Episode 26: From Doomscrolling To Doing: Practical Ways To Reclaim Your Day

Feeling wrung out by endless scrolling and bad news? We felt it too. So we decided to trade dopamine loops for do-able, analog habits and built a simple reset that doesn’t require deleting your life or your job. Together we map out why the spiral hits harder lately—seasonal blues, rough weather, and constant alerts—and how tiny changes can reclaim your focus without going off the grid.

We start with friction you can feel today: move social apps off your home screen or use a browser, kill nonhuman notifications, and set soft limits that don’t boomerang. Then we test bite-size interrupters like the three-post rule and the scroll sandwich to break autopilot. We look at curation as self-care: mute and unfollow what drags you down, and build a walled garden of accounts that teach, calm, or delight. If work keeps you on social, we share a smart workaround—stay logged in via brand pages to avoid the personal feed.

From there, we go full analog in ways that actually stick. Piano drills and YouTube once, practice often. Coloring with alcohol markers for flow. Book nooks, physical books, bowling nights, logic puzzles, and even old-school letters that make connection feel human again. We also walk through a seven-day digital reset: audit alerts, switch to grayscale, protect the bedroom, delete your top-three time sinks, practice single-tasking, spend two hours on a purely physical activity, and finish with a ruthless unfollow before you reinstall. No purity tests—only tools that put your attention back in your hands.

By the end, you’ll have a kinder plan to step down screen time, protect your mood, and fill the space with activities that make you feel present and proud. If you try a challenge, tell us how it goes, what you kept, and what you ditched—we’re learning with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck in the doomscroll, and leave a quick review to help more people find a healthier, happier feed.

Chapters

• 1:08 Why Social Feels Heavier Lately
• 2:59 Work Obligations vs Personal Boundaries
• 4:43 Tactics To Add Friction To Apps
• 6:35 Rules To Interrupt The Scroll
• 10:20 Curate Feeds And Tame Algorithms
• 13:00 Events, Strategy, And Social Oddities
• 20:59 Replace Screens With Real Hobbies
• 24:09 Letters, Notes, And Analog Connection
• 27:37 Challenges For Going More Analog
• 37:15 Screen Time Confessions And Limits

Transcript

Rachael: 0:34

Hi everyone, welcome to Girl Gang Podcast. My name's Rachel. I'm Brandy, and we are your hosts for this episode. So I feel like a lot of us have probably been doom scrolling lately. So much. And maybe on social media a little too much.

Brandi: 0:50

And it's not just the time spent on social media, it's what we're seeing on social media. I think that's really draining. Oh yeah.

Rachael: 0:57

I f life is very heavy right now.

Brandi: 1:00

Yeah.

Rachael: 1:00

And I think we could all use a little break from social. Yeah. And maybe get back to more of an analogue lifestyle. No screens. Yeah.

Brandi: 1:10

I think one, you got the seasonal depression. Two, January was just a hell of a month. Like those 31 days were like 31 months. Oh yeah. And the weather was rough. Yeah. So I just feel like now is a great time to do a an an analog lifestyle just to help counteract all of that.

Rachael: 1:32

Well, and I feel like I've been very stressed with life. And so I'm just constantly grabbing my phone as a way to attach onto something or try to talk to someone and not think about the stressful things in life. And then I go on social media and I see stressful things. And then I just keep going and going and going. So it's this bad spiral.

Brandi: 1:57

Facebook has been really bad for me lately. So I've and unfortunately I I do social media for podcasts and for the scuba dive shop that I work for. So I am on on Facebook, but I really had to be conscious of me going onto my personal page and just scrolling. And I would like just see so much negativity that I'd be like, okay, I can't do this anymore. Like it was just mentally and physically like taxing at that point. And it's that's bad when I'm saying that because I feel like I'm pretty used to all that and have built up some, you know, tolerance to that. And for me to be like, what the fuck? Uh I think that's a big red flag. So I've actually gotten to the point where I leave it on either the um the podcast page or the dive shops page. So when I go on and open up Facebook, it's that one of our feeds. That's a good idea. Where it's not my personal one, and then you know, I mean the dive shop one's just a bunch of underwater videos, scuba diving, which is my happy place, and then pleasant, you know. So that's what I've I've done, and it just helps me to not immediately start going down a rabbit hole on on Facebook because it's part of my my job. So you know, can't really fully get away from it.

Rachael: 3:25

Yeah. I've been because I'm the PR person for my organization, my uh civic engagement organization now, and yeah, I'm on there way more. I I used to really follow my five-minute rule with social media, and now it's just ignore limit 15 more minutes, ignore limit 15 more minutes. Yeah, when you're doing that kind of stuff, it it adds up quickly. So I get it. So, because of that, we've been having this conversation of how do we go more analog, how do we get away from doom scrolling, all of these things. Um, so some recommendations. I feel like these are some good recommendations that we were researching. Yeah, yeah. Both Brandy and I did research and we found some commonalities, which I feel like resonated with us. Um one thing that stood out to me was physically moving your apps, either moving them off of your home screen or even downloading them off of your home screen, uh, down or deleting them. Did I say downloading? Deleting completely. Yep. And then if you have to access them, you have to access them via mobile browser or even on your laptop.

