I tried the whole arsenal. Screen-time limits (tapped "ignore limit" every night). Grayscale mode (turns out I'll scroll in gray). Deleting the app (reinstalled it in a checkout line). App blockers with "friction screens" (I have never read a friction screen).
The problem was never information. I knew exactly what I was doing. The problem was that every one of those tools was a deal I made with myself — and I hold a lifetime undefeated record in negotiations against myself.
What actually changed it
I posted "uninstall reels" in a group chat where four friends post daily goals. That's it. That's the trick.
Here's what happened mechanically: at 11pm, thumb hovering over the app store, the question stopped being "do I want to scroll?" (yes, obviously) and became "do I want to X this in front of Sam tomorrow?" Different question. Different answer.
Why public beats private for this specific fight
Doomscrolling is invisible. Nobody sees the two hours vanish, so there's no natural social cost. Making the goal public installs the witness that the behavior never had.
The urge is short. The record is permanent. The pull of the feed lasts ninety seconds. A checked "no reels today" sits on the board all week, and a row of five checks becomes a thing you defend.
Friends are better than blockers because you can't uninstall them. An app blocker is a wall you built, and you own the sledgehammer. A friend who says "day 6?" is a different kind of infrastructure.
How to run it
Keep the goal binary and daily: "no reels today," not "less screen time." Binary goals get honest checks and honest X's. Expect to X a few — an X in front of friends who then say "better than my day" is not a failure state, it's the system working. The streak that matters is the posting streak, not the perfect streak.
GoalRilla is built for exactly this: your daily goals go public to a small crew, every check and X is seen, and someone will absolutely nudge you when you go quiet. Start free, invite two friends, post the goal you're avoiding.