101 Things To Do Instead of Doomscrolling

Doomscrolling is the curse of our generation. It refers to mindlessly scrolling social media until you realise that you’ve whiled away your time and it’s now 4 o’ clock in the afternoon with nothing productive to show for the day. 

What are some things you can do instead of reaching for your phone and scrolling away until Dooms Day? Here’s a list. You’re sure to find one or two items that really tickle your fancy so have a go at them.

101 Things To Do Instead of Doomscrolling 

1. Water your plants and indulge in some light gardening. If you want to make a reel of yourself doing this, go ahead and make it as aesthetically pleasing as you can. 

2. Bake a cake for a friend. 

3. Call a friend. Not any friend. A friend you haven’t called in a while. 

4. Read a book. A bestseller. A recommendation. A childhood favourite. A classic.   

5. Read the Bible and pray. 

6. Write a letter to your future self, 5 years from now detailing how you’d like your life to be, and how your life currently is.  

7. Create a poster with your favourite quote. You could use Canva. 

8. Call your parents. Chat with them for a minimum of an hour.  

9. Pay off some of your bills and dues. Saves you time later.  

10. Get a part-time job if you have this much free time on your hands.  

11. Write a song for yourself that you wish someone would sing for you.

12. Write a letter to a friend who lives in another city and post it. 

13. Walk to your local park. 

14. Plan your finances and start saving up for your retirement. 

15. Take the interest earned from your FDs and put it in your PPF account. 

16. Learn a new recipe and actually make it. 

17. Organise your closet. 

18. Journal or create a scrapbook. 

19.  Print out your favourite photos and put them in an album. 

20. Buy Christmas presents in advance and store them. 

21. Restock your pantry. 

22. Make your own fresh masala powders and bottle them. 

23. Buy presents for your friends’ birthdays in advance. 

24. Organise a 2-minute call on Whatsapp with your buddies.

25. Play some music and dance. 

26. Paint a birthday card for someone. 

27. Knit or crochet a cute animal. 

28. Clean out your patio, balcony, or your workspace. 

29. Volunteer at an animal shelter or orphanage. 

30. Pen a poem. 

31. Make a reel of a different genre than the ones you normally like.

32. Exercise.

33. Hit the gym. 

34. Visit the closest tourist hotspot. 

35. Go to your local cafe.  

36. Watch a movie. 

37. Delete unwanted photos from your phone. 

38. Play with your kids. 

39. Organise your linen closet. 

40. Clean your kitchen. 

41. Clean the toilet. 

42. Watch a TED talk

43. Take a free course on Coursera

44. Learn about Artificial Intelligence. 

45. Mend broken household items. 

46. Clean out the refrigerator. 

47. Add a new home decor item. 

48. Window shop 

49. Solve the crossword. 

50. Find synonyms for common overused words. 

51. Visit your local old age home or blind school. 

52. Buy a few shares after researching the companies. 

53. Play with your pet. 

54. Go on a side quest to an influencer-recommended location.

55. Learn photography on your phone, no matter the quality of the camera.  

56.  Burst bubble wrap. 

57. Solve a puzzle like Sudoku. 

58. Dance to your favourite song. 

59. Read the newspaper cover to cover. 

60. Write a book review on Goodreads.  

61. Research your family tree and create an album with all the photos you have. 

62. Update your apps on the phone.

63. Clear your memory on the phone. 

64. Clean out your purse or bag. 

65. Read an encyclopedia. 

66. Learn a new cocktail or mocktail recipe. 

67. Organise your electronics. 

68. Watch the clouds and see if you can pick out shapes. 

69. Go on a bird-watching walk. 

70. Update your LinkedIn profile.

71. Offer to run errands or do chores for some old person. 

72. Uninstall apps you don’t use. 

73. Learn to make a spicy soup. 

74. Make paper beads and string a necklace or a bead curtain.  

75. Re-decorate your room. 

76. Organise your desk drawer. 

77. Get ahead on your office work. 

78. Clean the switches on the switchboard and sanitise them. 

79. Start learning a foreign language. 

80. Write a letter in your native language to your grandmother.

81. Sing out loud. Karaoke. 

82. Play a boardgame or UNO or cards or solitaire. 

83. Turn off notifications on your phone for an hour. 

84. Vacuum the home and get some household chores done. 

85. Sell old and unused items. 

86. Rearrange the furniture. 

87. Learn keyboard shortcuts. 

88. Create a mood board. 

89. Feed the birds. 

90. Try a new hair do. 

91. Post something about your professional life on LinkedIn. 

92. Research a new country or place and plan your your next holiday. 

93. Chart down the family tree of any present king.  

94. Make a funny reel. 

95. Make recycled envelopes. 

96. Make a time capsule. 

97. Doodle

98. Work on a jigsaw puzzle. 

99. Order your favourite dessert. 

100. Decorate your front door. 

101. Update your KYC across banks. 

Do something for heavens’ sake!

Stop doomscrolling.