Scrolling and feeling behind? Compare yourself to last year's you.
A 3 minute scoreboard
You scroll. Someone has a new job, a new body, a new house. You put the phone down and feel a little behind.
Everyone on the screen is a different person with a different road. This small experiment picks a fairer comparison: you, a year ago. It takes 3 minutes.
Step 1. Write 3 things you can do now that you could not do a year ago.
Small things count. A skill, a habit, a hard talk you managed.
What to expect: the first one is the hardest. After that they come faster.
Step 2. Write 1 thing you wish you had more of, and your next small step.
Be kind and clear. Name one thing you want more of, then one small step toward it.
What to expect: a wish is not a failure. It is a direction.
Step 3. Put the page where you see it before your phone.
Next to the charger, on the mirror, inside the cover of your phone. The first thing you see in the morning is your page, not the feed.
What to expect: you will still scroll sometimes. That is fine. You have a page that is yours.
Try it today
Do the three steps tonight in 3 minutes. Put the page by your phone. Tomorrow morning, read the first line before you open any app.
Why it may help
In research with children aged 8 to 16, comparing with their own past raised pride and gave a sense of progress. A 2023 study found that people felt clearer about who they are when they compared their past and present selves and noticed improvement. In human words: your own road is the only one you have walked. Noticing progress may help you see growth that comparing with others hides.
The honest part: the evidence is small, and the first study was with children, not adults. This exact list has not been tested. If you feel you have gone backwards this year, this may feel bad. Skip it then.
Download the picture
You get this Pin as a picture to keep, on your phone or printed. The app asks for your email first, so you will see a box that says "Get more tools automatically in your email".