I can relate…when everything you see becomes an excuse to post aesthetic stories on Instagram it’s important to take a step back and set the right intention: do you want to share your excitement or do you want to be seen ? Thank you for this video which helps me reflect on my use of social media Sending you love from France 🌺

For all of you saying she's being obsessive and time spent on social media is totally fine. Her daily average at the beginning on her phone was almost 7 hours which is about the same as mine and guys IT'S NOT HEALTHY. Personally it really makes me depressed and feel like I'm wasting my life (which I am) but I am having a ton of trouble cutting my time down so this was really inspiring to me and helps cutting down screentime feel more possible!🥰 Thank you so much Ruby!

i also think it’s ok and beneficial to take time off to just relax. it’s ok to watch the odd youtube video, they don’t all HAVE to be “productive” or “educational”

I think being intentional is good but it is fine to watch a KZfaq just because. You don't need to get something meaningful out of everything you do, and reflect on everything.

This is discipline. She desired that she wanted to change, and she certainly made something about it. She is such a powerful woman and a beautiful human being. I love her content and when I'm watching her i don't feel that I'm waiting my time on social media, i feel like I'm doing something productive with my time just by the fact of listening to her voice. 😼🥰

It’s also important to remember: “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time” “Do more of what makes you happy” 💜

The biggest time-suck and distraction for me is tiktok. You can spend hours scrolling through 30-second long videos and while some of those videos can be informative most of them are just toxic. I've tried to start a new morning routine where I wake up really early to be more productive but the first thing I do when I wake up is go on my phone and then all of a sudden it's 9am and all that time was wasted. I'm really going to take this video and try to create some goals and actions for myself. 💕

I feel like my summer vacation is being consumed by screens; this will be very helpful 🙏🏻

How can you be wasting time, when you’re enjoying what you’re doing? Looking at KZfaq videos is a way for me to relax, de-stress from my very stressful job and enjoying vlog’s like yours. but I agree that it should be limited.

I really needed this right now and she just posted it 🥺 I am really stressed now because I got a lot to do but here I am wasting my time in social media

ruby, i love your content, but i think we need to stop pushing this extreme productivity life and making out that you need to gain something out of every little thing you do, and that everything you ever do has to be something you check off a to do list. i think spending less time on social media is a great idea, but it’s about having a different relationship with your phone, not by not letting yourself on it. this is gonna make a fair few people feel guilty for simply watching youtube when they have free time, or for scrolling instagram when they’re bored. not everything in life has to be productive and meaningful, it’s important to remember that, otherwise people can become obsessive with productivity and feel guilty. you are allowed to be bored.

My screen time is insane I want to start reading more books, going outside, cooking...

I can definitely relate on the mindfulness! My first thought is always ‘what Instagram post could I make from this’ or ‘I wonder how many views this will get on Snapchat’. When really, the most important thing is being present.

It’s completely ok not to ‘gain’ anything from looking at socials 💜

I only watch KZfaq and consume social media intentionally. That’s how I stopped wasting time!

This was the best social media detox video I've seen so far. Not only did you share the goals to be set, but also concrete and creative solutions for them. Thank you Ruby, can't wait to try these methods!

As long as you dont have a toxic home and a mental illness , you can quit medias and enjoy the atmospher.

Personnaly I struggled to limit my time on YTB and Netflix on vacation. But then I realized that when I wanted to do a "screen less day" it was difficult because I did not think about what I can do instead of using my screen. So now I will challenge myself to make an entire planned day without screens and see what activities I really enjoy doing for relaxation or to achieve my goals !

Bonus Tip: don’t save KZfaq videos in “watch later” or other playlists. If you want to watch it, watch it at that moment or don’t at all. This will save you a lot of time :)

Building down time in the evening is so important! I try to spend at least 45 mins reading / doing a crossword before bed - anything but going on my phone.

what helped me kind of avoid my social media addiction was to replace more addictive apps with slightly less addictive ones. so instead of scrolling through instagram for 1.5 hours without realising i spend my break watching youtube shorts or playing a puzzle game which bores me after 15 minutes by default so I automatically get back to work and feel refreshed as well. And Im trying to use instagram only on fridays so I dont miss out but i still stay in check :)

I love how you break down a negative habit so that you can attack it right on. I love this video, it's really helpful! :)