Brandi: 4:34

Yeah, no, that was a good idea. Um my search called it putting friction between you and the apps. So um mine also said to move them off your home page, home screen. Uh turn off breaking news notifications. So if you've got notifications for anything, I and I even took it as um just turn off notifications in general. Because that's honestly what draws me back into it, is it'll be so-and-so liked your post or whatever, and I'm like, ooh, okay, what else? Or they made a comment, what did they say? And I'm on it and then I'm scrolling. Yeah. So they turn off notifications, and it even said they're rarely urgent, these breaking news ones. So that's true.

Rachael: 5:17

And I subscribe to four or five different news apps, so then I'm getting the urgent notification from four different apps.

Brandi: 5:25

And if it's breaking news, they're all telling all breaking the same news, right?

Rachael: 5:29

Yeah.

Brandi: 5:30

Um, and then like what you do, uh, put an app limit. Um, but it says there's a trick to it. Leave a five to ten minute buffer, not zero. Total bands usually backfire. So if you're, you know, really addicted to the an app, put a put a time buffer in five to ten minutes, but instead of completely going cold turkey, because odds are you're gonna revert back to it.

Rachael: 5:57

So interesting. Okay. One that came one thing that came up was the three post rule. So tell yourself you can look at three posts and then you must physically put the phone down for one minute. We have a puppy that joined us. Very exciting.

Brandi: 6:12

I feel like how to get the okay. That scared me because I thought I latched the door.

Rachael: 6:20

Oh, okay.

Brandi: 6:21

Sorry. Can you repeat that, please?

Rachael: 6:23

I said three post rule. Tell yourself you can look at three posts, and then you must physically put the phone down for one minute. Okay.

Brandi: 6:32

That's um similar to I feel like the scroll sandwich that my list offered where it says you do something good or productive. And then you scroll for a little bit, and then you do another good or productive thing. Okay. Yeah. So there's different ways you could you can tackle that.

Rachael: 6:56

I don't know how I feel about this one, but this one says narrate the action. So I'm opening Instagram because I am bored slash anxious. So making the subconscious conscious kills the autopilot. I don't know if I would be brave enough to be like, why am I doing this? I mean, I'm giving myself um some guided therapy here. Like why why am I opening this? Am I feeling lonely? Am I feeling anxious? Am I feeling Mine did say that's one way to interrupt the trance. To say it out loud as to why you're doing it. Yep. Yeah. I'm scrolling for anxiety, not info. Mmm. Yeah. Avoidance. I feel, you know, the past week or so I've been so stressed that I just want to avoid adult responsibilities when I don't need to. This is a great way to just waste time. Um also curating the feed. So if any account makes you feel less than anxious or angry, unfollow or mute. That's what I do. I do that all the time. I mute so many people. So many people. We're still friends. I don't see your shit though, because I don't care. Well, that's unfollowing.

Brandi: 8:07

That's not there's unfollowing.

Rachael: 8:08

On Instagram, you mute though. Oh. Like I mute people's stories. So I don't see them.

Brandi: 8:14

On Facebook, I snooze them for 30 days.

Rachael: 8:17

Oh.

Brandi: 8:18

Because there's usually something recent that they're hot to trot about, and that's all they're posting. So I'm like, okay, I'll give 30 days and then you'll pop back up on my screen. And if you're still annoying off, then I'll unfollow.

Rachael: 8:33

Yeah, that makes sense.

Brandi: 8:34

But it still shows that we're friends. Like if I wanted to see what you're writing about, I could go to your page, but it's not popping up.

Rachael: 8:39

Yeah.

Brandi: 8:40

And then see, I've been on Instagram and TikTok more lately because my algorithm is much happier there. Uh because I don't actually follow a lot of people I know personally on Instagram. It's all like um Bookstagram accounts or just funny meme accounts. Yeah.

Rachael: 9:01

A lot of inspirational accounts for me on Instagram. It's always much more positive.

Brandi: 9:06

Yeah, or like some of the professional pages I follow. And so it's all it's all happier stuff and not everyone airing out their dirty laundry like it is on on Facebook and then you know, TikToks all my animal videos. And if it does end up going down a path that I don't want, it's really easy to reset your algorithm on TikTok.

Rachael: 9:26

So my algorithm on Facebook is interesting. I'm just seeing all of my friends like all the single events. And um I've noticed everybody's just like interested, interested. And I'm like, I mean, I'm just interested. I'm like, I'm kind of mouse. I'm also interested because you saw it too, and you were like, oh, I'm also interested in this like smut off book event. Yeah, but yeah, I know. That's okay. Sad. But I saw some of your other stuff you saw, and I'm like, There was a dick writing one, literally an event that's called writing or riding like R-I-D-I-N-G, like oh like another kind of closer you learn. No, it's just how to ride dick better. I was scrolling through events on Facebook and it didn't say dick explicitly. It was like how to ride the D better will teach you life skills. And I'm like, interesting. I would never say I'm interested in that. So I see that. That's fair.

