Put it down
The urge to keep scrolling.
Ready
The urge to keep scrolling. Start when you are ready.
0:00 / 3:00
You did not have to win. You only had to wait.
A different urge
If you want to keep going
From the Lab
The urge to keep scrolling
Scrolling is not a decision you make once, it is a decision your thumb makes about forty times. The pull to keep going is strongest right at the moment you think about stopping, which is why willpower feels useless here. You do not have to win the argument. You only have to stay still while the pull gets loud and then gets quiet, which it does, usually faster than you expect.
This is the same three minute wave as the main urge surfing timer, with the wording set for this one. It is free and anonymous, there is nothing to type, and if the urge is still there when the wave ends you can ride another.
Common questions
Why is it so hard to stop scrolling?
Feeds are built so the next item is always unknown, and uncertainty is what holds attention hardest. The pull is engineered, so failing to resist it is not a character flaw.
Does putting the phone in another room work better?
Distance helps, and so does riding the urge out once. Distance removes the cue; urge surfing teaches you the pull fades on its own, which is what makes the next one easier.
How long does the urge to scroll last?
It varies, and there is no reliable number. Most people find the sharpest part passes within a few minutes. If it is still there after one wave, you can ride another.
Why riding it out works better than fighting it
Fighting an urge keeps your attention locked on the thing you are trying not to do, which tends to make it louder. Urge surfing does something different: you stop arguing and simply watch the wave move. The technique comes from the psychologist Alan Marlatt and is used inside mindfulness based relapse prevention, dialectical behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. How long a given urge lasts varies a great deal and no honest tool will promise you a number, which is why this one starts short and lets you go again.
This is a self-guided exercise for everyday urges, not treatment. If an urge involves harming yourself or someone else, or if it is tied to alcohol or drugs, please talk to a doctor or a crisis line rather than riding it out alone.