🌞 How to Stop Morning Scrolling

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: It’s all about the morning social media doomscroll — how it’s sabotaging your life one swipe at a time, plus tips for more nourishing digital habits. Keep, erm, scrolling for the full scoop!

🚩 Why AM Social Scrolling is a Problem

• 🪫 Consumes mental energy before you’ve even started your day

• 🌊 Floods your brain with stressors and “low-quality” dopamine when you’re most vulnerable (cortisol peaks in the morning)

• ⌛️ Erodes precious time — 5 minutes becomes 30 in a flash

• 🙇‍♂️ Sets a reactive instead of intentional tone for the day

• 🧠 Reinforces the scrolling habit, making it harder to break free

You probably already know all this stuff from experience, so what can you do to finally break away?

Whether you want to stop scrolling in the morning altogether, or you simply want to use your phone in ways that align with your goals and values, read on to learn how to do both!

🧼 General Tips for Healthier Scrolling Habits

We’ve found all these tips helpful for changing our relationship with our phone:

• ❌ Delete all social media apps. This one’s obvious, but if you haven’t already, go ahead and do it.

• 🗑️ Erase all saved passwords for your social accounts. If you’ve memorized your passwords, reset them to something random (which is more secure anyway), then log out without saving the new password. You can always reset your passwords again later. Seems a little extreme, but this one’s helped us a lot!

• 🌐 Install a focus browser on your phone. This works great for those random internet searches. If you want to keep your preferred browser, try logging out so you can’t access your passwords, bookmarks, or history.

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🛑 Tips for a Full Device Detox

Try these tips if you want to stop using your phone altogether in the mornings.

• 🌙 Prepare the night before. Decide on your morning “anchor” activity. Even something small, like putting your feet on the floor or opening the window, can go a long way.

• 🚧 Set automatic app blocks and limits. Freedom, ScreenZen, onesec — these are just a few apps that block tempting sites and prompt you to spend your time in healthier ways. Try setting automatic schedules, and avoid using blockers that are easy to bypass.

• 🗳️ Place your phone across the room, or in another room. You might add an extra layer of challenge by placing your phone in a time-locked safe.

• 📕 Replace your phone with another object. If your phone is the first thing you reach for, replacing it with another cue — like a glass of water or book — can help rewire your routine.

💆‍♀️ Social Media Alternatives for Your AM Scroll

These tips are great for anyone who doesn’t mind using their phone in the morning, but wants to spend their time in more intentional, values-driven ways.

Swap your socials for something more enriching, like:

• 📊 Habit / health trackers

• 📙 eBook / article readers

• 🧩 Puzzles / brain games

• 💖 Affirmations widgets

• 📓 Journaling apps

• 🧘‍♂️ Spiritual apps

• 💌 Email newsletters (you’ve got this one down already! 😉)

Pro tip: Many smartphones let you create automations to open an app or page after an event, like turning off an alarm. Explore your device settings or app store to see what you can do!

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• Opal (App) — Opal lets you schedule screen-free time and block apps to break the morning scroll habit!

• Tor Browser (App) — One of the best incognito browsers out there for nipping your scrolling habit in the bud, while also blocking trackers and ads

• 10 Ways to Live a More Analog Life (Article) — The author of Vanilla Papers shares their experience with breaking free from scrolling TikTok, plus some ideas for easing away from the apps

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Want to start your day with intention instead of impulse?

Flocus is the perfect morning anchor — helping you focus, reflect, and get into your groove without reaching for social media. With mood-lifting themes, soothing ambient sounds, and a clear task list, Flocus makes it easy to break bad habits and build better ones.

Go to Flocus

Our devices are designed to be addictive. It doesn’t help that they’re crucial for so many things, from buying groceries to staying in touch with loved ones.

So be gentle with yourself as you start this journey. Major behavioral changes don’t happen overnight!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team