Things to Do Instead of Scrolling

Disclosure: ScrollCop is ours. The advice works with any app, or with pen and paper.

• Match the idea to the time you have, not the person you wish you were.
• Small and finishable beats big and inspiring.
• Make the list now; at 11 pm you won’t think of anything.

Why “just do something else” doesn’t work

Scrolling wins because it asks nothing of you: no decision, no start-up cost, no end. “Read a book” or “go to the gym” lose that fight because they’re big and vague.

What works is the opposite of a feed: one small thing, with a clear start and a clear finish, that fits the minutes you have right now.

If you have 2 minutes

1. Drink a full glass of water.
2. Stand up and stretch your back and neck.
3. Look out of a window at the farthest thing you can see.
4. Ten slow breaths, counting the out-breath.
5. Clear one surface: the bedside table, the desk, the counter.
6. Text one person a real sentence, not a reaction.
7. Write tomorrow’s first task on paper.
8. Water a plant.
9. Put away five things.
10. Step outside and stand there for a minute.

If you have 15 minutes

11. Walk round the block without headphones.
12. Tidy one drawer — only one.
13. Make tea or coffee properly, and drink it sitting down.
14. Write someone a thank-you note on paper.
15. Do a short bodyweight set: squats, push-ups, a plank.
16. Read one chapter or one long article you saved.
17. Sketch whatever is in front of you.
18. Plan three dinners for the week.
19. Call a parent, grandparent or old friend.
20. Practise an instrument, badly, on purpose.
21. Fold the laundry while listening to an album.
22. Do the washing-up you’ve been avoiding.
23. Write a two-line poem about your day.
24. Learn ten words in a language you like.
25. Lay out tomorrow’s clothes and bag.

If you have an evening

26. Cook something that takes an hour.
27. Invite one person over, or go to them.
28. Go to the library and leave with one book.
29. Play a board game or cards.
30. Go for a long walk somewhere you haven’t been.
31. Fix the thing that’s been broken for months.
32. Take a class: climbing, pottery, a run club.
33. Watch one film start to finish, phone in another room.
34. Write a letter you might never send.
35. Sort the photos on your phone into one album worth keeping.

Things to do instead of scrolling at night and before bed

36. Charge your phone outside the bedroom.
37. Read paper, by a warm lamp.
38. A hot shower, then straight to bed.
39. Write three lines: what happened, what went well, what’s tomorrow.
40. Stretch on the floor for five minutes.
41. Listen to one podcast episode with the screen off.
42. Do a puzzle book: crossword, sudoku.
43. Tidy for ten minutes so the morning starts clear.
44. Breathe in for four, out for six, ten times.
45. Just lie in the dark. Boredom is how sleep starts.

If late-night scrolling is the problem, our guide to doomscrolling in bed goes deeper.

Things to do instead of scrolling in the morning

46. Open the curtains before you open an app.
47. Drink water before coffee.
48. Make the bed.
49. Five minutes of stretching or a short walk.
50. Eat breakfast at a table, not over the phone.
51. Write the one thing that would make today good.
52. Shower and dress before you check anything.
53. Read one page of a book.
54. Prep lunch.
55. Leave five minutes early and walk the long way.

More in how to stop checking your phone in the morning.

When you’re too tired to do anything

56. Lie on the floor with your legs up the wall.
57. Put on one song and listen to all of it.
58. Sit outside with nothing in your hands.
59. Have a snack and a glass of water — tired is often hungry.
60. Go to bed early. It counts.

Scrolling when tired doesn’t rest you; it just keeps you awake and slightly worse. Doing nothing is a real option.

Let ScrollCop pick for you

ScrollCop 3.0 is on its way to the App Store; until it arrives, the current version blocks the same way. Free, no account, no ads, nothing leaves your phone.

Common questions

What can I do instead of scrolling?

Something small and finishable that fits the time you have: a glass of water and a stretch for two minutes, a walk or one tidy drawer for fifteen, cooking or calling someone for an evening.

What should I do instead of scrolling at night?

Charge the phone outside the bedroom, read paper, take a hot shower, write three lines about your day, or simply lie in the dark — boredom is how sleep starts.

What to do instead of scrolling when tired?

Rest for real: legs up the wall, one song with your eyes closed, a snack and water, or bed. Scrolling feels like rest but keeps you awake.

Is there an app that suggests things to do instead of scrolling?

Yes. From version 3.0, ScrollCop suggests three of 165 ideas that fit the time you have, and can block the apps while you do them. It’s free.

Published 9 October 2026 · No affiliate links