This video is super interesting - as is the discourse around the comments too! There’s so many takes on the topic and I think it’s safe to say that different things will work better for everyone. A lot of people talking about how this might be a bit too much and how you don’t have to track everything have some really good points, and I agree to an extent, but also wanted to add that because it’s so individual, we’re all going to have different approaches that work better for us. I’ve had really bad anxiety in the past, and so for me there’s a limited number of things that I keep a track of that is really good for my mental health - things like habits, what I’m reading, thoughts on certain things - because it keeps me more grounded. I also try to keep track of notes on videos I watch that are directly linked to my work, because that’s really helpful to learn from certain people’s techniques and approaches to stuff. I think for me though the key thing is not making it a do or die situation. If I don’t make a note of something, or I don’t remember to track a certain thing that I normally do it’s important to be able to let that go because otherwise the whole point of tracking for mental clarity flies right out the window! Everyone’s needs are gonna be different, and while this kind of a system would be too much for me, and waaaaay too much for some people watching, for others it would probably be exactly what’s needed!

I think people are missing the point that addictions can be social media related. It’s all about balance, and I think what ruby is trying to do is balance her off screen time and her on screen time in a way that keeps her mental health in a healthier place. It’s all about balance, and what is helpful to you and what is most important as far as how you want to spend your time

Thank you so much for this. I’ be Been off school for 7 weeks now (starting year 12 in September) and I’ve been falling into the habit of spending hours on social media and it’s not healthy (like 9 hours a day) . I’ve never been the most goal oriented person so seeing how you set goals has made me want to implement my own and get out of my slump. See how it goes.

This video was SO useful, well-timed, and honest. I loved how open and reflective you were (i am about to do the journaling). Thank you so much for this Ruby, much appreciated!

I love the way you construct your videos, showing us the process, exposing the ideas before putting them in practice, it is so so nice to put things this way when you're presenting this type of content, i rlly love it!

when you said you sometimes watch youtube and forget everything you just watched, i immediately thought "this video i won't forget for sure" 😅 i loved all the points you made and i wrote some down to try to apply them to my own routine!! 🌼💕

I've found for me just turning off notifications on social media has been a massive game changer.

The thing with „time you enjoy wasting is not wasting“ and social media is that I personally don’t enjoy it that much. Maybe 20 minutes here and there but when I’m on my phone for an hour and just scroll through Instagram oder watch yt videos I always feel rather exhausted afterwards. So she’s right saying the problem is mindless scrolling or watching. When I check up on KZfaqrs or influencers I like it’s alright but then I get lost in the rabbit hole that is social media and feel not relaxed at all and always have the feeling I could have spent my time better

Love this! Feeling the personal guilt as the video progresses. It's definitely time for a self check.

i just finished “The Social Dilemma” and i have also recently been reflecting on my screen use and lack of intentionality when on my phone

i've been learning to be more relaxed less overthinking and more childlike in the analog world meaning spending time outside in nature, playing in my artwork, reading for enjoyment, taking the weekend off from my goals and having fun just being me and in a way ... getting to know myself again my true self. I think your true self is a better quest than your higher self because you are not perfect we are human so finding our true selves is for me the noble quest and experiencing being alive is the true journey. All of the apps and restrictive things may be helpful at first but hopefully we get so present they are unnecessary...which seems to be the case here.. suddenly you don't even look at social media before noon.

Great video! My issue is that I don’t spend a lot of time on social media anymore, but I spend so much time looking at a screen for work (I work remotely) and school. Especially when classes were online. It’s hard to stay away from screens when there aren’t other alternatives. :(

Ive been lazy these past few weeks, i have so many essays and academic requirements to finish but Ive had so much time in social media than focusing on doing my duties as aa student. Thanks ruby for this reminder, its on point and on time, just when I needed it the most.

I used to beat myself up so much whenever I used KZfaq - I would feel so guilty for being on a screen. I never even had Instagram until recently because I had built such an "I don't want to be like other teenagers" mindset (which I have definitely got over). Now I don't have those guilty feelings, and it seems like I automatically do things intentionally... most of the time. I don't follow a heap of people and all of the content I see actually makes me feel so good. I also seem to have a time for checking social media, and it seems kind of like a task, and it is actually really nice commenting on things and getting endearing responses from creators! So, for me it works to be minimalistic and intentional, but also don't feel guilty for doing so to the point that it's unhealthy. Also love all your videos Ruby and really value them! Thankyou so much

I really appreciate how this video isn't a "Here are 5 Tips for Reducing Screen Time!!" but more of a journey and documenting that self-awareness and progress. It felt like I was also doing some self reflection about how I approach my technology use. loved this video!

