I won’t pretend I’m above it — I watch Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts like everyone else, and it usually starts small. A notification pops up, I unlock my phone, and I tell myself I’ll just check one thing. The next moment, I’m deep into a stream of random videos, with no idea how I got there or how much time has quietly slipped away. I’ve genuinely tried to fix it — I set app timers and convinced myself I’d follow them. I even removed Shorts from my YouTube feed, thinking that would finally solve it. I tried apps that promise to limit usage and keep you in check. For a day or two, it felt like I had things under control. Then slowly, almost without noticing, I’d fall right back into the same loop. This habit creeps in during moments of boredom, and suddenly I’m scrolling again.
At some point, I had to admit it — doomscrolling was no longer something I occasionally did; it was something I kept returning to without even thinking about it. Then, almost by accident, I found an app that actually made a difference. It didn’t completely fix everything overnight, but it did something more important. It made me pause and be aware of what I was doing in that moment. And that small interruption was enough to help me pull back before I went too far. It just gave me a bit of control, which was exactly what I needed.
This tiny drawing habit is my new escape route
I’ve been using Dudel Draw on my iPhone for the past few days, and it’s been a surprisingly refreshing change from how I usually spend time on my phone. The idea is simple, but it works — every day, the app gives you a new abstract shape to start with. It could be a random blob, a few odd lines, or something that makes no sense at first glance. And then it’s up to you to turn that into literally anything.
The closest way to describe it is that it feels like a drawing version of Wordle. You show up, you get your daily prompt, and you just go with it. Some days I turn those shapes into objects, other days into characters, and sometimes it’s just chaotic lines that somehow make sense by the end. It usually takes me five minutes, maybe a little more if I get carried away, but that short burst feels oddly satisfying.
What I like most is how effortless it is. There’s no pressure to be good at drawing, no right or wrong outcome. You can either pick the “shape of the day” challenge or just play around with random shapes whenever you feel like it. It doesn’t feel like a task or something you need to be consistent with. It just quietly fits into your day.
For me, it’s become a small ritual, especially when I hit a creative block while writing. Instead of staring at a blank screen, I open the app and start doodling whatever comes to mind. Half the time, I’m just sketching nonsense and humming songs in the background, but it helps clear the noise in my head. Somewhere in that process, ideas start to come back. And almost without trying, it’s also helped me cut down on doomscrolling. I still reach for my phone out of habit, but now there’s an alternative that doesn’t leave me feeling drained. If anything, I come out of it feeling a little more creative, a little more present, and, surprisingly, a lot less stuck.
My daily scroll finally has an exit door
I’m not going to claim that I’ve completely quit Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts — that would be unrealistic. The habit is still there, and I still fall into it sometimes. But what’s changed is this — I now have something that gently interrupts that loop before it goes too far. Dudel Draw doesn’t demand discipline or punish me for slipping. It simply gives me an alternative that feels much lighter.
And that’s really the difference. I’m not replacing one rigid rule with another. I’m just choosing, more often than before, to spend those few idle minutes creating something. Because for the first time in a while, reaching for my phone doesn’t always end with me feeling like I lost time.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
