Freshman year I had a bit of a wake-up call. I was at home with my family and I realized I was spending more time scrolling through my phone than I was talking to the people I care most about and never see. I decided to delete social media off of my phone and only download certain apps when I wanted/needed to post something. This was the best cleanse because I really only focused on the people and things that mattered to me.
Now, as a senior, I’m going through that same feeling of self-realization and decided that I needed to cut back on social media for a week just to limit my distractions and focus on myself and my responsibilities.
IPhones allow you to limit how much time you spend on each app, which is extremely helpful! I set my app limits to only 1 minute per platform per day, making it impossible to waste time on my phone. When you’ve reached your limit in the app, it will send you a notification. This is a super simple way to monitor how much time you spend on your phone so you can #CheckYourself before you #WreckYourself.
This week, I decided to make a conscious effort to eliminate these distractions and unnecessary clutter in my life in a bid to focus my energy on the people and projects that mean most to me. Here’s how it went.
Day 1
I’m not going to lie….I definitely cheated on my “no social media” pact today. I did use my Instagram, but for the sole purpose of promoting Dance Marathon at FSU, so I guess that counts as my free pass. Right? #FTK
Day 2
Today was a lot more difficult than I expected. I wasn’t tempted to touch my phone constantly, but I did notice when I had downtime, my first instinct was to reach for my phone and check Snapchat or Instagram. Instead of wasting time looking through the clutter on my phone, I spent more time away from my phone connecting with those around me. Just like the good ‘ol days.
Day 3
In all honesty, this no-social media thing is pretty easy. I realize I mostly turn to these apps in an effort to keep me distracted, but I’ve been filling my time up with personal projects and catching up on chores, which I will say is 100% the self-care we all need and deserve.
Day 4
At this point, I’ve forgotten about social media and really don’t feel a yearning for it. Okay, that’s a bit extreme but in all seriousness, I don’t miss it! I spent the day busy, out and about, being a girl boss without any attachment to pointless snaps and photos. The only time I really relied on social media today was to update my LinkedIn and social handles for jobs because #professional #CEOinthemaking.
Day 5
The final day of my social media cleanse has come and truthfully, I am glad for one reason: I can keep stalking @hercampus and @her20s because they are the golden standard of social media done right. I still don’t feel an overwhelming urge to jump back into social media, but I definitely do feel that I managed my distractions this week thanks to cutting back.
Results
Courtesy: Miranda Torres
My screen time went down 30% from my usual which was so relieving to see. I spent, on average, 3 hours and 13 minutes a day on my phone which I consider a WIN because I know the majority of this time was spent texting, Facetiming, calling people and checking my emails because I’m that busy lady.
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