This was very useful. A book that can also help is 'How to Break Up with Your Phone' by Catherine Price. It is a 30 day plan to spending less time on your phone and taking back your life. Thank you for this video.

The thumbnail scared me a bit for scrolling KZfaq right now 😨 Ruby gets fierce

Thank you so much for this Ruby! I made the decision to quit social media and don't regret it. I feel that my mental health is much better now because I used to feel horrible about myself after looking at other's "highlight reels." I know what people present to the world is much different to what their life is really like, but it's hard to remember that when all I saw was nothing but the best versions of someone's personal brand. The tips you share in this video are fantastic and I really love the longer video!! BTW, you inspired me to go back to college and I'll be the first person in my family to earn a degree! =D

i have literally 20 hours or something DAILY on my phone and laptop in total, but then I also will sometimes end up not really touching my phone. I'm also really active where I message a lot of people like I have so many internet friends from all around the globe that I am constantly getting notifications, and I can easily come off my phone but I have the fear of missing out on stuff, which is such a bad habit.

A great video. Funnily, your instagram account used to have that effect on me a few years ago - not feeling good enough, productive enough. Because I had school phobia, your content made me anxious. I clearly remember myself unfollowing. I got better, I'm in the last year of my MA now and applying to Oxbridge. Now your content brings me happiness - especially when feeling validated of having deserted it in the first place! 😅❤

Wasting time on social media is a thing that I am really guilty. Thanks for the video. It helped me a lot.

Oh my,is everything in life mistakes,bad habits,problems,failures,waste or just consuming. How about just start living for a change and see what happens and how it turns out. Just might like living as it is, i mean it has worked for a few hundred thousand years. Just be happy go lucky. Lots of love and take care.

I like the fact that you are very honest and bold about your own mistakes which makes solving the problem much more easier

Hey Ruby! Let me just start off by talking about how much I appreciate the content you make. It's really engaging. At some point I got really interested with literature because of you and I also contemplated of it being a career choice. The way you have shown to balance everything equally and spend time productively made a great change in my habits. In short, thanks for always motivating me to value time. Keep up the good work.

That’s EXACTLY the video I needed, thank you so much Ruby! Can you read my mind?

These comments are such a great example of how social media has burrowed its way into our minds and lives.. how quick you all are to defend the use of social media! It’s because you’re addicted, sadly. Social media owners have paid psychologists billions of dollars to purposefully make social media a highly highly addictive thing that keeps us separate from reality, it severs human connections and it has been proven to reduce general empathy across humanity…. Of course nobody wants to admit they are addicted to their phone because then you’ll have to face the reasons why you’re addicted, but once you do I promise your outlook on life will change for the better ❤:)

This is one of the best videos I've watched in a while..so comforting..so informative and chatty too 💗💗💗💗 love u Ruby

Ruby this way of filming is AMAZING I really liked how you took us step by step through the process instead of just listing tips 💙💙Very ingenious💙💙

Well said Ruby. Watching KZfaq or scrolling on any social media makes us happy but it really is something that just for health purposes is so bad. The sedentary lifestyle brings on so many issues that have nothing to do with our happiness at doing something, mental health wise aside, the physical problems it brings on are numerous. If I lived where you live I would be outside all the time. It is a beautiful place you live in.Thanks Ruby.

very helpful!! thank you for admitting that it's a common problem ! i did a month and a half social media detox, it was soooooooo helpful for writing my dissertation and graduating from uni and my mental health!!

