Stop Letting Screens Control You. Use Them with Purpose

 

“Dr. Dan, hello there. Can you please help me figure out why I feel so drained and overwhelmed and like I can’t focus, even when I haven’t done much?”

– Alfonso T. (Getafe, Spain)

 

 

“At some point, you have to draw a line and decide: ‘In this moment, I’m going to use technology in healthy, happy ways – or not at all!’”

This was the challenge we explored in Part 1: ensure your screen time serves your well-being or, whenever it doesn’t, skip it completely.

Why? To combat the growing problem of “brain rot”: that foggy, burned-out feeling after hours of mindless scrolling, that struggle to focus on anything meaningful, and that creeping loss of motivation, connection, and joy. It’s the slow erosion of our minds, mental skills, attention, and relationships caused by the never-ending flood of digital content that keeps us glued to screens almost 24/7.

But how can you fight this pandemic and reduce brain rot at times when you can’t completely skip screen time? In those moments, the goal shifts to making your screen time as genuinely “happy” (dare I say joyful?) and productive as possible.

You can shift from being hunted by algorithms and distractions to becoming the hunter in your digital life, intentionally seeking out content and activities that truly serve you while ignoring everything else. With the right strategies, screen time can become a powerful tool for growth, fulfillment, and mental clarity that builds up your brain and enhances your life – instead of degrading them!

 

 

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Hunt or Be Hunted: The Digital Predator-Prey Relationship

Here’s a sad truth I’ve discovered in my years of brain coaching: Most people have unknowingly become prey in their digital lives. They consume whatever content algorithms push at them, react to notification after notification, and let apps dictate their interests and attention. They’re on the defensive, trying, and often failing, to beat back attacks from ads, distractions, and addicting or toxic content. They’re hunted by technology designed to capture and maintain their attention at any cost. They’ve lost their agency and power.

Instead of using digital tech as a tool to serve them, they are the tool, and they serve IT.

But what if we flipped this relationship? What if, instead of letting yourself be prey to endless feeds and information, you became the hunter – purposefully seeking out only the content and experiences that serve your growth and authentic interests?

 

 

Think about it: Is it anyone’s true passion or calling to watch cat videos or people doing silly dances? Of course not. These are just addictive distractions that keep us from discovering and pursuing what genuinely matters to us. When you stop letting technology tell you what to be interested in, something remarkable happens: you uncover more of your true self, your genuine interests and talents, and your purpose in life.

I experienced this transformation myself when I stopped letting my devices dictate my attention starting about a year ago. It wasn’t cold turkey, and I’m still not perfect at it. But instead of mindlessly opening apps during free moments, I began simply enjoying the quiet, peaceful moments. When I do need something online, I intentionally seek out only the specific information or experiences that align with my goals.

As I’ve moved closer and closer to pure “hunting,” the difference has been profound – my self-assurance, inner peace, healthy habits, and productivity are stronger than they’ve ever been before in my life. My very sense of self has returned and solidified. Because whether you hunt it down or let someone else force it down your throat, the digital content you consume shapes your mental capabilities and who you become. 

 

You are What You “Eat”

Think of your screen time like your diet. Some digital activities nourish your mind, helping it grow stronger and more capable. Others are empty calories – probably harmless, but unhelpful. Worst of all are toxic forms of content that actively damage your cognitive abilities, just as junk foods can essentially poison your body.

 

 

And like your diet physically changes your body, your digital diet literally restructures your brain. This isn’t metaphorical – it’s hard neuroscience. Research on neuroplasticity shows that whatever you repeatedly do becomes increasingly automated and ingrained in your neural pathways, for better or for worse. Each time you give in to distraction or seek instant gratification, you’re rewiring your brain to crave more of the same.

This neuroplasticity is both a danger and an opportunity: poor digital habits weaken your mind, but intentional tech use can strengthen it. The key is distinguishing content that fuels your growth from content that serves only to capture your attention, then hunting down the former and avoiding the latter like the plague that it is.