Brandi: 10:28

Um that's uh I need that one set to private. Um I think I saw that one too, though, or something similar. And it's like stretches and stuff to where you're building those muscles. Anyway, you're doing something. Yeah. Uh yeah, that when but yes, I saw all yours pop up, and I'm like, someone's thirsty for Valentine's Day Jesus because they're all that weekend.

Rachael: 10:53

All of my friends were liking them, and then so then I was like, Oh, you all are interested in this vent? I am interested in this event because that's how I got invited to the ball last weekend because I liked it on Instagram saying I was interested. And then one of my friends reached out and she's like, Hey, I saw that you were interested in this ball. Do you want to go? Yeah, I've done that now. So it's more of a strategy of like, then they'll know that I'm also interested, and then all the single people can go.

Brandi: 11:16

One of the main reasons I still have Facebook at all is to see what's happening in the area because like everyone does Facebook events. Literally, probably 75% of why I have Facebook is so I can yeah.

Rachael: 11:30

Will I actually go out and go to these single events?

Brandi: 11:33

No, because a lot of them were the night that we're going to the concert. Yeah.

Rachael: 11:36

So we're going to a concert. I've got a trivia night. Yeah. So anyway, it's just it it it works well for that. But I wish I could reset my algorithm on Facebook, but I don't think that's a thing. Because it's just the same people. I'm seeing like the same two people now, and I'm like, I love you all, but I see I know the settings to help you with that. Okay. You can do that offline. So I'm like, I don't think I want to be seeing this every time I log in. Sorry, friends. I know who you are. I texted you to say that I see your shit.

Brandi: 12:05

Uh so anyway, back to going analog. Well, we kind of got off on a tangent there. Um did we did you talk about replacing it your apps with something else more analog?

Rachael: 12:20

Um yes. So if you want to replace things with analog, um a question. If you recover two hours from your day from your screen, what is one hobby you that you've been too busy to do that that you could restart? So it's kind of asking you, okay, if you got rid of the screen, what would you do? You know, are you gonna be doing art? Are you going to be doing other things?

Brandi: 12:52

Yeah, I think mine I I enjoy my hobbies, so for me, I always try to make time for them, even with the screen time. It's the not fun things that I put off. Laundry for you. Laundry, just cleaning, you know, organizing, continuing to declutter my house.

Rachael: 13:15

Yeah.

Brandi: 13:16

Um those are the things that I put off. So those are the things that I would have time to do.

Rachael: 13:23

There are some hobbies that I always stick with. You know, I see my plants every day, so I feel bad if I really kill them. So I feel like that's a constant hobby. But things such as drawing. I really love drawing, and then I just don't put in the effort. So that is something I could probably intentionally do to put the screen away. But I need to look at a screen to know what I'm drawing sometimes. I research things. Or why don't you print those drawing books?

Brandi: 13:50

True. I could get a drawing book. Yeah, we can go to Barnes and Noble and get you a drawing book.

Rachael: 13:54

Oh, Barnes and Noble, let's go. Any choice to go. Exactly. Um or I have all those book nooks. I have three that I need to do.

Brandi: 14:04

I so the Finch app that we both use, I actually put on there um because I'm learning to play piano.

Rachael: 14:12

Okay.

Brandi: 14:12

So I have on there every day to play fifteen minutes of piano. And most of the time I'm not doing anything new. I've got fifteen minutes worth of hand like skills um for each hand that I practice just to keep uh the the movement and and all of that fresh in my mind. Um and then, you know, if I want to add extra time to it, I can. If I want to learn like a new part of a song or something, I'll I'll do that. Now granted, um, if I am learning a new song outside of my what I have written down and have been practicing, it's on a screen because I use YouTube videos. But I only usually watch them a couple times and then I just keep practicing the movement and stuff. And I don't really while it's still a screen and we want to go more analog, for me it's more just getting off the doom scrolling. And if I'm just re-watching the same tutorial to practice finger movements for piano, I think I'm winning. Yeah.

Rachael: 15:15

You're te you're learning a skill. You're teaching yourself. Absolutely. How do you feel about letters or notes? You do you think we could come back and start writing letters to people again? Look, I'm a romantic at heart. I know I don't come across like that. I'm gonna write you so many letters.

Brandi: 15:35

I've actually finally gotten rid of them. For the I didn't even realize I still had it, but there were a couple of notes from my college boyfriend, and they weren't very frequent, but the ones, the couple times I got them, I kept them. They were in my um As you should. I keep all of my letters from my exes too. Oh, I mean I got rid of them because I'm like, I'm never. Oh, you got rid of them. Okay. But I had them for like a long time, and I was like, oh, I didn't know I still had these, but they were in my like fire um safe. Wow. Dedication for a long time. Yeah, well, I just forgot they were in there, and then I got rid of them. But yeah, if a man writes me a letter, goner.

