Those Videos Aren’t Going Anywhere, But Your Time Is

The other day, I was mindlessly scrolling through Reels—again. You know how it goes: one video leads to another, and before you know it, you’ve spiraled into a black hole of people doing dance challenges, cutting soap, or sharing life hacks you’ll never actually use. Then, out of nowhere, this one-second video flashed across my screen. It said, “Those videos aren’t going anywhere, but your time is.”

For a second, I paused. At first, I thought it was another clever marketing gimmick, but no—this one hit me like a slap in the face. It wasn’t promoting a product or selling me anything. It was just… the truth. Brutal, raw, and unavoidable. My thumb hovered, mid-scroll. Then something rare happened: I stopped.

I stared at my phone, the realization sinking in. Those videos really weren’t going anywhere. The algorithm was waiting patiently, ready to feed me endless entertainment. Meanwhile, my time—the one thing I can never get back—was slipping away.

I threw my phone onto the couch like it was on fire. Enough. I wasn’t going to let myself be another victim of these dopamine traps. But then came the hard part: what now?

I paced around my apartment for a bit, feeling restless. I tried picking up a book, but my brain was too fried to concentrate. I looked at the mess in my living room and thought, I should clean. Nope, didn’t have the motivation for that either. And then, in a weird burst of energy, I sat down to write this.

This isn’t some preachy “quit social media and find enlightenment” piece. Trust me, I’m as hooked as anyone else. But it’s a reminder—to you and to myself—that our time is finite. Those Reels, TikToks, and Shorts will always be there. The newest trend, the viral meme, the dance everyone’s copying—they’ll still exist tomorrow, next week, and next year.

But your moments? They’re one-way tickets. You don’t get to replay them.

So yeah, maybe this is me trying to reclaim a little of my own stolen time by sharing this with you. I don’t know if it’ll inspire you to toss your phone across the room like I did. But if it makes you pause for even a second, if it helps you to choose something else over scrolling—reading, walking, calling a friend, anything—then it’s worth it.

Because those videos aren’t going anywhere. But neither should your time.