 

Strategies for Digital Hunters

Here’s how to transform your screen time from a source of brain rot into a tool for growth:

 

Test what actually serves you

Apply my Past-Present-Future test to determine if any given digital device, app, or activity is expanding your happiness or hurting it:

Past	Present	Future
After doing it, are you glad you did it?	While doing it, do you mindfully enjoy it?	Do you genuinely look forward to it?*

*Meaning, you’d grieve the loss if you never got to do it again, like you might grieve permanent loss of a hobby, getting cozy under a blanket, exercising, or watching a sunset. (Why are you wasting your time on things that don’t bring that kind of joy, instead of spending that time on things that do…? 🤔)

If you can’t answer “Yes” to all three of the questions above, then ask yourself the final question to finish the test: would I perhaps be happier without this device/app/screen activity in my life?

If your answer is “yes,” or even “maybe,” then here’s the ultimate experiment: try going without it for one or two weeks. You might be surprised to discover that activities you thought were essential to your lifestyle were actually just empty or harmful habits.

Many of my clients report feeling relief, not deprivation, when they drop certain apps or platforms. When I first did this, I had one of the happiest and most productive weeks of my life, and although I felt drawn to my screens out of habit (and had to quickly turn them back off a few times), I didn’t actually miss them at all.

 

💡 Quick Win: Right now, get rid of one app or device that fails the Past-Present-Future test. Don’t think about it too hard; you probably already know which one it should be.

 

Plan your target, avoid everything else

Decide what you want before you open any app or website. Think of a specific show, channel, or game to enjoy, or a specific website, information, or question to pursue, then go hunt it down rather than being hunted by literally endless recommendations. This applies to everything from entertainment to research – always start with a clear target in mind.

Wherever possible, rely on systems rather than willpower; the easiest way to beat the temptation to look at a distraction is to not even know it exists! Use a home page that doesn’t display recent news. Unfollow every account on social media that doesn’t make your life better. Use a browser or reader mode that hides ads and pop-ups. Many apps and websites can be modified to prevent random recommendations. I personally appreciate Unhook, an extension for YouTube that can turn off any or every part of the interface.

 

Choose high-quality, challenging content

Most digital content is designed for fast consumption and quick dopamine hits. Break this pattern by deliberately choosing material that challenges and enriches you: documentaries that make you think, in-depth articles that expand your perspective, or games that exercise your problem-solving skills or require cooperation, boosting your teamwork, strategy, and communication.

Variety matters too – consuming the same type of content, over and over, even if it’s “educational,” limits your cognitive growth.

Beware of “bite-size” content. While convenient, it trains your brain to crave easy rewards and avoid or procrastinate effortful challenges. Longer, more nuanced, and complex tasks feel increasingly overwhelming and intimidating as you lose focus, discipline, and mental strength. Can you relate?

To put it bluntly, bite-size content regresses your brain toward child-like abilities, even when the content seems positive. So, if you want to reverse that trajectory, instead of settling for shallow, low-effort experiences, challenge yourself with long-form content. Engage deeply — think complex thoughts, feel profound emotions, and connect meaningfully with others.

 

 

 

💡 Quick Win: Right now, find an article or video that you’ve been putting off because it seems “too long.” Block out 30 uninterrupted minutes tomorrow to tackle it. Notice how your attention span feels by the end: challenged, but stronger, like after exercise, rather than drained like after scrolling.

 

Create and engage, don’t just consume

Your brain strengthens what you practice. When you passively consume content, you’re practicing being a spectator. Instead, transform your screen time into active creation and engagement: write responses to articles, create summary notes from videos, teach others what you learn, express yourself through digital art, music, and coding, and design solutions to problems you care about.

Even simple actions like explaining a concept to someone else or journaling your insights can transform you from consumer to creator. Creative production engages multiple brain regions and builds neural pathways that strengthen your ability to think originally and solve problems innovatively.