Rachael: 16:16

Current roommate has been writing me notes. Oh, so fucking sweet. He writes me notes at work, and I have all the time. We're gonna we're gonna name drop you, Shane, because we love you and you're a mutual friend. And we know this. Yeah, Shane, yeah, avid listener. We appreciate you, Shane. Um, oh, also, he fucking made me biscuits and gravy from scratch the other day. I was like dead on the couch all day Sunday after danger party, and I'm like, there's no fucking way I'm leaving this couch. And he's like, You want biscuits and gravy? And I'm like, fuck yeah, I want biscuits.

Brandi: 16:45

I heard he makes great biscuits and gravy.

Rachael: 16:48

Scratch! I'm like, who the fuck are you, dude? He's bragging before. I'm like, yeah, look. 10 out of 10 would recommend. So we appreciate you change. The fact that he doesn't have any brothers is a crime. I know. I'm like, you introduce me to somebody. Come on, brother. Long list brother, come on.

Brandi: 17:07

But yeah, no, I I would I mean, I write when I go on trips, I send postcards to people.

Rachael: 17:13

Oh yeah. I have your postcard hanging up on my wall.

Brandi: 17:16

Yeah, so I mean, that's an inexpensive way to do it, but as far as I mean, we could we could become pin pals. You know, you can also become like a prisoner pin pal.

Rachael: 17:26

I don't think I would want a prisoner pin belt, but can I just randomly be introduced to somebody and have a secret?

Brandi: 17:32

Yeah, there are programs out there like that. Yeah, I would be done for that. They're usually like a an international pin pal kind of group. I just got don't ask me how, but my TikTok algor algorithm for like a day got on these like prison pin pal programs, and it's these prisoners, and they like get on the camera and they give you a little spiel about themselves, and then their address is down there, and like they'll write to you. And you give them your your address? Some people I think does that seem sketchy. That was a red flag. Your mindset was exactly what I was like. I was like, oh my god, they're gonna get out of prison and just show up. Yeah, I was like, I would have to get a P.O. box for that.

Rachael: 18:11

It's not 90-day fiance, it's prison fiance.

Brandi: 18:16

I mean, that's a thing. I'm pretty sure there's a TLC show about like people dating and getting married while incarcerated. It's a thing. Women love that. Some of them do. I don't want that. I mean, if you're listening from prison, kudos to you. But um Thanks for supporting us if you're in prison. But uh yeah, that's a red flag for me to actively date someone while they're in prison. I'm gonna need a little bit more of the physical reciprocation.

Rachael: 18:49

Another one on this list, which I feel like we don't do enough people watching. Like just go out, watch people. Even when we're not doing things, going to concerts, other things like that, but I could just go to the mall and watch people or go to the bar and watch people. See, I maybe not in a super creepy way.

Brandi: 19:09

That's how I know I do too many things alone. Because I do that all the time.

Rachael: 19:15

Okay.

Brandi: 19:15

Yeah, I don't feel like I'm never out and I go to a coffee shop and I bring like a book or something and I hardly ever open it. Especially if there's a conversation next to me. Oh, yeah. I drop like no one's business. I mean it's their business, but I'm definitely listening in on it. I hear so many good stories that way. You could write a book. I could I mean it's on the list. You know, that's something I could do more of with my two hours of free time is is write more. That's true. But yeah.

Rachael: 19:49

You could write about the stories that you hear. I'll have a whole compilation. Yeah, I'd have to remember them. Eavesdropping.

Brandi: 19:56

I'd have to remember them.

Rachael: 19:58

That's why you write. They kind of go in one ear and out the other right now. Listening. Type type. Listening, type, type, type.

Brandi: 20:05

Record. I'm just kidding, that's a level of privacy I don't need to get into.

Rachael: 20:10

Okay, so I was also researching if I'm trying to go more analog, how can I get there? Like, what are some ways to get there? I found some challenges that people can partake in. Okay. So the first hour fast, I think this is a good one, and this is one that I definitely would have would struggle with. No screens for the first 60 minutes after waking up. And I mean it prevents your brain from starting the day in a reactive state, which makes sense. It does. Oh, that's just gonna be tough. That would be really hard. I would have to get a physical alarm clock for that.

Brandi: 20:48

Well, I'd have to just I use a white noise app on my phone. So it would have to be I get up, I turn those off, like my alarm off, my app off, and then just intentionally don't look at anything else. Yeah.

Rachael: 21:00

And I'll just I'll have my like my watch on so I know what time I need to like leave the house to go to work. That makes sense. Another one is the silver screen. Switch your phone to grayscale for 48 hours. Yeah, that would bother me.

Brandi: 21:13

I know it's supposed to like desensitize you. Yeah. But I don't know if I can why is it all so gray? I don't like black and white movies, so I feel like this would just really irritate me.

Rachael: 21:26

Apparently it removes the neurological reward of bright colors.

