Did you really feel too tired to put in that extra hour of work, or was it simply that the idea of digital downtime sounded more appealing? Social media has reshaped how we perceive our energy, how we divide our time and how we balance the demands of productive growth against the pull of quick-fix entertainment. It has created an environment where every spare minute feels like an opportunity to scroll, swipe and consume, rather than to recharge or focus.
“Doomscrolling,” as it’s now been neatly labeled, is more than just a bad habit. It’s a perfectly engineered trap: an endless buffet of memes, news snippets, half-baked hot takes and videos designed to keep us nibbling when real life feels a little bland.
And here’s the sting: No one, not even the most efficient professional or inspired creative, is immune. Without a healthier replacement to reach for, (something that actually restores rather than drains), it’s astonishingly easy to get caught in a social media cycle, again and again.
But what if that time could be redirected? URoutine, a new productivity platform, is betting that people want more from their digital lives. Free and globally accessible, this new social network is encouraging users to build small, consistent routines that can be tracked, shared and celebrated with others.
Instead of chasing endless content, the app nudges people to invest five focused minutes a day into habits that matter, whether that’s exercising, meditating, learning or simply taking time to recharge. Its promise is straightforward: achieve more and scroll less.
Fresh from a £555,000 cash injection, uRoutine is aiming to use its latest backing round to bring its vision to a wider audience. Many of those backers are familiar faces who supported founders Ed Johnson and Gabriel Sirbu on their last venture, PushFar, a mentoring network that matched professionals with mentors to help them grow their careers. PushFar was snapped up by ScaleUp Capital in 2023, giving the founders a track record they can now build on into the future.
The round drew backing from several notable figures, among them Timothy Hely Hutchinson CBE, former CEO of Hachette UK; Tom Weldon, CEO of Penguin Books UK; Glynn Woodin, founder of Mustard Foods and Mustard Catering; and Paddy Dear, co-founder of Tetragon Financial Management.
Instead of letting spare minutes vanish into endless social feeds, professionals can turn to uRoutine to weave meaningful practices into their day. That might mean a five-minute language lesson between meetings, a brisk jog before lunch or a short meditation before bed. Over time, these micro-habits not only build personal rhythm and resilience but also connect users with like-minded peers. Professionals can create their own digital communities around the habits that matter most to them.
You can share progress, cheer on peers and pick up inspiration from others’ routines. What used to feel like wasted time starts to turn into refreshing, productive breaks. And, for busy workers, it’s not about giving up leisure; it’s about reshaping it so those little in-between moments actually boost well-being and your ability to switch off when it matters most.
Any kind of scrolling, whether through news, emails or social media, taps into the brain’s craving for novelty. Each swipe delivers a small burst of dopamine, the neurotransmitter tied to reward and motivation. The more we scroll, the more our brains adapt to short, shallow bursts of input, leaving little room for sustained attention. We start to view spare minutes as filler—time to burn instead of time to grow.
Scientists are increasingly warning that social media may be as addictive as gambling or even substance use, and the risks are especially acute for teenagers still learning how to focus. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 10% of the global adolescent population, and climbing, show signs of problematic social media use. When not managed well, such habits may tighten and travel with young people into their professional worlds.
But with purpose, those same problematic patterns can be redirected into something better—by filling feeds with educational or motivational content, scrolls can instead become energizing breaks that reinforce focus and motivation. URoutine is about owning your definition of victory, meaning and productivity, and showing others what life looks like without the social media filter.
The shift away from passive scrolling doesn’t happen overnight, but it can start today. By creating an account, you can begin shaping habits that matter, share progress with a community designed for encouragement rather than distraction and turn idle minutes into meaningful wins. The first step is simple: set up your profile, define your routines and let each small action build into something bigger.
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