From Mindless Scrolling to Mindful Curating
+ Free downloadable toolkit
Before we dive in, if you’d like a structured way to tackle your relationship with your phone? I’ve created a free 7-Day Digital Curator’s Toolkit that walks you through exactly how to reclaim 2 hours daily with practical worksheets and daily exercises. Download it here.
Ok, be honest: how many times have you found yourself staring at your phone, scrolling through nonsense, with zero memory of even opening the app?
If you’re like me, about 20 times a day.
That’s your brain running on autopilot. Digital amnesia.
10, 20, 45 minutes gone. You couldn’t even tell me what you just consumed.
The usual fix? A “digital detox”. Quit Instagram for a weekend. Delete TikTok.
Hide your phone in a drawer like it’s a bottle of vodka you’re trying not to touch.
But let’s be real: detoxes don’t work, because they feel like punishment.
Technology isn’t the enemy. The real problem? We’ve stopped curating our attention and started letting algorithms redecorate the inside of our minds.
And frankly, if we let the tech bro CEOs who design these algorithms be our curators instead of doing it ourselves, we are, and I cannot stress this enough, profoundly fucked.
So what’s actually going on?? It’s your brain on dopamine.
Every time you scroll and see something new, you get a tiny chemical hit.
And because the rewards are unpredictable (just like a slot machine), your brain gets hooked on pulling the lever again and again and again.
But it’s not a fair fight. You’re human. The game is rigged to keep you hooked.
In this week’s newsletter and podcast episode, I’d like to invite you to stop thinking like a “consumer” and step into something way more powerful: the curator of your digital life.
Here’s how.
(🎧 Note: if you prefer the audio version of this piece, check out Unwritten Potential on Apple Podcast or Spotify)
Step 1: Curate your mind (aka stop the junk scroll)
Curators don’t ban art. They choose what gets in the gallery with intention.
Same here. This isn’t about deleting every app and pretending you live in 1992 (although, how quaint?).
It’s about making tiny shifts that flip you from mindless to mindful.
Try one of these today:
The “Why” audit. Before you open that app (you know the one...), pause for 3 seconds and ask: “Why am I here? What do I actually want from this?” That tiny pause is your circuit breaker. There’s a nerdy name for this: a ‘pattern interrupt’ You’re literally stopping the habit loop dead in its tracks and forcing your conscious brain to grab the wheel.
Edit your gallery. Your feed is your mental art gallery. Is it full of junk food content? Mute, unfollow, or delete 20 accounts that don’t inspire, educate, or light you up. Be absolutely ruthless.
App-pointments. Stop leaving your mental door wide open. Schedule two or three 15-minute check-ins a day. When the time’s up, the appointment is over. Setting app limits on my phone has also been useful for me.
Step 2: Swap it for joy (aka fill the space)
Once you start curating, you’ll notice empty space.
Glorious, quiet pockets of time!
That’s your opportunity. Don’t let it get swallowed back up by another scroll.
Fill it with analog joy: the real-world stuff that leaves you buzzing instead of empty.
A few ideas:
Create an analog corner. And no, this isn’t just about making a cute spot for Instagram. It’s a legit design trick called ‘choice architecture’. Basically, you’re making the good choice the easy choice. Put a journal, a book, a puzzle, or sketchbook there. 5 minutes in that spot feels better than an hour scrolling. Willpower is overrated, a smart setup is everything.
Hobby sampler. Remember hobbies? Do one tiny, fun, pointless thing this week. I’m not telling you to sign-up for a pottery class (why does self-help always recommend pottery classes??). For me, it’s making music. Maybe for you it’s writing a terrible haiku about your morning coffee, learning the four chords that unlock a thousand tunes on a guitar, or kneading a small batch of bread dough just to feel it take shape in your hands.
Sensory treasure hunt. Ten minutes outside. Find 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste (fresh air counts). Boom, you’re back in the real world. This is also a good one if you’re like me and find it hard to sit for 10 minutes to meditate.
Here’s the magic: the more you curate, the more space you create. The more you fill that space with joy, the less you crave the empty calories of scrolling.
That’s the loop you want. Intentional, energising, real.
Your challenge this week:
Choose just 2 moves: 1 to cut the junk, 1 to spark joy. Done.
I’d love to know, what’s one analog activity you’re excited to bring back? Hit reply and tell me!
With love,
Noemie x
If you found this essay useful, share it with someone who might need it too.
Finding the toolkit really helpful. I particularly love the idea of adopting the identity of Curator - feels like such a positive shift. Not sure it's entirely accurate for me right now for me at my worst, but I really want it to be.
Thank you Will!