I like you, Ruby, and I've actually been using some variations of the tactics you mentioned in this video for over a couple of years because I had my own issue with social media addiction and everything. But honestly this video felt like an overkill and you lost me completely with that YT video list. Yes, I try to stay away from mindless contents consumption during my working hours (I'm a freelancer working at home, so there's no one to manage my time for me but myself and I have to be strict with myself on daily basis) but as soon as I'm finished with my day's task list and ready to chill, I don't put that kind of pressure on me at all. I would watch whatever I want- whether it's an educational documentary about environment or Zoella's nostalgic old vlogs. I do that because I know I need such pressureless recharging time to get myself ready for the next workday. Humans are not machines and not everything we do can be productive or useful however we want it to be, nor does it have to. I'm not saying that this video is 100% bad or toxic. Like I said, I'm already using a lot of things you mentioned here like removing the social media apps or utilising the iOS function to lock certain apps and stuff. It's just that this video seems to push that 'mindful usage of technology' thing and the idea of productive life a bit too far over the line. Yeah we always see in the comment sections stuff like 'I spent 5 hours today on tiktok and I feel like garbage' or 'I'm not doing anything during the summer break', but that doesn't mean that these people are living free of pressure to do something productive or useful. If that's the case, they wouldn't have felt guilty for not being productive in the first place. People are already getting that kind of pressure far more than they should, and suggesting the idea that we should reflect on what we are gaining from the contents we consume JUST TO CHILL is something we don't need any more in the society we are currently living in. Like, free time is free time because it doesn't have to be productive or yield tangible benefit.

Amazing timing, I am usually very productive but over the summer holidays I have fallen into the rabbit hole of social media, This has helped me so much, Thank you.

Hey, Ruby! This is what I need... really I don't understand how I stay away from social media and how to focus on my studies... but now I'm sure this video gonna help me... so Thanks so much..💝💝

Thank you Ruby for filming this video. 💗💗💗💗

I made problems and solutions of my own! I was writing down my problems and solutions and also my goals. I’m going to try this week and see how it goes! This really motivated me!

I was actually scrolling on social media when this notification came up on my phone and I reasonated with spending too much time on social media so much. I think it was because during the academic year I always had souch work to do that I was genuinely enjoying that I didn't feel the need to go on my phone all that much but in the last few weeks of term I had definitely been spending a lot more time on socia media and just my phone generally. An example of this is when I would come out of school I would immediately check Instagram which is such a bad habit for me to get into but I didn't even realise at the time that what I was doing was making me feel horrible. I'm so glad that I watched this video because it's given me soany tips on how to stay off of social media and as I am now off school for the summer I plan on using a lot of these as somehow I have spent nearly 8 hours on my phone today! So thank you so much Ruby I genuinely love your content and it helps me so much. (Also to whoever is reading this I hope that you have a wonderful day 🥰)

I already planned a two week "social media detox" right before the new academic year starts, since I'll be moving to another city for university and I'll need to spend more time with my friends and family before I do, and your video inspired me, even more, to do it. Just to clarify, in these two weeks I will use my phone just for messages and keeping in contact with my family and friends, but nothing more other than that! Same thing for my computer, I'll be using it just for academic emails and things that will be helpful for my moving. In the meantime, I'll reduce my screen-time, since my exam session is starting next week. Thank you as always for inspiring us, Ruby! Wish you a lovely day

I did watch the whole video and I have some thoughts to share as well! It's interesting how everyone's experience is a little bit different, even though we are all sucked into these technologies-something that's very intentional on the part of these companies. One of my favorite books on the topic is "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport. He talks about how important it is to have a life philosophy where you can think about your priorities. Then you weigh how each technology stacks up against those priorities, letting you decide how you want to incorporate it into your life if doing so will bring you large benefits with respect to those priorities that outweigh any downsides. It's a very intentional approach that recognizes that giving up social media or other digital technologies IS a sacrifice and you WILL miss out-but you've weighed this sacrifice against your larger goals, so you can rest assured knowing it's worth it, helping you to stick to the plan. Another book I enjoyed was "How to Break Up with Your Phone" by Catherine Price. One of the things she says is that you need to have your replacement activities set up, otherwise the empty time created by quitting suddenly can be very empty, driving you back to it (or to a worse distraction). Concrete steps that have been helpful for me were to completely delete Twitter (which is blocked on my laptop), essentially delete TikTok, unfollow every single Instagram account (so I can get DMs and see accounts that Instagram won't let me scroll down if I'm not logged in, but there's no feed), and stay logged out of Facebook except at particular times (after I've been at a dance or other social event, so I've already had real social interaction). These more dramatic steps have helped a lot where merely reducing my follows, or trying to cut back on use weren't helping-I continued to have the urge to check compulsively. My next goal is, like you, to spend more time where I am completely off screens for long stretches of time. Unfortunately I have to use a screen nearly all day for work, so this will take some doing during my downtime.

