If you’re like me, you find YouTube incredibly useful, educational, informative, entertaining… and addictive.
I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. A question I see over and over is, “How can I quit my addiction to YouTube?”
YouTube isn’t exactly a social media site, although it can be used that way, especially with the creation of YouTube Shorts, making it similar to TikTok, Instagram, and other sites with short-form video content.
YouTube is better used as a search engine, however. There are many videos that can answer your questions or teach you about things you want to know.
I personally don’t use YouTube as a social media site at all. I don’t subscribe to any content creators, I don’t comment on or “like” videos, and I don’t browse the home screen for fun.
But that’s not how I used to be.
YouTube can be a highly addictive site, and I’ll be honest: I have spent periods of my life watching WAY more YouTube than I wanted to.
It got to the point where I was watching several hours of YouTube videos a day. I’d watch videos while I made breakfast, while I ate breakfast, while I cleaned up after breakfast… and that was all before 8:00 am. *face palm*
Most of the time, I would open the website with no clear plan of what I wanted to watch, but the oh-so-clever algorithm would suggest video after video to me, and I would go down a rabbit hole of kinda fun, kinda entertaining content.
But I wasn’t happy spending so much of my time that way.
So, I made a decision: I was going to kick my YouTube addiction.
After some trial and error, I finally discovered the key – the simple steps that helped me quit my YouTube addiction.
My Simple System to Combat YouTube Addiction:
First, I decided to ONLY watch a YouTube video if I could say out loud what I wanted to watch before I got on the website.
Second, I only get on YouTube in a private browser or an incognito tab. The beauty of this is that the YouTube home screen is beautifully, refreshingly, empty.
There are no suggested videos with click-baity titles that will most definitely suck me in because I’m weak, dangit!
I determine what sort of video I’m looking for before I get on, then search for it in the search bar and select one of the top videos that comes up. After I’m finished watching the video, I close the tab.
I don’t subscribe to any creators anymore. (I’m not signed in when I use incognito mode anyway, so I wouldn’t get notifications even if I was subscribed.)
This process has worked miraculously for spending less time on YouTube. I’ve been doing this for about a year now, and I don’t miss my YouTube binges at all.
I went from watching around 3 hours a day of YouTube videos to about 15 minutes a day. Many days, I don’t watch it at all.
Related: The Simple Trick to Quitting Mindless Screen Time
How can I stop watching so much YouTube?
If you want to cut down on the time you spend watching YouTube videos, here’s how you can do it:
1. Decide what you want to use YouTube for in general.
There are videos on YouTube for everything under the sun, but you need to decide how you want to use it.
Do you want it to be a source of long-form entertainment (like Netflix or another streaming service would be)? Would you rather use it for educational purposes only? Do you want it as an option to entertain yourself during short intervals?
When I sat down and contemplated how YouTube could best serve me, I decided that I would use it primarily for educational purposes, and I would occasionally use it for vibes/ambiance.
I knew that I did NOT find any value in watching YouTube Shorts, so I cut that out of the equation completely.
2. Delete the YouTube app from your phone.
If you feel yourself pushing back on deleting the YouTube app, thinking, “No no no, I need it on my phone because…” DELETE IT ANYWAY.
If you’re ever in a situation where you really do need the app (for instance, to cast a video onto a TV), just redownload the app. It takes about 30 seconds.
3. From now on, only use YouTube in a private browser or in incognito mode.
This will make it so YouTube doesn’t suggest videos to you based on your watch history.
The benefit of this is that you’ll have an empty home screen, instead of a list of algorithm-perfected suggested videos that YOUTUBE KNOWS YOU’LL BE TEMPTED TO WATCH.
4. Before you open YouTube, decide what you’re searching for.
And I’m a big proponent of stating it out loud, so you’re less likely to have one of those “Wait, what was I going to search?” moments.
Be as specific as possible. For example, say:
“I am going to watch a video on how to put strings on my guitar.”
“I am going to watch that funny clip from The Office of Michael and Dwight singing.”
“I am going to watch a travel guide for San Francisco.”
5. Watch one video at a time. If you didn’t get what you needed in the first video you selected, start the whole process over.
I’m serious: close YouTube, then open it again (still in a private browser). It will only take you 5 seconds.
The reason this is important is because otherwise, YouTube will populate “suggested videos” which will suck you in.
I highly suggest you don’t click the suggested videos.
If you see a suggested video that you’d like to watch, prove your autonomy by not clicking on it. Close the tab, open YouTube again, then search for the video by name.
If it sounds extreme… trust me, YouTube is doing extreme things too in order to keep you hooked on their website. You gotta fight back somehow.
Other Helpful Tips:
Get to the nitty-gritty of why you turn to YouTube.
If you haven’t already, do some soul searching and ask yourself why you turn to YouTube so often.
Let me save you some time here: you are most likely one of the following options: bored, depressed/sad/self-loathing, or curious.
YouTube is an easy solution for those emotions because it provides easy entertainment and answers to questions.
But usually, watching video after video is not the best way to face those emotions.
Instead, make a list of things you WOULD like to do when you’re either bored or depressed.
Avoid YouTube shorts like the plague.
I know it sounds dramatic, but just… don’t watch them. Ever. They are so addictive – they’re built to be that way.
Go from being a subscriber to a searcher.
If you’re wondering, “What about all my favorite YouTube channels? How will I see the new videos they put out?”
Here’s how: When you want to (and when you’ve set your intention beforehand), search for your favorite YouTubers manually to see if they have new videos.
If you’re worried about forgetting whose videos you want to keep up with, you could write down their names in a notebook or a Google Doc… but to be honest, if you can’t remember them, you probably won’t miss out on anything if you don’t see their new videos.
Take a break from liking, commenting, and subscribing.
Try treating YouTube like a search engine for a while, instead of like a social media site.
That means you don’t need to “like” videos, leave a comment on them, or subscribe to the creators you watch. Since you’ll only be using YouTube in a private browser, you won’t be able to do those things without signing in anyway.
(You’re still supporting YouTube creators by clicking on their videos and watching them. But this way, you’re also supporting your healthy YouTube habits by not engaging in social media-type behavior that’s bound to be addicting.)
Conclusion
If you’re trying to cut down on the time you spend on YouTube, try out these steps! They’ve honestly made a world of difference to me in conquering my YouTube addiction.
Try it out today! Start using a private browser (or incognito mode) when you use YouTube, and get into the habit of closing the tab after just one video. It may take some practice for the habit to stick, but I promise it will end up saving you so much time.
Best of luck!
