Creative hacks I learned from Reddit

Hacks, advice, and tips that Reddit taught me about reshaping my relationship with technology.

Reddit gets a bad rap. And let’s be honest, it can be a pretty toxic place. That being said, when I first started this journey last year, Reddit ended up becoming a huge lifeline for me. Outside of that space, there was a huge dearth of content about choosing a more minimalist approach to smartphone use.

On Reddit, I discovered countless subreddits where people were expressing the same things I was feeling, and instead of just complaining about the world (like some subreddits are apt to do), they offered up some great, realistic solutions.

Today, more and more people are considering (and actually taking action on) cutting social media, reshaping their phone habits, and rethinking the way we utilize technology. My entire Substack feed is filled with essay after essay about leaving Instagram. NYT and NPR aren’t skirting around the issue anymore. More and more people are switching to dumbphones.

I genuinely believe this movement is growing. We are recognizing that our lives do not have to be tethered to our phones, and in fact, we can experience a much richer life by reshaping our relationship with technology.

While I no longer scroll endlessly on the more unhealthy subreddits, and I don’t go near the main feed, I do still like to check in on those subreddits that first helped me to begin to make a change. Because that’s the tricky thing about the Internet — the good can exist within the bad, but sometimes you have to do a bit of work to find those glimmers.

So, today, I’m helping to shine a light on the good stuff. I’m sharing my favorite creative hacks, advice, and tips I learned from Reddit on my journey to reshape my relationship with technology.

From a Deleted User on r/NoSurf: Don't focus on cutting back your time on the internet, focus on building a life that doesn't make you to spend your 8 hours on it.

This is one of the most key, foundational building blocks of reshaping your habits with your phone. You will only set yourself up for failure if you expect your life to look exactly the same sans your phone. You have to replace the time you’re spending on your phone with new healthy habits. Build a life that doesn’t rely on your phone. It’s inherently simple, but it requires hard work and dedication.

From u/Oberon_Swanson on r/SelfImprovement: If you use your smartphone too much, get a few other non-smartphone devices so you are picking it up less.

There’s this great series on r/dumbphones where Redditors share what they carry with them everyday. It’s called ECD – every day I carry – and it’s usually a fun combination of e-readers, refurbished iPods, digital cameras, and wristwatches. The advice here is great – if you start to use these alternatives, say a separate alarm clock, you’ll start to separate yourself (and your identity) from your smartphone.

From u/sti4g on r/DigitalMinimalism: Use social media only on a Desktop.

Social media platforms are not designed for desktop use, so inherently, the experience is “worse” – aka it’s less addictive and harder to get lost in the experience. The little social media that I do consume (Substack, Reddit, and Facebook for my kid’s school groups), I only consume on my laptop. It’s much easier to stick to my boundaries this way.

From a Deleted User on r/NoSurf: You will go back to surfing if the alternative sucks.

When you’re working on ways to replace your phone time, you have to be gentle with yourself. You cannot expect that you’ll just simply trade your phone in for a lifelong dream of learning guitar. You’ll need some “easy wins” too — maybe it’s a guilty pleasure book or listening to a captivating podcast, but whatever you choose, you have to be realistic that this can be something you can make a habit out of.

What to do instead of scrolling

From u/Several-Button-3113 on r/NoSurf: The 'One More' premise.

This one might sound a bit off-topic, but hear me out. From the post: “The “One More” premise involves telling yourself that you will only do ‘one more’ of the activity that you are working on. When you reach the point in your work where you want to stop, instead of stopping, tell yourself to do “just one more” of something.”

What the Redditor explains is that you likely already use this premise, but in a negative sense — “just one more scroll, one more post, one more check-in on TikTok.” Take that and flip it on its head. When you’re working on something, and hoping to reward yourself with social media, instead push yourself to do “just one more thing.” See how far you can take it, and if you really need that carrot.

From u/r0way on r/DigitalMinimalism: Hack for Instagram without explore page or reels.

The explore page can be a black hole. Take this genius hack and eliminate it all together. You can mute specific words through your settings. If you simply mute “#,” that will hide the majority of posts served through the explore tab. I never had the chance to try this, and the Redditor says it isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the best attempts I’ve seen yet.

From u/EternallyGrowing on r/NoSurf: If you're off a social media site for a few hours/days, it'll only show you the most important stuff instead of a mix of important and new.

This was exactly my experience. I deleted my Instagram, then after a few weeks, I logged back in. The top 5 or 6 posts were baby announcements, wedding announcements, and all the “big news” posts that my friends and family had posted while I was gone.

