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How much of your life is scrolling taking?
Turn a vague Screen Time number into hours, waking days, and a realistic plan for reclaiming some of that time through journaling.
Transparent methodology
Exactly how the estimates work
Annual scrolling hours = daily minutes × days per week × 52 ÷ 60.
Monthly scrolling hours = annual hours ÷ 12.
Equivalent waking days = annual hours ÷ 16. We use a 16-hour waking day only to make the scale easier to understand.
Recovered time = scrolling time × your reduction goal. Potential journal sessions divide the recovered minutes by your selected session length.
These are estimates, not measured outcomes or medical advice. Your phone’s Screen Time report is the best source for the daily input. The calculation assumes 52 equal weeks and does not predict whether a particular reduction goal will be achieved.
Why replace scrolling with journaling?
A blocker can remove access, but an empty pause is easy to abandon. A short journal entry gives the interruption a destination. You do not need to write an essay: a mood, one honest sentence, or five words about what you were about to avoid can be enough to establish the cue.
Journal Lock connects those two steps. At the time you choose, it shields selected distracting apps. Completing your chosen writing minimum unlocks them again, turning an automatic opening into a small act of reflection.
Frequently asked questions
How is the doomscroll cost calculated?
We multiply your estimated daily scrolling minutes by the number of days per week and by 52 weeks, then convert the result to hours. Monthly estimates divide the annual total by 12.
What is a waking day?
For a more human-scale comparison, this calculator treats one waking day as 16 hours. It is only an illustration, not a claim that every person sleeps eight hours.
Does Journal Lock collect my calculator answers?
The calculations happen in your browser. Journal Lock does not request your name, journal text, or selected app names through this calculator. Anonymous numeric analytics may be recorded when you share results or choose to visit the App Store.
How much scrolling should I try to replace?
Start with a reduction small enough to repeat. Replacing one predictable 5- to 10-minute scrolling window with journaling is often more practical than trying to eliminate every distracting app at once.
Put the estimate to use
Join the 7-Day Write-Before-You-Scroll Study →