boAT's Aman Gupta spent 4 hours daily watching Instagram reels, reveals how a 30-day break changed his life

Doomscrolling on internet till late at night has often led any of us to sleep late, wake up groggy and a dip in the energy levels. And seems like boAT co-founder Aman Gupta too once found himself in a similar fix. In a social media post, he has revealed how stepping away from Instagram for 30 days changed his daily routine. In a LinkedIn post, the Shark Tank India judge shared how he used to spend hours scrolling on Instagram and watching reels. But, he soon realised the toll it was taking on him and decided to delete the app from his phone and shared his improvements in his health and work.

Aman Gupta completes 30 days without Instagram

Sharing his experience, Gupta admitted that he never expected to stay away from the platform for even a day. "Never thought I would last even a day. It's been 30 days since I deleted my Instagram app on phone," he wrote. He clarified that he had not deactivated his account but had simply removed the app from his phone. Explaining how much time he spent scrolling, Gupta said, "I used to spend minimum 4 hours a day on IG. Sometimes more."

He described how reels had become a habit throughout the day, writing, "Sone se pehle reels, aankh khulte reels, nahate hue reels, khaana khaate saath reels, meeting ke beech mein bhi reels, (Reels before sleeping, watching reels right after waking up, checking reels while bathing, eating and watching reels, scrolling reels in the middle of meetings), didn't even realise when it became a muscle memory." Admitting that he struggled to balance his Instagram use, he added, "Some people know how to balance things. I unfortunately don't."

Aman Gupta says Instagram break improved his focus

Gupta in the post shared that his friends expected him to last only three days, while his wife Priya predicted five days. He too thought he would give up after a day. Despite this, he was able to complete 30 days and won the bets. "Now I am sleeping better, feeling fresher, focusing on work with full attention," he shared.

He called it a much-needed digital detox as he shared that he loves the app. "But call it digital detox or de-addiction, I needed it." He also made it clear that he plans to return to Instagram someday, although he does not know when. "I’ll be back, for sure. But when? I don’t know. And when I do, it’ll be with a BANG," he wrote. For now, he has turned his attention to building and formulating something with full focus.

Netizens react

A user wrote, "I deleted my FB in 2015, never created an IG account and deleted YT in Feb this year. Life was good earlier, but it’s better now." Another added, "Cool! I too am a “no Facebook, no Insta” person. I don’t use YouTube for at least 2–3 months a year. During the remaining months, I use YouTube with my watch history turned off, so I don’t get recommendations. Probably the most important feature to avoid getting addicted!" One shared, "I’ve taken a slightly different approach: YouTube - Disabled personalization, if I need something, I search for it intentionally. No getting lost in Shorts. Instagram - I uninstall it when I realise it’s consuming too much time. For me, it’s not about quitting social media. it’s about taking back control of my attention and time."