Last week I wrote about avoiding social media, and I got a lot of responses. But several of you pointed out that your real problem isn’t Twitter-type apps or Instagram. It’s YouTube.
You go there to watch one video about fixing your bike tire, and three hours later you’re watching someone restore a 1987 Nintendo. I get it. YouTube is sneaky that way.
So here’s what works for me.
- Create a watch list. YouTube lets you save videos to custom playlists. When you stumble across something interesting, don’t watch it. Just add it to your watch list and close the tab.
- Schedule your YouTube time. Pick a specific block in your week. Mine’s Friday afternoons. When that time comes, open YouTube and go straight to your watch list. No homepage. No recommendations feed. Just your list.
- Use the algorithm, but on your terms. I actually like YouTube’s recommendations. They surface videos I wouldn’t find otherwise. The trick is treating them like suggestions, not commands. See something interesting? Add it to the list. Move on.
- Curate ruthlessly. Before I start watching, I scan my list and delete anything that doesn’t grab me anymore. What seemed interesting on Tuesday might feel skippable by Friday. That’s fine.
This is time boxing in action. You’re not eliminating YouTube. You’re just deciding when and what to watch before you start watching. It turns passive consumption into an active choice.
Does it eliminate the temptation completely? No. Sometimes I still fall down a rabbit hole. But having a system makes those slip-ups rare instead of routine.
The key insight is that YouTube isn’t the problem. The infinite feed is. Your watch list gives you the benefits of YouTube without the trap of endless autoplay.
Give it a try for a week and see what happens.