Bye Bye Facebook

About a month ago, I realized all the extra time I had left after my busy schedule filled with an intense design class, two upper level Spanish classes, an environment class (science classes are always hard for me because I find them to be such a drag), freelance writing, working 20-25 hours a week and interning eight hours a week, I spent on Facebook.  It was time I could be doing something productive and I needed to do something about it.  I decided to take away the privilege, like my mom and dad used to do as a punishment.  I didn’t see it as a punishment because I knew that freeing up some of my wasted time would only benefit me in the long run. So, I did the unthinkable:  I deactivated my Facebook account.  For an entire month. 
 
Facebook tried to keep me from leaving, and said some of my “friends” would miss me.  That is not the case, because I see my real friends quite often, thank you very much.  But once I hit “confirm,” I immediately felt free of the confines of the social network.  I became less stressed, I went to bed at least two hours earlier every night because I didn’t spend time procrastinating and avoiding projects I ultimately finished around 2 or 3 a.m. and it made me realize that there is more to life than what’s happening right now.  I started writing and blogging more, I researched jobs and internships and salaries in different states and regions and I became that much more excited about my future.

 
Facebook was my time-sucker, and I think this holds true for many college students.  Sometimes I found myself thinking, “That would be a really funny Facebook post,” when I saw a funny sign or something really ironic.  I realized that I was not only wasting time perusing the site, but when I wasn’t logged on, I thought about status updates, photos and links I needed to share with my friends.  Pathetic, I know, but I think it is safe to assume a lot of people do the same thing. 
 
I only recently reactivated my account because I needed to contact a friend.  The best thing is, after forgetting about the social network for a month, it doesn’t consume my life anymore.  The act of deactivating made it more of a permanent action than simply not logging on at all. My account really was gone and I didn’t receive any notifications or event invitations.  Now, I only spend two minutes on it when I log on.  I stopped caring about what everyone else is doing and I am focusing on myself, my career and the future.
 
So, if you’re feeling guts-y enough, stop hitting “Recent Posts” and deactivate.  Just try it for a week and see how much extra time you have.  You’ll have time to do your best on your assignments and papers, research potential jobs and even get ahead in one of your classes.  Trust me, it is worth it.

Photo Sources:
facebook.com