I think the "intentional" is the important thing here: Assign yourself time slots, e.g. after work, where you catch up on Instagram stories or you watch youtube. I personally find vlogs really calming so I like to make these a part of my evening routine. I only check Instagram once a day, after studying/working, and it really helps to cut down on social media while still allowing yourself to enjoy that medium. Same with text messages. I check them after having my meals. Boundaries, but in a way that feels intentional without depriving yourself of something you enjoy.

I took 3 months off my phone last year, 10/10 only used it for one day I remember cause I needed it, but it was great

I adore your voice. it's so soothing and relaxing. I really hope one day you create a podcast. Could listen to you for hours! ❤

I loved the second half of this video, and I absolutely love this type of reflection Ruby.

Today was a bad day for me as i came to realize I'm back to wasting time on social medias again. This video was such a help! Ruby, you have no idea how much you help your subscribers, like me. Thanks for sharing this problem and going through it all in front of us. I really appreciate it.💙

Dear Ruby, This was quite a coincidence because I feel the urge to do more things or I have not done “enough” for the day which I do so I clicked on KZfaq 😅 I am quite good at being productive but sometimes I can go down into a spiral and it impacts my mental well-being. Noticing your realization, I feel even more connected to you because I realized that you are struggling with what most of us are and we probably cannot bear not experiencing other things - real things! I also love the little snippets of your productivity journal. 💕

I just came here to point out that this is a half hour video on social media about wasting time on social media.🤣

I really like your voice, talk and listening to you talking FOR REAL! I wish you would make podcasts about talking about some topics you like talking about or you want to talk about. I would listen to you when I don't want to do anything but I want to think about something, maybe at night, on my way home or to university when it starts. Just maybe you can consider doing it som time if you want. Great videos, keep up the good work ♥️

There is a way to reduce unwanted behavior. Mere restriction does not work, must be replaced by some other act. When you genuinely do things where you want to accomplish something, then naturally use your time meaningfully. That's enough.

"It always seems impossible until its done." Sharing some love with all of you, I believe in you fellow reader you will Succeed💜

your videos are helping me with anxiety...i want to say thank u for your calm and your positivity

Omg I really needed it. I'm currently obsessed with insta and I want to stop it. Thank you ❤

turning on a screenless time on the phone is such a good idea! I want to stop myself from scrolling right before i go to sleep and right after i wake up and that sounds like it could be really helping that problem

This was such a fun video to watch! Definitely enjoyed this chatty and lengthy format, I think it also has a kind of vlog-y vibe too which I love love love from you :) and anyone wanting to cut screentime but also watch this video - watch in 1.5 speed 💕

7:28 is my awful new habit too! Being present is the most important gift we can give to ourselves. Thank you so much for all you do for us Ruby x

It is just painful in lockdown Since you have to study + read notes online,at the same time control yourself from getting toward social media especially youtube

I really like your content Ruby but I personally think this is way too much - there's no need to be tracking everything, instead of focusing on doing things that do not revolve around your phone (like cooking or gardening or doing exercises) you're still using your computer/technology in the process, so you're just replacing one activity for another. My thought process is: does this truly need to be written down/tracked? What are you gaining from it? In the end all that becomes a digital clutter in your life, and I think that is as problematic as having physical clutter. I hope you don't take this personally, I truly like you and your content but I don't see how tracking things obsessively would do any good. xx

How to reduce screen time in front of camera is a good introduction to share ways to avoid social media to me hehehehehehe. I'm hoping this will help me after watching your video.

I really, really appreciated this video. I feel like I owe you for guiding me and saving me from my bad habits 🌻❤

The random clouds layer really made me laugh 😂 I love this kind of content and this video is exactly what I needed this summer, I'll be trying some of these types for sure!

I don't think everything should be tracked down- if you wanna spend less time on social media, just think about actives that doesn't envolve your phone like cooking your own meals- maybe listening to some music to make it fun- working out, doing yoga, going for walks sometimes- reading something you find exciting, watching Gameplays of your favs KZfaqrs just to relax- anyway, do something to relax or enjoy a part of your day that doesn't envolve scrolling through your Instagram feed but also it's fine to do that at the end of the day if want to just to ketch up with the people you admire.

the vibes of her outfit and room and the outside environment and her voice and everything reminds me so much of Anne with an E!!!!