Brandi: 21:30

So you're just like, meh. Don't care. Yeah, I mean I know there's there's brain science behind it.

Rachael: 21:36

Yeah.

Brandi: 21:36

But you know, I don't like you know, that is a good point. I don't like black and white movies, so if my phone's black and white, the odds of me wanting to look at it very slim. I really didn't want to do that challenge, but it might actually be Challenge! This is your weekly challenge. Um, the first hour of the day is this week's challenge. Yeah. Thursday to Thursday.

Rachael: 21:57

Thursday to Thursday? Okay. Sounds good. That'll be tough, but the in-box rule, when you walk through your front door, phone stays in a literal box or a bowl in the entrance. Not the end of the world. It's much easier if you live with somebody. Like I could be home and like be chatting with Shane and not really care.

Brandi: 22:16

I mean, like I come home and I instantly have to take care of the animals and stuff. So I mean there's a good chunk of time where it's like still in my purse or backpack from work, and I don't know, like, oh, where'd I put my phone? There are times like that. That one would be easier to do because there's other things to preoccupy my. Time. The other problem I would have with the first hour of the day is my music. Yeah.

Rachael: 22:42

So but again, this must be on a laptop to use it potentially.

Brandi: 22:48

I'm thinking my drive into work.

Rachael: 22:50

Oh.

Brandi: 22:50

Miss Remote Worker.

Rachael: 22:53

Got the Spotify on the phone. Immediately switch to the laptop. Back to the phone.

Brandi: 22:57

Yeah. Yeah. That would be I really don't want to listen to the actual radio.

Rachael: 23:03

Yeah. Makes sense. So maybe I just I don't even I mean I know how to turn on the radio in my car, but I have it set to one channel only. Yeah. Preset.

Brandi: 23:11

Or maybe I could I could just do like no social media the first hour. That's really start there. I don't need to go completely analog. I just need to start cutting.

Rachael: 23:24

Decrease a bit. Yeah. The manual meal. Eat every meal today without any digital input. No TV, no podcast, no scrolling. Somebody was saying that you eat 20% more when you sit in front of a screen and eat. Yeah, it's mindless.

Brandi: 23:42

Yeah. Um is like a a big like dieting trick that I've I've known for a while too. My problem is just sitting there. I'd I mean I'd have to bring a book in with me, like lunch or something. Because I don't think I could just sit there. But again, that's still distracted eating and you're still gonna eat more, which isn't why I'm doing it. I wouldn't do this challenge just from the the diet perspective. But just sitting there that would be tough. I feel like I usually play Pokemon Go during lunch.

Rachael: 24:21

I have tried this more, but when somebody you know goes to the bathroom and I'm sitting there alone, I used to just scroll for comfort. But now like if you're out to eat? Yeah. Now I intentionally don't pick up my phone and like make eye contact or at least look around and you people watch. I people watch more. I I used to feel very uncomfortable doing it, but I've really forced myself to do it now. Now people are so entertaining. People are entertaining. I've been bowling Tuesday and um there was like league, but for older people. Yep. And they were fucking killing it. They were like dance getting a strike and dancing, like moonwalking and stuff. And I said, Oh, I need to come back here on Tuesdays because this is obviously the night to put it.

Brandi: 25:07

When we do our bowling, I mean, if it's busy, I watched the other lane. And I'm like sick.

Rachael: 25:13

And it was easier to people watch at this one because they didn't have couches. They had regular tables.

Brandi: 25:17

Oh, those are so uncomfy though.

Rachael: 25:19

That wasn't too bad actually.

Brandi: 25:21

I mean I think it's easier to get up for your turn off a couch than those true. Are they was it the table with like the attached chairs where if you got up it like goes back in?

Rachael: 25:33

Just a table with four chairs. Oh. And they were cushioned chairs. Which was nice. Also, they didn't have screens on the back wall. You know, when we bowl, they have chive playing all the time and a sports program. Yeah. Or a music video. And I am so distracted every time I fucking bowl because of that. Oh no, I love it. And there were no screens there. So I was locked in. I was crushed. Well you bowl the same way every single time, so I don't see how you're distracted. I tried my new method though, and it was working. Good. More power. Um, no, like bowling is a great analog activity that you can do.

Brandi: 26:06

Except tomorrow night when we go, um, the Olympic opening ceremony is gonna be happening, so they better have that on a screen.

Rachael: 26:14

That is important.

Brandi: 26:15

I am recording it regardless, though, because I love watching it.

Rachael: 26:19

Absolutely. Okay. Do we want to hear about the seven-day detox challenge? Just laid on. Okay, a seven-day digital reset. Clean sweep. Focus on the environment, audit your notifications, turn off everything except for human interactions, calls and direct texts, no likes, no news, no alerts. Goal, silence the noise for day one. Day one. Day one. Oh, yeah, that's just day one. No, no, no, that's just day one. Audit your notifications. All of your notifications. Yes, silence for the first day. Second day, switch to the grayscale.

