my rules for a healthy relationship with technology

my number one New Years resolution for this year is to have a more healthy, and less addictive, relationship with the internet and technology. this guide is less of a general guide for the entire world, and more so my own personal guide for 2026 i will be trying to follow that you could find help in. but anyways, here is Caesthoffe's 2026 Guide to Have a Healthy Relationship with Technology and the Internet... title pending

1. Limit the passive "consumption" of media. This means watching movies without having a secondary task while watching, or listening to an album without needing an arduous task to distract. This doesn't mean never having background music on or multi-tasking, just trying to being more aware of how you enjoy art.
2. Relearning the lost art of being a "lurker" in forums and on social media. Making the conscious effort to not engage with someone just to "own them" or get attention online.
3. In conjunction with Rule #2, this also means relearning the lost art of blocking people who I don't want to interact with instead of commenting.
4. Deleting most to all of the social media apps off of my phone, only using them on my laptop or PC. Although my laptop is still mobile, it's a lot more annoying to lug around all day (especially to work where I know I won't need them) so it'll definitely incentivise me to stay off.
5. Limiting my screen time by utilizing my physical media whenever possible, and finally getting around to fixing my analog tech (+ accessories). Trying to only use my screen time to create, or take part in a hobby (like gaming with friends or coding my neocities).
6. Going through my following list on all my social medias and unfollowing most of the influencers I follow, and especially ones who peddle undisclosed ads.
7. Similar to Rule #6, being mindful of the types of content I engage with on YouTube or social media. This means limiting my reels doomscrolling, watching of drama channels, etc.

overall, my goal is to have a healthier relationship with the modern internet and to leave myself more time for my hobbies. most other guides to stop doomscrolling haven't really worked for me. one of them took this weird anti-porn angle, most of them ask you to simply stop cold turkey. so this is a guide that i think can really work for me. and maybe you too.