How to Cure Brain Rot 🧠

A few days ago, I used the term “aura” in one of my videos. Almost instantly, people started calling me for using a brain rot term:

But here’s the thing… I had no idea “aura” was a brain rot term. Perhaps this is a sign that my brain rot has gone too far, which brings me to the topic of this newsletter: ways to cure this chronic condition that has afflicted not only me, but millions of young people around the world.

How to Tell if You Have Brain Rot

Here are a few classic signs:

• Having the attention of goldfish.

• Constantly checking your phone for new notifications.

• Filling every idle moment in your life with short-form content.

• And the worst symptom of them all: not being able to focus on anything without Subway Surfers playing on the side.

I kid. (Kinda.) Essentially, if you find yourself constantly consuming content and struggling to focus on your work, chances are you have this condition.

Here’s how to cure it.

Tip 1: Detox Your Algorithm

Here’s the harsh truth about brain rot. Once you start, it’s hard to stop.

Social media isn’t designed to serve contact that’s good for you; it’s designed to serve content that it knows you’re going to watch, whether it’s going to enhance your life or detract from it.

Most students trap themselves in what I call a “brain rot cycle.” They’ll engage with a few brain rot videos, triggering the algorithm to believe they enjoy that type of content. So the algorithm will serve them even more brain rot, kicking off a never-ending cycle.

The purpose of an algorithm detox is to train the algorithm to serve you rich and meaningful content—what I like to call “brain nourishment,” lol.

The next time you see a brain rot clip on the timeline, hold down and press “Not interested.” You can even try to scroll past as quickly as possible so the algorithm doesn’t get the wrong message.

The people who beat brain rot are intentional consumers. The people who are beaten by brain rot are passive consumers—they go wherever the algorithm takes them.

Tip 2: Set Boundaries

An algorithm detox is a great first step in treating brain rot, but it isn’t sufficient. You can very much have a “detoxified algorithm” yet still be glued to your phone.

Part of overcoming brain rot is setting boundaries: being able to move back and forth between the real world and digital world with ease.

If you don’t draw a clear line indicating where technology should and shouldn’t be in your life, it will consume you. It will beg for your attention and suck you out of the present moment.

Setting boundaries is as simple as creating physical distance between you and technology in important situations. For example, unless you need to use your phone as a calculator or timer, keep it away from you while doing homework. If you’re in school, keep your phone in your backpack.

The harsh reality is that nobody is going to enforce these boundaries for you. You need not only the discipline, but the self-respect, to follow these rules you set for yourself.

Tip 3: Embrace Idleness

I have an observation… and you can tell me if you think I’m right or wrong, but I think today’s younger generation does a poor job dealing with idleness.

Hear me out.

If we have two free minutes between classes, we’ll go on our phones. If we a two free minutes before a meeting, we’ll go on our phones. If we’re taking a break between sets at the gym, we’ll go on our phones.

We have become hardwired to pull out out phones to fill every idle moment. And oftentimes, we’re pulling out our phones for no other reason than to fill the moment. It’s never to respond to an important text or read an important email. We usually just pull up social media for those cheap dopamine hits.

Whenever you have a free moment, take a deep breath, stretch, drink some water, and observe the environment around you. Try to feel present in the moment.

I’m sure we’re all extremely busy, running from one class to the next, jumping from one extracurricular to another. These idle moments are a gift, and they’re few and far between. Instead of filling them with meaningless, mindless stimulation, just cherish the moment.

Hope this newsletter helped! I’ve been doing my best to implement the three tips above… and now hopefully you can do the same.

Also, if you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar