’t use. Delete unwanted photos and upload the important ones to a laptop. Try using a digital camera more.

• On YouTube, I only subscribe to creators I actually watch consistently.

• I do well with numbers. I like running with a time tracker. I use Duolingo for the streak, and keeping track of how long I’ve gone without social media motivates me.

I’ve found that I’m much more imaginative, motivated, and creative now. I still struggle sometimes with spending too much time on my phone, but I wanted to share my goal with everyone.