Jun 06, 2024

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How to Unplug and Spend Time Outside the Scroll

You’re always promising yourself you’ll go to the beach more every summer. Use our tips below to actually follow through.

IMAGE CREDIT: @Mizuno K

When you find yourself doomscrolling, the first instinct is to put your phone away. But do you ever find yourself mindlessly picking it back up only to re-open the same app five minutes later? You’ll close out TikTok then find yourself deep in your Instagram Explore page without much thought.

With sunnier and warmer days here—plus all the regretful thoughts of how you’ll go to the beach more this summer—we’ve put together a quick guide below on how you can spend more of your time offline.

minimalist phone

For our Android users, minimalist phone is the software that’ll transform your smartphone into a dumbphone. It blocks out all your distracting apps to populate your home screen with the essentials: Phone, Calendar, Calculator and Messages.

ClearSpace

We’ve all set screen time limits, only to hit ignore a few seconds after it pops up. ClearSpace (an iOS-only app) takes a different approach, interrupting the impulse by guiding you through simple mindfulness exercises every time you open an app.

Tweek

To spend more time offline, you need more hobbies IRL, or to lean into the ones you already have. Tweek is a minimal weekly planner, with a great interface for tracking hobbies and habits. Instead of using it to create a timed schedule (that’s just added pressure), simply list out the habits you’d like to keep in a week and use it as a memo of things you can do for moments when you feel there’s nothing to do.

More Tips from The Webby Team

Give yourself grace. Time spent offline is not easy and requires patience. For motivation, track the time you’ve spent offline instead of tracking your screen time. Start by celebrating the 10 minutes you spent meditating—not by feeling bad for the three hours you spent on Instagram.
Scrolling is not resting; being present is resting! Let yourself get bored. Let those daily moments in limbo lead you into presence and away from your phone. When you’re on the train, between meetings, or waiting in line, use that time to check in on yourself. A good rule of thumb is never to use your phone in a situation where it would be weird to read a book.
Tune into a podcast or audiobook (or an album you’ve wanted to listen to) and enjoy the outdoors. Listen and take a walk, sit in a park,or go to the beach or a cafe. Being offline doesn’t mean you stop consuming media, just that you’re touching grass while doing it.

Last Chance to Honor Your Animation and Motion Design Work

This Friday, June 7th is your last opportunity to enter work in The Collision Awards, the first global and holistic platform solely dedicated to honoring excellence in Animation and Motion Design in all its forms. The Collision Awards were launched earlier this year by the team behind the Telly Awards, one of the premier awards honoring digital and broadcast video work, alongside top animation industry leaders in film, TV, gaming and advertising. Whether you created an animated commercial, a branded content video, or used motion graphics in your ad campaign, your work has a place in the Collision Awards. Work will be recognized across Marketing & Communications, Commercials, Television, Film, Experiential, and Games & XR. To participate in their inaugural season, submit your best work before June 7th at collisionawards.com.

Discover Collision