4 steps to break a social media or smartphone addiction
photo by William Iven
Social media can be great!
keeping up with friends back home
watching your nieces and nephews grow up from a distance
making new friends with similar creative interests
But it can also be “utter poison,” right?
the FOMO
(translation for my mom who reads this: FOMO = ‘Fear of missing out’)the compulsion to check your account every 20 minutes to see how many new “likes” you’ve gotten on that homemade, sheltered-in-place margarita photo
the hours and hours of lost time that you could have been doing or creating something amazing
The feelings of addiction you feel are real.
Technology and social media are designed to keep you addicted.
It’s the dopamine hit you get when you hear that bing. “Oh! Somebody likes me! Somebody thinks I’m cool! Sweet! I must check who.”
I still get sucked into it too sometimes.
I get it!
The solution to get your time and productivity back—
We’re going to limit your social media time.
“OK, Boomer—easier said than done!” you say.
(Watch it — I’m so Gen X, I saw Nirvana & Pearl Jam at The Fillmore twice!) 😉
Now, the 4 Steps to break your social media addiction
Step 1
Just DECIDE that this is something you want to do, to be online less frequently.
Step 2
Find your why — Why do you want to cut back on your online time?
Is it because you noticed that you and your partner aren’t as connected as you used to be?
Have you noticed that you’re a little bit sad after scrolling through photos of your friends, acquaintances, and strangers — like, “Why am I not in the Cayman Islands right now too?”
Or, do you just have big goals that you sense you may not be achieving because you aren’t putting in the work?
Decide why you want to stop checking your phone and accounts. And what do you want to be doing instead? Write it down. Remember it.
Step 3
Schedule your social media time on the calendar.
And then, only check during those times you set aside for yourself.
When the time comes, set a timer and don’t go over. Respect your time. Keep this promise to yourself.
When you do this consistently, you’ll be less tempted to check while you’re working on a work project or doing other, more productive things (because you know you’ve got your time scheduled later and you’ll get to it then.)
Step 4
When you’re tempted to check off-schedule, remember your why and your goals — what was that thing you wanted to be doing? Then go do that other (better) thing instead of scrolling the IG.
A final note:
If you catch yourself online during an unscheduled time. Just notice it and stop. No need to beat yourself up.
You are stronger and greater than your social media or email accounts.
You can do this!
* * *
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