 

Learn and grow intentionally

Turn screen time into dedicated learning time. Random educational content – no matter how interesting or useful – is procrastination in disguise, stealing time from what truly matters to you, whether that’s learning your chosen topics or taking direct action on your goals. There are infinite things you could learn, so you must learn to say no to everything except what directly serves your priorities. Often, that means no learning at all – just focused action.

When it’s time to act and you need a screen, practice deep work: commit to uninterrupted screen time for meaningful tasks, avoiding multitasking and shallow distractions.

When learning is truly needed, decide in advance what topics matter to your goals, make a structured learning plan, and stick to it. No exceptions, no random exploration. Take proper courses instead of random videos, use skill-building apps purposefully, join focused study groups, and get serious – or don’t learn it at all.

 

 

Transform social media use

Social platforms can either isolate you in an echo chamber of shallow interactions or connect you with people who inspire growth. Choose the latter: join communities focused on your goals, share your learning journey, and engage in meaningful discussions rather than passive scrolling. Actively seek out opinions different from your own to expose your blind spots, broaden your perspectives, and prevent becoming a victim of algorithm-induced confirmation bias: they feed you what you already agree with and what you want to hear so that you’ll feel good and keep coming back, no matter how valid or ridiculous the ideas.

With any online community, the more the interactions mimic real life, like face-to-face interactions and no anonymity, the better for your relationships and mental health. Better yet, use social platforms to organize real-world meetups and deepen genuine human connections more than you ever could on a screen.

 

Use technology without depending on it

AI tools, GPS, and digital assistants can either augment your capabilities or atrophy them. The key is to use them strategically: as brainstorming partners rather than crutches, as learning aids rather than substitutes for thinking.

Over-dependence on technology can leave you unprepared for situations where you can’t outsource your thinking, like navigating without GPS, negotiating, or connecting on a date. By deliberately deciding when to rely on tech and when to use your own skills, you stay efficient yet sharp in critical abilities like creativity, problem-solving, and communication.

When something would (or could, with a little practice) take about the same amount of time to do with your mind as with technological assistance — like basic math, recalling your schedule, or planning a route — choose to exercise your brain. This intentional balance keeps your mind sharp and builds resilience and confidence for the moments when only your own skills will do.

 

💡 Quick Win: Look at your last three digital activities. Were you hunting for something specific that matters to you, or were you being hunted by algorithms and notifications? From all the tips above, choose one “prey” activity to stop doing, and one “predator” activity to start doing instead.

 

Reclaim Your Digital Life

Remember: Every moment you spend on screens either strengthens or weakens your brain. The result depends on who’s in control – you or your devices. When you shift from being digital prey to becoming a purposeful hunter, you’re not just preventing brain rot, you’re actively reversing it, building a stronger mind with each intentional interaction.

ACTION POTENTIALS

Remember our Quick Wins from above, which are great options to start your positive shift:

1. 💡 Get rid of one app or device that fails the Past-Present-Future test. Don’t think about it too hard; you probably already know which one it should be.

2. 💡 Find an article or video that you’ve been putting off because it seems “too long.” Block out 30 uninterrupted minutes tomorrow to tackle it. Notice how your attention span feels by the end: challenged, but stronger, like after exercise, rather than drained like after scrolling.

3. 💡 Look at your last three digital activities. Were you hunting for something specific that matters to you, or were you being hunted by algorithms and notifications? From all the tips above, choose one “prey” activity to stop doing, and one “predator” activity to start doing instead.

Feel that immediate sense of relief from taking some or all of those actions? That’s your brain already shifting away from a prey state of endless distraction to a hunter state of peace, empowerment, and freedom.

You don’t get to choose how what you consume affects your body, brain, mind, and soul.
But as the hunter, you do get to choose what you consume.

So choose wisely.

Your fellow hunter,

~Dan

 

Dr. Dan Lathen

Founder – Cortex Evolution
Doctorate in Neuroscience
Brain Coach & Certified Learning & Memory Coach

 

 

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Stay tuned for Part 3, where we’ll dive into the HOW: improve your screen habits so that whatever you’re doing on them causes less harm to your body and mind.

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