The E! Insider Shop has published a new curated buying guide featuring eight anti-brain rot hobbies designed to reduce screen time and replace doomscrolling.
Writer Lily Rose compiled the selection for readers experiencing high device usage across TikTok, Instagram, group chats, and digital news feeds on phones and iPads. Rose noted that the hands-on activities provide a low-pressure way to rest the brain and offer a satisfying feeling of accomplishment for users who struggle to focus through a 30-minute television show.
Doomscrolling refers to the habit of obsessively scrolling through negative or repetitive online content, a term that gained widespread cultural recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic as social media usage surged. The guide highlights low-barrier activities that can be completed without leaving the couch, categorized for use before work, after work, or during weekends.
For bedtime screen-time reduction, the publication selected Bordergrams: A Quest for the Queen, priced at $16.99 on Amazon. Positioned as an Editor's Pick for fans of The New York Times word game Connections, the new fantasy-themed book requires readers to solve cryptic clues and word challenges on a map to divide it into regions. The title starts with simple puzzles before increasing in difficulty, following an earlier spy-themed edition in the same series.
Connections is a popular daily digital word game launched by The New York Times Games in 2023, in which players group sixteen words into four hidden categories based on underlying associations.
To target cognitive health, the guide features 440 Games, Puzzles & Brain Boosters Specially Designed to Keep Your Mind Sharp, available at Bookshop.org for $18.63. The daily puzzle book cross-trains the brain across six cognitive functions: long-term memory, working memory, executive functioning, attention to detail, multitasking, and processing speed. It also introduces 75 new Brain Boosters that build upon original exercises to challenge readers in new directions.
Crafts and creative activities
The guide recommends the Paint & Pigment Studios Watercolor Workbook, sold by retailer Anthropologie for $35. The beginner-friendly workbook features sweet Halloween-themed paintings for users to copy and paint.
Anthropologie also offers the Tartan Animal Cross Stitch Kit for $59. The DIY package includes cotton aida fabric, embroidery thread, a tapestry needle, a vintage-style hoop, full-color step-by-step instructions, and a velvet ribbon to complete the finished piece. Cross-stitching is a traditional form of counted-thread embroidery where crafters form X-shaped stitches on fabric to compose detailed patterns.
For weekend crafting, Rose highlighted the Silver Clay Ring DIY Kit with Birth Stone Selection, available on Etsy for $81.71. The all-inclusive package contains tools and materials required to design a customized silver clay ring featuring a chosen birthstone.
Creative memory keeping is addressed with the Pipisticks Junk Journaling Sticker Book, retailing for $20 at Anthropologie. The book provides stickers designed to encourage creativity through collages, scrapbooks, and memory keeping over hours of crafting.
Traditional tile games and home goods
The list incorporates two options for Mahjong, a tile-based strategy game developed in 19th-century China that has seen a resurgence in contemporary lifestyle design. The guide highlights the Verve Culture Mahjong set, available through Revolve for $150, as an accessible and affordable option for beginners learning the rules.
For a luxury edition, the article features the Hill House x Williams Sonoma Home Mahjong Set, priced at $495 at Williams Sonoma. The exclusive collaboration combines signature patterns from fashion designer Nell Diamond's brand Hill House with Williams Sonoma home goods.
Hill House, founded by Diamond in 2016, gained widespread prominence for its viral Nap Dress before expanding into lifestyle decor. The classic mahjong set is clad in woven cane with leather accents and lined in faux suede. Its vibrant blue interior organizes four tile trays, dice, and accessories for casual or competitive play.
Editorial methodology and additional features
The E! Insider Shop editorial team stated that items were selected independently based on research, customer reviews, expert interviews, and personal testing. The publication noted that products are sold directly by individual retailers rather than E!, with pricing and availability accurate as of the publication time on August 17, 2026.
The report also referenced related shopping coverage from the outlet, including guides on campus-ready walking shoes and a Bath & Body Works product collaboration with The Nightmare Before Christmas.