Brandi: 27:05

Okay. Is it building on top of each other?

Rachael: 27:07

Yeah, I think it's building.

Brandi: 27:08

Okay.

Rachael: 27:09

Um, so switch to your grayscale on day two. Um, without the bright red notification bubbles, your brain stops seeing the phone as a treat and starts seeing it as a tool by switching it.

Brandi: 27:23

So I don't really pay attention to the red numbers anymore, anyways.

Rachael: 27:27

Yeah. Okay, day three, the bedroom sanctuary. So focus more on your sleep hygiene. So no phones in the bedroom, charge it somewhere else, use a physical alarm clock. Nope, can't do that. Um, protect the bookends of your day. How you end your night and start your morning dictates your stress levels. I can see that.

Brandi: 27:47

I mean, I do I usually read 30 minutes before I go to bed, like an actual book.

Rachael: 27:52

Yeah.

Brandi: 27:52

To stay off the screen. I read in a journal. Yeah. So um, but again, I'm not like my phone is my alarm clock. I'm not getting that's kind of hard to get rid of.

Rachael: 28:05

So my fitness band vibrates to wake me up, but I don't fully trust it to be my only source of alarm. I can sleep right through that. There's times I sleep through my alarm on my phone. Okay. So I don't do that, but my vi when it vibrates, it definitely wakes me up, but I fall back asleep. So I definitely need a backup plan.

Brandi: 28:25

The only other alarm clock I've ever potentially thought about getting is the one. There's one that like gradually gets lighter. Yeah.

Rachael: 28:34

I hate that one. I used to have it. Okay. And but I would wake up and I would see it and I'd be like, damn, it's starting to get daylight out. I don't like so then I was like getting stressed because I'm like, oh no, I I don't know how much time I have left.

Brandi: 28:47

Yeah. Or the one where you have to like get up and move across the room to turn it off. Yeah. Or stand on it until it starts stops vibrating. Yeah, but I am already a pro going back to sleep because you know what I do every morning? My dogs get me up about an hour before my alarm goes off. I let them outside, I feed them, feed the cat, and I go back to bed for an hour.

Rachael: 29:06

So which they say is the worst thing, you know, once you're not going to be able to do it.

Brandi: 29:09

I'm aware of that. I'm aware.

Rachael: 29:11

Yeah, there's just something the other day it was five fucking minutes, and I said, I'm laying back down in bed for those five fucking minutes. So it's a mental thing. I know that's mental things.

Brandi: 29:21

I do I feel worse when I get up that second time? Oh, 100%.

Rachael: 29:25

Yeah.

Brandi: 29:25

But you're not gonna stop me.

Rachael: 29:27

Yeah.

Brandi: 29:27

Now, things will be different when the time change happens because I'll be getting up before they think it's time to be fed.

Rachael: 29:34

Yeah. So I will be well then. Yeah. Okay, day four. This is when they're saying you do your app swap. So delete the big three that you scroll the most. Okay.

Brandi: 29:46

Um and if you don't know what those are, there's a screen time function on most smartphones, especially the iPhone. It's on like your main menu screen, and you can see which apps you are. Oh my god, my screen time today is ridiculous. Did you see it? I'm at 10 hours and 21 minutes for today. Oh, what am I at? Um so if I just keep scrolling, let's go. It's on it's on this page. Oh, do you not have it set up for that? Okay. No. I think you just set up your widget to do that. Okay, my widget. Anyway, there's a there's a screen time widget. Um text messages, 96 minutes. Facebook, 81 minutes. Pokemon Go, well that we won't talk about it.

Rachael: 30:34

Oh come on! You gotta say it.

Brandi: 30:35

I mean it's right at Facebook. It's uh 73 minutes. My Blaze Shooter Games, 52 minutes. It does count my Libby app, which is just me with audiobooks. Yeah. Um, and I was trying to search for a couple books today. So that was 49 minutes. But luckily, if I'm not actively on my phone and it's not like awake and it's asleep, and I'm just listening to music or an audiobook, it doesn't count that.

Rachael: 31:03

So you're on your day metric? Yeah. And your day is nine hours? Ten hours. Ten hours and 21 minutes. My day is two hours and two minutes.

Brandi: 31:12

Shut the fuck up. Are you serious?

Rachael: 31:15

And most of it's been used during this episode because I've had my phone open minutes the whole time. Uh yeah. Talk about me needing to go animate. Dang, okay. So my messages and my Spotify and my whoop are my most minutes. So I text the most out of everything. Facebook eight minutes, Google Calendar, seven minutes, Instagram four minutes. Dang, I'm doing pretty good today. I feel like this is a I really haven't been on my phone much today.

Brandi: 31:41

Yeah. My daily average is right at 10 hours.

Rachael: 31:44

My daily average is at three hours and 16 minutes. And that 10 hours this week is 13% less than last week. Mine's 13% down from last week.

