Is Substack Notes Just Another Social Media Time Suck + 44 Things To Do Instead Of Scrolling

Confession: I'm addicted to Substack Notes

Image created by me using AI

Confession time: I love Substack Notes. Maybe a little bit too much.

It’s been well over a decade since I used traditional social media to build any kind of following outside of my paid work.

In my personal life, I really only use social media to keep up with friends and it rarely consumes me. Sure, I get influenced from time to time - into thinking I need to buy certain things, or go on certain holidays, or to certain restaurants - but I’m pretty good at pulling myself out of that on the whole.

But since I began writing A Momentary Happiness, I’ve been pretty addicted to Notes.

The first few weeks, I found myself picking up my phone every time I had a minute to check for new notifications. Gimme that dopamine hit! It was fun. It was exciting. It was seriously irritating my partner.

And to be honest, deep down, it wasn’t sitting well with me either.

Substack Notes is a great way to discover new voices and ideas. It doesn’t seem to have the negative undertones of traditional social media… Though, am I the only one who thinks they are starting to sneak in?

In any case, it can be a total time suck. And if you have a house to run, loved ones to spend time with, kids to look after, a job to do or a life to live (hi, literally everyone), then spending too much time scrolling is not going to do you any favours.

So here are a few strategies I use to curb the addiction.

Turn notifications off

Pretty straight forward. You get a notification, you open the app, you start scrolling. Stop it at the source!

Since turning notifications off, Substack likes to ask me every so often if I want to turn them back on. Stay strong and say no.

Set a limit

I know some people have a goal for how many people they want to interact with or how many Notes they want to post. For me, a time limit works best. I give myself 30 minutes to scroll on Notes. Sometimes I read a few articles, sometimes I bookmark them and read more notes. Sometimes I find a writer who speaks to my soul and I spend 30 minutes going down the rabbit hole and reading all of their posts.

Disclaimer: I don’t usually post my own Notes in that time; they tend to come whenever inspiration strikes so that 30 minutes doesn’t include my own posting.

I do sometimes check in at other points during the day when I find myself with a sleeping baby in my arms, and some days I don’t do my 30 minutes at all, but that’s the limit I aim for.

Set the environment

In my ideal world, I would only use Notes on my laptop. But I’m a breastfeeding mum and I really enjoy scrolling Notes while the baby is drifting off in my arms.

If you find it to be a real time suck, delete the app from your phone and stick to using it on your laptop.

Find what works for you and roll with it.

Get clear on your priorities

If you need to write a post, or respond to emails, or craft some Notes to post, do that before you start scrolling.

If you’re looking for inspo, try to keep it separate from your writing time. Maybe you scroll notes in the afternoon, jot down some ideas and then write the next morning, or vice versa.

It’s very rare that you’ll scroll for a few minutes, find some inspiration and write the best post of your life, so my advice here is blunt. Stop kidding yourself and just write. You can always scroll and edit later.

Think about how you want to spend your time

I’ve always loved the phrase ‘how we spend our days is how we spend our lives’ but I think it needs to be more granular.

How you spend your minutes is how you spend your life. Five minutes on social media might not seem like much, but it’s five minutes you can’t spend on something else you want to do, and those minutes add up quickly.

Write yourself a list of things you’d rather do with your time and refer back to it when you get the urge to scroll.

44 things I’d rather do than mindlessly scroll

Here’s mine, in no particular order, in case you need some inspo.

1. Cuddle my kids

2. Talk to my partner

3. Journal

4. Write a newsletter post

5. Write a meaningful Note (do it in on paper or in your notes app and post it later if you think you’ll be tempted to scroll)

6. Read a book

7. Meditate

8. Take a few belly breaths

9. Walk outside and look at the sun

10. Take my shoes off and feel the earth beneath my feet

11. Make a cup of tea

12. Drink said cup of tea while it’s still hot

13. Bake

14. Plan our family dinners for the week

15. Light a candle and watch the flame

16. Text a friend

17. Call a friend

18. Tick boring jobs off my list (cancel a subscription, fill out a form, reply to an email, etc)

19. Have a big drink of water

20. Savour my food

21. Online shop for something I (actually) need

22. Organise my pantry

23. Re-apply my sunscreen (don’t get me started on this)

24. Brainstorm new ideas for A Momentary Happiness

25. Refine my dream life document

26. Find three things that I can touch, see, smell, hear or taste to be grateful for right now

27. Re-watch a favourite series (Gilmore Girls, I’m coming for you)

28. A quick yoga practice (check out Yoga With Adriene)

29. Stretch

30. Read articles (not on Notes!)

31. Learn something new

32. Read my horoscope

33. Listen to new music

34. Listen to old music

35. Make a new playlist

36. Sleep

37. Delete photos from my camera roll (oh so satisfying)

38. Choose photos to get printed

39. Better yet, make a photo book

40. Do the dishes (not because I like doing dishes, but because it means my partner won’t have to do them later and we might get more time together)

41. Fold the laundry (as above!)

42. Make the bed

43. Weed my garden (am I the only person who enjoys doing this?)

44. Declutter one cupboard (or the whole house, but you know, start small)

Now I’m feeling inspired to declutter a draw so I’m going to leave it there.

What’s on your list? Let me know in the comments.

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Until next time,

A