Introduction
The behavior that I want to change is mindlessly scrolling through Instagram on my phone, which is a hard habit for me to shake. Over the course of 2 days, January 11 and 12, I logged every time I realized I exhibited this habit. While the information is fresh in my head, I recorded the time I scrolled through Instagram and the circumstance under which it happened. I hoped that recording the circumstances would shed light on the cues that often compel my habit. Since scrolling Instagram is so reflexive for me, consistent logging is difficult. It is likely that I did not record many of the occurrences.
Data
1/11/24
0936: Just got out of bed. I reflexively checked the second I powered on my phone.
1011: Got into the car to commute to Stanford. Reflexively checked before driving off.
1137: In CS 256 (Media Psychology) lecture. It was approaching the end of the class, so the lecture was winding down. I started scrolling because I got bored.
1518: Just got home and finished a really late lunch. Felt like putting off starting on assignments and ended up scrolling a bunch.
1651: Nine minutes before a job interview. Probably felt a bit nervous and reflexively scrolled to take my mind off.
1755: Sitting on the toilet.
1926: Just got out of the shower.
2218: Finished with work for the day. Browsing YouTube mindlessly on the laptop and instinctively checked my phone, possibly due to boredom.
1/12/24
0143: Getting ready for bed. Ended up looking through virtually every single social media app on my phone.
0927: Just got out of bed. I reflexively checked when I powered on my phone.
1007: A meeting originally scheduled for 1000 was delayed, so I was not really sure what to do. Probably just checked to fill the time.
1141: Getting ready to leave the house.
1154: Sitting in the car. Probably scrolling through Instagram because I got bored.
1258: Waiting to pick up my brother. Scrolled to pass the time.
1629: Just returned home from grocery shopping.
1803: Waiting for Cardinal Engage to load on the laptop, which was really slow for some reason. Got bored.
1901: Right before dinner. Getting off work on my laptop.
2341: Day is winding down. Just being unproductive on the couch.
1/13/24
0015: Sitting on my bed before going to sleep. Just looked through all social media apps instinctively before powering off my phone.
Habit Ecosystem Models
Connection circle:
All connections are positive (+).
Something immediately notable is the high degree of interconnectivity among the various nodes, and the large number of loops, which are listed below.
- Scrolling IG → low productivity → anxiety →
- Scrolling IG → low productivity → anxiety → fatigue →
- Scrolling IG → low productivity → anxiety → avoidance of important tasks →
- Scrolling IG → low productivity → frustration → anxiety →
- Scrolling IG → low productivity → frustration → anxiety → fatigue →
- Scrolling IG → scrolling other social apps → low productivity → anxiety →
- Scrolling IG → scrolling other social apps → low productivity → anxiety → fatigue →
- Scrolling IG → scrolling other social apps → low productivity → anxiety → avoidance of important tasks →
- Scrolling IG → scrolling other social apps → low productivity → frustration → anxiety →
- Scrolling IG → scrolling other social apps → low productivity → frustration → anxiety → fatigue →
One interesting point is the large number of negative mental and emotional states associated with mindless scrolling Instagram. These include fatigue, anxiety, frustration, and boredom. Of these, the most closely associated emotion is anxiety, which is the node with the highest degree behind only “mindlessly scrolling Instagram” itself. It’s possible that certain negative mental states lead to other mental states, which enforces the behavior of mindlessly scrolling. For example, anxiety leads to scrolling; anxiety also leads to fatigue which can also lead to scrolling.
Fishbone diagram:
Aside from the negative mental and physical states apparent in the connection circle, the behavior of mindlessly scrolling Instagram also seems correlated with transitional periods — such as getting in the car, returning home, and finishing work for the day — as well as unengaging activities, such as sitting on the toilet or waiting for a website to load.
Learnings, Insights, and Possible Improvements
Main learnings and insights:
- Mindlessly scrolling Instagram is a behavior that exists in a highly interconnected web of multiple negative emotional and mental states. This includes multiple reinforcing feedback loops.
- The most closely associated mental state appears to be anxiety.
- Negative mental states may lead to other negative mental states, further enforcing the behavior of mindless scrolling.
- Mindlessly scrolling Instagram seems to be correlated with transitional periods and unengaging activities.
Logging improvements: I’d consider installing something on my phone that alerts me when I open Instagram, and / or records when I open Instagram, which would make my logging more consistent.
Behavior improvements: I’d consider increasing friction by placing the Instagram app in a less convenient location on my phone (e.g. inside of a folder). I could also divert my attention with some other activity that I could easily access during transitional periods (e.g. bringing a pocket book around to read).
