See how many years your phone is stealing from you.

How much is doomscrolling actually stealing from you? Numbers come from a mix of cited research (life expectancy, languages, sleep, marathon training) and reasonable estimates (creative time, social time). Some hour-costs vary widely person to person. We picked the median where evidence was thin. The page assumes your current screen time pattern continues unchanged.

Core math

• Life expectancy: 80 years. US life expectancy at birth is ~77.5 years (CDC NCHS, 2024). For adults already past childhood, life expectancy at age 25 is ~80. We use 80 as a healthy round number.
• Waking hours: 16/day. Assumes 8 hours of sleep per the CDC's adult sleep guidelines.

Mind & knowledge

• Books unread (7 hr). Average novel ~80,000 words ÷ ~250 wpm reading speed ≈ 5.3 hr; +25% for breaks/comprehension. Reading speed: Iris Reading.
• Audiobooks (10 hr). Average Audible title runtime is 9–12 hr.
• Languages mastered (600 hr). US Foreign Service Institute Category 1 (Spanish, French, etc.) to professional working proficiency (Speaking 3 / Reading 3): 600–750 hr.
• New skills mastered (1,000 hr). Anders Ericsson research distinguishes basic competence (~50–100 hr), advanced amateur (~1,000 hr), and expertise (~10,000 hr). We use the amateur threshold.
• Online courses completed (40 hr). Coursera-style course average per Coursera: 4–6 weeks at 6–10 hr/week.
• Podcasts finished (1 hr). Median podcast length per Edison Research is around 40–60 min.
• Documentaries (1.5 hr), TED talks (0.3 hr). Standard runtimes.

Body & health

• Marathons untrained (150 hr). Hal Higdon's Intermediate 18-week plan: ~6–8 hr/week × 18 weeks. Beginner programs are ~70–100 hr; advanced ~180+.
• Half marathons (75 hr), 5Ks (0.5 hr). Half marathon is ~half of marathon training; 5K finish times average 30–40 min.
• Hours of exercise (1 hr). Standard 1-hour session.
• Yoga classes (1.25 hr), swims (1.5 hr), bike rides (3 hr), dance (1 hr). Typical session lengths.
• Nights of 8-hour sleep. Per the CDC recommendation.

Creative & make

• Songs unlearned on instrument (10 hr). Estimate for an intermediate player to learn a moderate song; varies widely.
• Novels unwritten (1,500 hr). Author surveys suggest 500–2,000 hr for a first novel including drafts and revisions.
• Side projects shipped (300 hr). Indie SaaS / app / book project median; varies wildly. Estimate.
• Short stories (15 hr), poems (1 hr), blog posts (4 hr). Per Orbit Media's annual blogger survey, the average quality blog post takes 3–4+ hours.
• Mobile apps (500 hr), websites (200 hr), YouTube videos (8 hr), podcasts produced (5 hr). Solo-builder estimates; vary widely.
• Paintings (15 hr), photography expeditions (4 hr), knitting projects (30 hr), furniture refinished (15 hr). Hobby-typical hours for a finished project.

Connection & family

• Date nights (3 hr), family dinners (1.5 hr), game nights (3 hr), friend birthdays (3 hr), coffee chats (1.5 hr), volunteer hours (3 hr). Common social-event durations.
• Phone calls to loved ones (0.5 hr), thank-you notes (0.5 hr), letters written (1 hr), books read aloud to kids (1 hr). Per-instance estimates.

Adventure & travel

• Travel days lost (16 hr). One full waking day.
• Weekend getaways (32 hr). Two waking days.
• Sunday hikes (4 hr), camping trips (24 hr), climbing routes (3 hr), birdwatching mornings (3 hr), stargazing nights (2 hr), concerts (3 hr), museums (3 hr), festivals (12 hr). Typical event durations.

Domestic & spirit

• Home-cooked meals (1.5 hr), recipes mastered (5 hr), sourdough loaves (4 hr), gardens planted (15 hr), DIY projects (8 hr), rooms decluttered (4 hr). Per-instance estimates.
• Meditation (0.5 hr), therapy (1 hr), journal entries (0.25 hr). Standard session lengths.

Where research is strong (life expectancy, FSI languages, marathon programs, sleep), the figures are evidence-based. Where research is thin (creative time, social activities), the figures are reasoned estimates. The point of the calculator isn't precision. It's seeing your phone time translated into something you can feel.