Self-Control Score

The Self-Control Score measures how well you stick to your intended behaviour when watching YouTube. A high score means your sessions went the way you planned them.

The Self-Control Score is one of three weekly behavioural scores computed by Gazenest from your actual YouTube activity. It is expressed as a number between 0 and 100.

A high Self-Control Score means that your YouTube sessions this week were deliberate -- you had a plan before you opened YouTube and what you actually watched aligned with that plan. A low score means your sessions often drifted away from what you intended, or you frequently opened YouTube without setting an intent at all.

The score does not penalise Free scroll. Choosing to browse freely is a valid, conscious choice. What it tracks is the gap between what you said you would do and what you did.

How to improve it: the most reliable path is consistent use of Intent Mode before each session. Even if your actual viewing does not perfectly match your declared intent every time, the act of declaring an intent before a session is the primary mechanism of change. Self-regulation research (Zimmerman, 2000; Gollwitzer, 1999) consistently shows that pre-committing to a specific plan substantially increases follow-through compared to vague intentions.

The Self-Control Score is available on Plus and above plans because it requires Intent Mode session data.

Last updated: 2026-06-15

Other glossary terms

  • Intent Mode -- Intent Mode asks you to name your goal before a YouTube session, then scores how...
  • Clarity Score -- The Clarity Score measures how closely your actual watch time aligns with the go...
  • Diversity Score -- The Diversity Score measures how varied your YouTube consumption is across topic...
  • Honest Watch Tracking -- Honest Watch Tracking counts only seconds where the video is the active tab and ...
  • Binge Detection -- Binge detection flags sessions where you watched several videos in a row without...
  • Watch Budget -- A watch budget is a weekly or daily limit you set for your YouTube viewing time....

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