Ruby, whilst I agree that people need to reduce their time on social media, the obsessive monitoring and controlling of what you watch, how often you watch it, where you watch it and what you gain from it is really unhealthy. People need entertainment and down time without it being educational or life changing. Please stop encouraging others to form these terrible habits!

hey ruby! i watched your ‘head girl advice’ video from two years ago with unjaded jade….and i applied for head girl two weeks ago and got the job too!!!! thank you

I really want you to do an audio book or a lil podcast or something because your voice is so calming and relaxing

You're the kindest person ever!!! Thanks a lot for spreading positivity in this covid time, as it was one of the toughest thing to achieve "positivity" and "kindness". But you helped a lot! Thank you ❤️ I hope you are having a great day so far. X

Thankyou for this video Ruby. I have terrible habits with my phone, it like autopilot, I don't even think about switching on social media and mindlessly scrolling. I have to admit I recently discovered your KZfaq page and I have watched a lot of your videos in the past week or so but I find your content inspiring. I've started journaling and I'm reading more books than I did before. So I think you're right that youtube can be good as long as you are gaining something from the videos you're watching.

Something that has helped me, regarding KZfaq, is making a ‘to-watch’-playlist - spending some time one day (could be start of week) searching and surfing, picking out videos, that I know will be beneficial, educational or genuine enjoyable. Then that week, you can just only focus on your playlist, so you don’t end up scrolling mindlessly through the feed, again and again. Great video, love your channel ❤️ Alright, I understand that you kind of did this aswell, but for me, it helps especially for not getting caught in my feed :)

i found your chanel today and I think that you are becoming my comfort person to watch on youtube

Watched this and I completely understand and can very much relate to this issue, great healthy solutions, it's admirable when she's so aware and keeps herself accountable THAT IS until 13:07 'KZfaq Video Tracker' that part made me chuckle! This is of course just a personal preference and opinion, I get where she's coming from, but watching that part made me go - - hmm now that's just adding too much of unnecessary work, and lists and more lists which she seems to love so much hah, I get it I do this aswell where after I watch sth I sometimes stop and think about what I took from it, what I remembered and if it inspired me in anyway I write it down but doing so with lists and for every video, jeeez giiirl RELAX, controling, writting down and tracking every millisecond of your life is again I repeat in my personal opinion A BIT MUCH and obsessive behaviour. One could then ask just how much time is she than wasting on creating these various lists with layers and layers of info in each category, on one side I understand they keep you organized, in check and in the long run with the help of them you end up wasting less time on tasks because you have everything organized and written down but with the amount of lists she creates for every little thing in her life I don't believe that is doing so. Just live.

I noticed that after not being on social media for a week you look a lot happier and had a bigger smile on your face.

Thankyou, I really needed this video! I found that my screen time was going up by roughly 13% a week. It doesn’t seem like much but it all adds up. I will definitely use your ideas to enjoy life rather than digital life x

thank you so much for this video, it came at the perfect time for me. Usually my screentime would skyrocket during summer break and I would just scroll and watch youtube all day and feel depressed because I'm not even gaining joy from it and constantly comparing myself to others, but this summer is already a bit better. I also watched "the minimalists" documentaries yesterday and thought a lot about sorting out my screentime to have more time for the important stuff

Me: wanted to stop spending so much time on socmed. Also me: binge watching and re-watching ruby's videos for a week straight almost nonstop .

This is so helpful! Thank you so much! You always bring a smile to my face, no matter what. Thank you!

I really needed this for my exams I do really like it and thanks for posting this video ❤️😃

Yes social media is distracting sometimes. Anyhow, I like watching this blog from time to time. It really helped me to receive inspiration for my college studies....English too! Also made me feel relaxed as everything and everybody was online untill a few days ago. Please keep uploading videos. Thanks👏

Wow Ruby’s new video...after 20 seconds " I am spending too much time on screens and social media". Watch or not to watch...that is the question :-)

I haven't watched your videos in so long and now I'm back! Your gentle vibes are so calming

I genuinely think this is my favorite video of all time. You should do this more times!!!