I deleted my Instagram again, and then 3 weeks later, I checked in. Same idea except this time there were only 2 “announcements.” Now, I rarely go on, but when I do, I only need to be on my feed for less than a minute to see the gist of what I missed. And honestly, it’s never that much. It goes to show how much “crap” my brain was taking in. For what?

From a Deleted User on r/NoSurf: I go to the subreddits I like by typing it in the search bar and actively navigating there for a purpose.

So, this is a spin on what I do (I bookmark the subreddits I like and only navigate there, circumventing the main feed), and it requires a bit more self-control, however, I love how intentional it is. When you take the time to search the subreddit every time, you’re being clear “this is what I am here for and nothing else.”

From u/thegreatrun on r/Mindfulness: Give yourself a compliment to derail the negative thought train

This can be applied to anything in life, but I’ve been working on being kind to myself on hard days. If I slip up, I sweetly remind myself how great I am doing big-picture. So often, we turn to social media as a balm when we are feeling anxiety. Interrupt that anxiety by reminding yourself how incredible you are.

From u/1upDawg on r/NoSurf: As an experiment, the next time you watch TV or go on your computer for long periods of time, try to imagine yourself from a 3rd person point of view.

I love to picture what I’m doing from my kid’s POV or imagine I’m someone from a completely different era or an alien from another planet. It’s an expert tip in self-reflection, one that helps me when I’m falling back into bad habits.

From u/ungandjung on r/NoSurf: Pause your YouTube history.

I’ve never been a big YouTuber, but I know the way they formulate their algorithm can be very addictive. Take this tip from Reddit, and pause your YouTube history. This way, they aren’t feeding you “suggested videos,” and instead you can focus on exactly what you’re searching for.

From u/GuiltySamurai on r/declutter: Yearly tip to eliminate phone photo clutter.

This is great advice — every day, you search your photo library for that day’s date. Your phone will show you every phone you took that day. Go through those pictures and delete the junk. Maybe as an added fun project, you can add some favorites to a folder and print them out at the end of the month.

From a Deleted User on r/DigitalMinimalism: Turning Smartphone into a Landline Hack

This Redditor used Apple automations to more or less make their smartphone unusable when home unless it’s plugged in. This is a serious hack, I’d love to know if anyone is going to try it!

From u/preetcolors on r/NoSurf: Blocking yourself from the Internet is only a bandaid.

Using app/internet blockers can help you reshape the habit, but it’s not a long-term solution. If you don’t build new, healthy habits, you’ll eventually override the blocks and slide back into your old routine.

From u/THEbasicwhitegirl on r/NoSurf: Focus on "whole grains" vs "empty carbs"

Short-form content, skimming headlines, watching 10 second videos — these things are shallow and empty. You need depth and deep-thinking. Focus on fewer overall pieces of content, but more substantial. It’s not very different from the food you eat.

Is scrolling the new comfort food?

From u/1977leader on r/DopamineDetoxing: Record your time-spending habit.

This one is a bit intense, and if you have an obsessive-personality, it might not be the tip for you. However, I do think it can be somewhat eye-opening to look at your life in this way. We love data – just do it analog.

From u/AggravatingCharge497 on r/Productivity: Visualize what needs to get done.

This is another more general life-hack that you can apply to your phone-use. From the post: “I’ve found that if I sit down for a minute and close my eyes and visualize me doing the thing I need to get done, then I’ll actually do it without getting distracted.”

Here’s how you can use this: visualize putting your phone away and picking up a book, visualize going for a walk phone-free, visualize calling your long-distance friend. Imagine the day you want to be having, then have that day!

From u/No_Necessary_2403 on r/NoSurf: Journal to stop from doomscrolling.

Every morning and night this Redditor writes down a bit about how they intend to use their phone, how they did use their phone, and any big wins from the day. It’s such a great way to keep your mindset and goals consistent. Journaling can be so helpful on this journey, it’s one of my big recommendations during the detox. I love this simple method.

Digital detox

From u/Apprehensive_Sound46 on r/DigitalMinimalism: The urges never decrease. Your level of willpower increases.

I love this bit of advice because while it sounds a bit simple, it’s really so powerful. We are so hardwired to impulsively pick up our phones at all hours of the day. I think the urges do increase a bit, but simply having the awareness and the willpower to override the urges that remain is where the real power takes place.

I’d love to know if you have any great hacks or tips that I missed, or if you’ve tried any of these. Share in the comments or my inbox is always open.