Scrolling Is the New Gambling: A 1 Hour Guide To Anti-Brain Rot
Natalie Alzate is author of the best-selling Offline Humans (DK, October 2025).
We touch our phones 2,617 times a day on average. The endless swiping isn’t random, it’s the same brain loop that makes slot machines addictive. Scientists call it the ventral tegmental area, a dopamine hub that craves novelty.
Put simply: scrolling is the new gambling. And while the house always wins in Vegas, you can beat the odds with a simple 60-minute reset. The better news? You don’t need to move to a cabin or delete every app to feel better. In just one hour, you can reset your brain from doomscrolling to feeling in control of your focus.
As someone who spent a decade online as a creator, I’ve felt both the perks and pull of social media. Millennials were the first to grow up with phones and the last to remember life without them, which makes our attention feel especially precious. At some point I had to wonder: was I numbing myself with technology? I kept thinking, this cannot be good for my brain.
Eventually, my body made the point for me. It was shouting: stop scrolling. drink water. blink. move. So I ran an experiment – 24 hours offline.
The good news? You don’t need a full day to feel different. Start smaller. Here are a handful of quick resets you can plug into your evenings, then I’ll show you how to habit stack them into one hour that works every time.
Three Offline Resets To Try Today
Build Your Dopamine Menu
Logging off often leaves us asking, now what? A dopamine menu solves that. It’s a pre-made list of offline things you genuinely enjoy, easy for moments you’d normally scroll. Spend 20 minutes drafting yours. Here are a few of mine:
- Solo karaoke
- Bath with substack read and tea
- Crisp early-morning workouts
- Late night baking just for fun
- Cozy TV in pyjamas with permission to rest
Having options at hand makes logging off feel less like deprivation and more like choice.
Try ASeasonal Curriculum
Brainrot thrives on passive scrolling…consuming without creating. Self-education flips that script. When you give your brain something to chew on, you trade endless novelty for focused curiosity. That’s why learning, on your own terms, can be an antidote to brainrot.
Each season, pick one theme to explore: a craft, a recipe, a topic that sparks you. I keep a commonplace book and jot down ideas as they pop up. This autumn my list looks like:
- how to make friends in your 30’s
- how to speak more eloquently
- how to actually stay still and pray.
The key is excitement. When learning isn’t forced on you, it feels like play, and that’s what makes it stick.
Clock Off Your Online 9-5
Most of us treat social media like an always-on shift. The notifications never end, the feed is bottomless, and before you know it you’ve worked a second job…for free.
What if you clocked out at 5pm, the way you would from a real office? Treating the internet like a job puts a clear boundary in place. Suddenly those evening hours belong to you again. You’ll notice how much you can get done, calling a friend, actually trying one of those restaurants you saved on instagram, or pulling out that half-finished project. Even boredom becomes productive when it has space to breathe.
Quick try: Scroll through your “saved” folder – look at all those cafes, recipes, day trips you never made time for, and make a real-life bucket list. Close your eyes, point to one, and make it happen tonight. (In my book, I break down how to turn these lists into seasonal challenges you’ll actually enjoy)
The One-Hour Log-Off Plan
We’ve covered quick resets but what if you stacked them into a single routine? Think of it as a mini digital detox, no cabin in the woods required. Here’s how to spend one hour offline and actually feel it.
0-10 minutes: make your phone hard to reach
Put it on charge in another room or in its “bed” as I like to say. Yes, my phone has a bedtime (10 pm sharp). Switch on Do Not Disturb and place it face down. If you need peace of mind, tell one person you’re offline for the next 60.
10-25 minutes: reset your space and body
Tidy one small zone: a desk, that chaotic bathroom sink, bedside table or even a junk drawer. Drink water, put the kettle on, crack a window. If you can, steep outside to a nearby park, a library, or cafe, what sociologists call a third space, a place beyond home or work that naturally slows you down.
25-45 minutes: pick an anchor ritual
Choose a single offline activity and sink into it.
- One sentence journal: one line about today, no pressure.
- Movement: stretch or a short walk.
- Craft or soak: bake something simple, run a bath, or do a puzzle.
45-60 minutes: prep tomorrow
Note three priorities for tomorrow, not ten. Lay out one thing you’ll need whether it’s a gym kit, a notebook, or a lunch). Do a quick 15-minute room reset so in the future you wake up to calm, not chaos
Many of us feel a little disembodied after years of living in our heads and on our phones. But one hour, repeated, can bring you back into your body and back to other people.