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How to Make Your Instagram Scrolling Productive

Instagram is entertaining. Especially when it knows exactly what you like. Make the mistake of opening the app for ‘a quick look’ and before you know it, you have gone through the entire range of human emotions in the span of two hours!

That’s not so bad if you’ve got time to kill. But when it happens again and again, every day, multiple times a day, then it takes a toll on your productivity.

Why? Because it wreaks havoc on your ability to focus! It hijacks your brain’s reward system so that every 30-second video makes you want to watch even more videos. And that’s not great if you’re actually trying to adult and finish something worthwhile.

Related: What is Temptation Bundling: An Unconventional Strategy to Overcome Procrastination

Key Tips and Step-by-Step Guide to Make Instagram Scrolling Productive

As a fellow Instagram user who scrolls through the app not just to stay connected with friends but also to be entertained, I’d have to admit that one has to place limits on fun.

While stopping altogether is the ultimate ideal, there are baby steps one can take to see to it your phone doesn’t take over your life – for now.

  1. Curate Your Feed

See only content that enriches your personal interests. Throw in a mix of entertainment and valuable content for balance.

Goal: Transform your feed into a source of inspiration and learning.

How to Do It:

  • Unfollow Distractions: Identify and remove accounts that promote irrelevant or negative content.
    • Go to Profile > Following and unfollow accounts that no longer align with your interests


      • Follow Relevant Accounts: Search for profiles that share educational, motivational, or industry-related content.
        • Search using hashtags like #Productivity, #SelfImprovement, or #BusinessTips to discover valuable accounts.
      • Mute or Restrict Accounts: If you don’t want to unfollow, mute accounts to avoid seeing their content without causing offense.

               Go to the profile, click the three dots, and select Mute.

      TIP: Stick to Your Feed

      Try to view content from creators you’ve already followed first instead of looking at reels suggested to you by the algorithm. Doing so will only de-tract you from the original goal and you will end up mindlessly scrolling through reels just like before.

  1. Use Saved Posts and Collections

See recipes you’d like to try? A reel that inspired you? Leverage Saved posts to your advantage and organize them as you would folders on your personal computer.

Goal: Create a personal library of useful content.

How to Do It:

  • Save Valuable Content: When you see posts that inspire or educate you, tap the bookmark icon to save them.
  • Create Organized Collections: Categorize saved posts into specific collections.
    • Go to Saved > Click on the Plus button in the upper right corner to create a new folder/collection.



    • Label collections like "Work Ideas," "Fitness Tips," “Crazy Cat Videos”, or "Marketing Strategies."
  • Review Periodically: Set aside time weekly to actually review and apply what you’ve saved, otherwise, all these are zilch.

  1. Engage Actively

Rather than being a passive consumer, engage with the creators who bring valuable content and be an active part of the community around that interest. You will learn not just from the creators themselves but also from other passionate members of the circle.

Goal: Retain information and build connections.

How to Do It:

  • Leave meaningful comments on posts to engage with creators or fellow commenters.
  • Share valuable or inspiring content on your stories with a personal takeaway.
  • If you don’t have time to read or watch a post, save it for review during a scheduled time.

Related: [GUIDE] How to Set Personal Goals to Live Life Your Way

  1. Limit Infinite Scrolling

Did you know that Instagram has a built-in tool to help you control your scrolling time on the app?

Goal: Control your time spent on Instagram.

How to Do It:

  • Set a Timer: Use your phone's built-in timer or apps like Freedom to limit scrolling.
    • Set a 15-20 minute limit for each session (or longer if you’re new to the whole thing).
  • Disable Auto-Scroll (if possible): Use third-party tools or browser extensions to minimize auto-scrolling.
  • Set App Limits: Go to Time Management > Daily Limit
    • Limit Instagram usage to a fixed time per day.

  1. Leverage Educational Content

Social media has grown to become a channel for not just entertainment but also for professionals and niche experts to share their valuable ideas. Use Instagram to follow the most reliable names in your industry or topic of interest.

Goal: Use Instagram as a learning tool.

How to Do It:

  • Follow Educators and Experts: Look for creators who post tutorials, infographics, or actionable tips.
    • Examples: Business coaches, industry experts, and productivity gurus.
  • Use Hashtags for Discovery: Search for hashtags like #LearnOnInstagram, #EntrepreneurTips, or #CareerGrowth.
  • Save Tutorials and Infographics: Save detailed educational posts for future reference.

Related: The Rhythm of Productivity: How to Determine Your Peak Productive Hours

  1. Optimize Your Interaction with the Algorithm

Be conscious about how you interact with the content that you see on Instagram. Liking, commenting, or sharing a piece of content sends a signal to the algorithm to show you more of that kind of content.

Goal: Train Instagram to show you relevant content.

How to Do It:

  • Like, comment, and save content that aligns with your interests.
  • Don’t engage with irrelevant or distracting content, as it skews the algorithm.
  • To avoid seeing unwanted content, snooze suggested posts for 30 days.
    • Go to Suggested Post > Tap the Three Dots > Snooze for 30 Days.

  1. Schedule Your Instagram Time

Your most important tasks should take precedence over your ‘fun’ time. To make sure your most precious productivity hours are not compromised by your impulsive scrolling tendencies, schedule the fun instead so your dopamine-addled brain will have something to look forward to (and not hijack your focus every 15 minutes or so).

Goal: Prevent overuse and ensure focused engagement.

How to Do It:

  • Set Specific Times: Plan fixed times for Instagram use, such as during breaks or after completing tasks.
    • Example: 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes after lunch, and 10 minutes in the evening.
  • Stick to the Schedule: Use an app blocker to limit access outside of scheduled periods.
  • Review Your Usage: Check your Screen Time Report weekly to ensure you stay within your limits.

Final Word

The next time you feel guilt at wiling away 50 minutes on cat videos, here’s a useful reminder: these tools are designed to keep you on them. You are not acting abnormally but as intended. That said, you can take advantage of this genius design to improve yourself in ways you see fit – all while filling your daily dose of fun.

References

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