Brandi: 31:54

So now I will say the one thing I don't like about the screen is sometimes I read ebooks on my phone if I'm not about. And that is gonna be a big suck on my screen time. But yes, I need to go more analog. I'm aware. Okay.

Rachael: 32:08

One thing I do turn off um, like I have those hours between like 11 and 7 where all of my apps shut down. Oh, and that helps, except I always need to Google something, and so when I go to Safari or whatever to look something up, then I have to like ignore the limit, and then I'm like, this is ridiculous, just turn it off, and then I forget to turn it back on. So that's okay.

Brandi: 32:32

My first issue with that statement is that you still use the Safari browser.

Rachael: 32:36

Safari is just like my go-to, yeah. I mean, at least on my iPhone. I mean, I use Chrome for everything else.

Brandi: 32:42

You know there's a Chrome app, right?

Rachael: 32:44

Yeah, but I just I don't know. It's just not natural to me. I'm just used to using the Safari one because it's on my

Brandi: 32:50

it's like using Microsoft Edge.

Rachael: 32:54

Hey, one of my clients is just an edge client, so you know. They're an edger, yeah. Okay, so I'm an edge, I'm an edge sometimes.

Brandi: 33:02

Have you never mind? That's off topic. But uh I've I've been told I'm using uh Microsoft's browsers like the kid in the corner eating glue. So yeah, but hey, teach their own. I didn't say safari, I said Microsoft.

Rachael: 33:21

Okay, day five. Oh my god, we're not done yet. We're not done yet. We're only on day five. Day five. I'm getting hived just thinking about this. Single tasking challenge. So focus on presence, no second screens. If you're eating, just eat. If you're watching a movie, leave the phone in another room. If you're walking to the dog, leave the podcast off. Relearn how to exist without a constant secondary stimulation.

Brandi: 33:45

ADHD can't handle this. You know what I mean?

Rachael: 33:50

Okay. My doctor won't give it to me. Oh, sad. Oh, I got new insurance and I picked up my prescription yesterday. $80 fucking dollars for that shit.

Brandi: 33:58

Yeah.

Rachael: 33:58

I'm used to paying 10.

Brandi: 34:00

Is it because there's a copay? Because it's the first of the year?

Rachael: 34:04

Yeah.

Brandi: 34:05

Anyway. Um, you know what I do when I walk my dogs? I play Pokemon Go. For the full 30 minute talks from Pokemon Go, maybe. I'd rather get rid of Facebook. I'd rather completely get rid of Facebook.

Rachael: 34:20

I will gladly take over social media for you if I can't be part-time jobs on social media. Yeah. Well, once you don't work at the dive shop in the future,

Brandi: 34:29

then nowhere in sight, girl. Nowhere in sight. Okay. I've got dive to classes. Yeah, yeah.

Rachael: 34:36

Too many trips, too many classes to take. Yes. Okay. Um wait, there's more. Two we we've got two more days. Okay, day six. Analog substitute. So spend at least two hours on a purely physical activity. Baking, hiking, reading a book, woodworking, no photos or storytelling in the process.

Brandi: 34:58

Okay.

Rachael: 34:59

This is manageable. Yeah. I'll just clean it up. Unless you're doing your book talk and then you have to. I know yourself.

Brandi: 35:04

I'm just literally you're like reading my mind right now because I'm like, okay, maybe this is a terrible time to be trying to start my book talk account.

Rachael: 35:11

Yeah. Because I'm trying to go analog, but then also okay, so analog for everything except for book talk and your social media requirements for dive shop and grow gang. Yeah. That's still reducing quite a bit.

Brandi: 35:26

No, I trust me, I I should maybe just set like a screen time goal that I want to like for all goal.

Rachael: 35:35

Like get down to like eight hours a day to start with. Yeah, we'll cut it slowly. Yeah, exactly. Okay, day seven, final reflection. Before you re-download any apps, do a ruthless unfollow. Unfollow or mute any account that makes you feel anxious. Oh, I did it already. Angry. Build a walled garden. So when you go back online, your contact content is actually nourishing.

Brandi: 35:59

Yeah. Okay. I already have kind of actively doing I'm in the progress of doing that. I have no problem unfollowing someone.

Rachael: 36:06

Oh yeah. So the good news is that they don't even know. Yeah. And or you just don't like them enough to even care that they Oh, if it's that kind of person, I just unfriend them altogether.

Brandi: 36:21

Yeah. But there's family and stuff that I'm just like on both sides of a lot of spectrums in situations where I'm just like, shut the fuck up.

Rachael: 36:29

It doesn't shut the fuck up.

Brandi: 36:31

I don't care. Yeah. This is the sixth post you've written about this. I don't care.

Rachael: 36:35

If you want to have a conversation about it, then we can meet up in person and do it. But some people just aren't worth the time. Not if they can't do it civilly and respectfully.

Brandi: 36:44

Yeah. So and I'm not the type that's gonna comment on it because it's not you're not gonna win either way. So yeah, no, I just unf I'll either snooze them or unfollow if I've snooze them a couple times already. And if I really don't care about you, if you're just some rando from high school or something, then you're you're just gone.

