The best way to test if you are addicted to something is to try living one day without it. This way, you can observe your behavior.
That’s exactly what I tried today. I used to be a heavy YouTube user, primarily for learning technical and Islamic topics. I believed I was using it positively, which wasn’t the case many years ago when I was just wasting time there. I forced myself to develop a habit of using YouTube constructively. However, I still watch entertainment videos about cycling, nature, and sports. Recently, I noticed I was spending a lot of time watching shorts, which are easy to scroll through and provide a quick dopamine hit, making me feel good but wasting my time.
This realization made me conduct this test to see if I’m addicted.
How I did it: I stopped using YouTube from midnight last night until midnight of today, on both my laptop and phone. I also moved the YouTube app icon to a different place on my phone to avoid hitting it unintentionally.
Things I have learned:
- Thanks God, I use YouTube for positive purposes.
- You can challenge yourself to control the technology, not let it control you.
- You are responsible for your actions.
- Don’t try to break bad habits without filling your time with good ones.
- Make a plan for your day.
- Make a fixed time for YouTube use, otherwise, he will eat you.
See you in the next sharing.