How to stop being distracted by media?

How much of your time do you spend on catching up with latest news on the social media or watching shows that you watch just because they are popular? Or is it the unrestrained binging of YouTube videos that spark your interest one after another? For me, the former used to consume quite a lot of my time a couple of years ago and the latter is still a persisting issue that comes back every time I fall into a new rabbit hole on the Internet. I keep finding myself questioning whether I really enjoy spending hours watching videos. The answer is pretty much always negative, but I kept clicking on a new VOD or livestream clip only to get a bare minimum of enjoyment out of it just to. How do I manage to set myself free from the unending cycle? What to do to stop following the algorithm?

The method I use to avoid such situations revolves about constant awareness of things I spend my time on. Whenever you catch yourself wanting to click on another video ask yourself if you actually want to watch it and what will change after you do it. Most of the time the answer is no, the video will not make your life any better or inspire any ideas. That method also applies to movies, shows and other media. Constantly saying no to immediate urges also builds self-control and leads to more productive and happier days – few things make you feel worse than spending a day lying like a vegetable or staying up late to watch more clips. The hardest part is to decide that you do not actually need to invest any time in it and drop it.