Things to do instead of scrolling
Bored without your phone, or trying to be? These are not tips. Each one is a small quest with exact steps and one private return question, grouped by the situation you are actually in.
Start with the shortest one
Write down the thing you are avoiding and give it a title like a bad indie film. That is a whole quest. The rest of this page is more where that came from.
Five minutes or less
For the gap between things: a kettle, a waiting room, a bus stop.
Give the Problem a Bad Indie Title
Do not solve the thing. Name it dramatically.
- Write down the thing you are avoiding.
- Do not fix it.
- Give it a title like a bad indie film: "The Tuesday Sinkhole" or "My Email Has Teeth."
Return question: Did naming the problem make it smaller, funnier, or clearer?
Thank One Specific Person
Gratitude with a name on it. Small, exact, and sent.
- Think of one small thing someone did for you that you never properly acknowledged.
- Send them one sentence: what they did, and that you still remember it.
- Do not apologize for texting. Do not add a question. Let it land.
Return question: What did you remember about them while writing it?
At home
No outside access needed. Paper, tape, and your own rooms are plenty.
Make a Tiny Flag
A tiny object can interrupt a giant loop.
- Use paper, tape, a receipt, a stick, a pen, or anything near you.
- Make a tiny flag for the state you want to live in today.
- Place it somewhere visible for the next hour.
Return question: What did your tiny flag stand for?
Draw Where You Are, Badly
Skill is not invited. Attention is.
- Grab any paper and any pen.
- Draw the room or the view in five minutes without erasing anything.
- Title it like a masterpiece and sign it.
Return question: What did you only see because you tried to draw it?
Draw a Sound Map
Close your eyes and let the room become a landscape.
- Sit still with your eyes closed for one minute.
- Notice five sounds.
- Draw them as shapes on a scrap of paper.
Return question: Which sound was farther away than you expected?
Outside
When the room feels too small and the feed feels too big.
Find Three Small Proofs
Step outside for seven minutes and let the world make its case.
- Find one thing moving.
- Find one thing older than you.
- Find one thing nobody else is probably noticing.
Return question: What did you notice that you would have missed online?
Walk Until You Find a Number
Numbers are everywhere. Go find one with a story.
- Walk until you see a number on a sign, curb, mailbox, door, or object.
- Ask who put that number there and what job it is doing.
- Keep walking until you find a better number.
Return question: What ordinary thing became less ordinary when you questioned it?
Find Old, New, and Wild
Give your attention three targets.
- Find something old.
- Find something new.
- Find something wild growing where it was not invited.
Return question: Which of the three felt most alive?
Walk One Block, Name Three New Things
You've walked past more than you've ever seen.
- Walk one block you think you already know.
- Find three things you've never actually noticed before.
- Say each one out loud so it counts.
Return question: What had been there the whole time?
With someone
Feeds imitate company. These are the real thing, kept small.
Send One Real Question
Do not send advice. Do not send a meme. Open a small door.
- Pick one person you like but have not checked on lately.
- Text them: "What is something you noticed today that nobody else probably noticed?"
- Do not manage the conversation. Just let it breathe.
Return question: What felt different about asking a real question?
Call, Don't Text
A voice carries what a text flattens.
- Pick someone whose voice you'd recognize anywhere.
- Call them — not to plan anything, just to say you thought of them.
- Keep it short. Hang up while it still feels warm.
Return question: What did their voice tell you that a message wouldn't have?
Before bed
A closing quest, so the day ends on paper instead of a feed.
Write a Six-Word Story
The whole day, in six words, no more.
- Grab paper and think back over today.
- Write a true story about it in exactly six words.
- Cross out anything unneeded until only six remain.
Return question: Which six words did you keep, and what got cut?
Return with proof of contact
Example: "The door number had three layers of paint around it, like the house kept changing its mind." The sentence can be ordinary. It just needs to come from the world, not the feed.
FAQ
What makes these different from a list of tips?
Each activity has a title, a one-line intro, exact steps, and a return question. The page gives you something to do, not advice to keep reading.
Can I use these without an account or JavaScript?
Yes. The full quest text is on this page as static HTML. The live Unplug Mode engine is optional.
What if I cannot go outside?
Use the at-home group: Make a Tiny Flag, Draw Where You Are Badly, Draw a Sound Map, or close the day with a six-word story.