Rachael: 37:02

Yeah.

Brandi: 37:03

So and like I said, I've really tailored my Instagram to just be happy things.

Rachael: 37:09

Yeah, my old boss texted me the other day. He shot me a podcast recommendation and was just saying, Hey, I thought of you because of all of your inspirational stuff on Instagram and I said, Thanks, boss. Appreciate you. So I'm I've got a vibe going on Instagram.

Brandi: 37:23

And I also think one thing I can do, like I do a lot of audiobooks, so that kind of keeps me off the screen because I'll just have my headphones doing other stuff.

Rachael: 37:32

Yeah.

Brandi: 37:32

Um I should probably get into some more podcasts too. But I have been like coloring more. Love it. Instead of being like they always say, Oh, when I get home from work I turn on the big screen and watch my small screen while the big screen's on. AK watch TV with my phone. So I've been trying to I like the TV on just because I live alone and it's good. Like background noise. A lot of times it's a movie I've already seen or like a comfort show that I'm not paying attention to.

Rachael: 38:03

Mm-hmm.

Brandi: 38:03

So I've started to kind of come up with things that keep me off my phone, but also like keep me sti stipulated while the background noise. So I've got a bunch of new fancy alcohol markers that color beautifully. I'm totally nerd out over them. And I've like been watching, I know this is on a screen, but I'm learning um how to make different textures with them and they blend really nicely. So I've been coloring a lot more. I've got my Lego and my physical books that I've been reading more of.

Rachael: 38:38

What I need to do is so for Christmas I got Myrtle, which is kind of sudoku with clues.

Brandi: 38:44

And it's mixed with like Wordle too, if you guys do like the daily Wordle.

Rachael: 38:48

Yeah. So three uh suspects, three murder weapons, three locations. They give you clues and you kind of have to narrow it down. Yeah. So I was keeping it in my car because I would use it when I was charging at Target.

Brandi: 39:00

Oh, that's a good idea.

Rachael: 39:01

But now that I'm not charging every week, I need to bring it inside and just kind of do that on the side. So that might be.

Brandi: 39:07

There's a bunch of those versions at Barnes & Noble.

Rachael: 39:09

I know. I've got volume one. Okay. So gotta start powering through it. I've only gotten four in. Yeah.

Brandi: 39:15

But yeah, there's definitely things I could be more mindful of. And like another goal I have this year is I want to learn how to make stained glass art.

Rachael: 39:22

That'd be cool.

Brandi: 39:23

And so I want to dedicate I want to clean up an area in my basement where I could set up like a little workshop.

Rachael: 39:29

I love that.

Brandi: 39:30

And do all that. That way I'm not in the garage where it's freezing cold.

Rachael: 39:33

Yeah, but I support that. One of my coworkers was asking how we're coping with our emotions.

Brandi: 39:39

And that's a heavy question.

Rachael: 39:41

Yeah. Um very heavy. Right.

Brandi: 39:44

What emotions?

Rachael: 39:45

Most of us said with chocolate, with cheese puffs, actively avoiding many, many healthy responses to how we're reacting with the colours.

Brandi: 39:53

Hell yeah, I eat my feelings. Even though I wasn't asked this question, but I probably have terrible answers.

Rachael: 40:00

No, always food for the emotions. Um, but I think that taking time away from the screens and doing more of those analogs definitely enhance the emotions.

Brandi: 40:11

Especially if it's me organizing and cleaning up stuff and things like that. Like that automatically helps my mental health. Like when I walk into a clean room, I have an instant boost. And I still let it get dirt here cluttered again.

Rachael: 40:25

Uh that cats. Reset your environment. Reset your room. I do.

Brandi: 40:32

I uh yeah, I really need to get a house cleaner in and do a deep clean and then I can stay on top of things. So that's something I'm gonna be looking at here shortly. I know you do.

Rachael: 40:44

Well, thanks everybody for listening. We appreciate it.

Brandi: 40:47

And be kind to yourself while doing this challenge if you partake in it. If you backslide, everybody backslides. Yep. Improve the next day or the next week. I'll tell you what, I'll be backsliding at least once. I know that. Um so just be kind to yourself and be kind to others as well.

Rachael: 41:07

Absolutely. Thanks for listening. Let us know what techniques you're using. We'd love to hear from you. Yeah.

Brandi: 41:13

In case we miss some. Or if you do the seven-day challenge, tell us how you did. Yeah. Did you have to restart?

Rachael: 41:19

Did you you have to repeat a day because it didn't go with planned? I don't know if I'm bold enough to do the seven day challenge, but if you do it, I want to hear about it. If anybody does it, I want to hear about it. Please. I'll take I'll be taking parts of it. Bits and pieces. Yeah. Yes. Okay. Thanks everybody for listening. So until next time. Stay bold.

Brandi: 41:37

Stay empowered.

Brandi: 41:38

Girl Gang Out!