Feeling a little bogged down by social media? I was too! Over the last few months I have implemented a few different steps to help me enjoy social media without it consuming my life! They have been super helpful for me, so I thought I would share!
Social Media is exactly what it sounds like, social. Instagram and Facebook have connected me to so many wonderful people and have been a huge source of encouragement to me. A few of my closest friends are actually people that I met through these platforms (total strangers before). For me, it’s people posting things like:
- Beautiful images that give you a pep in your step
- Biblical encouragement
- Business advice
I am so grateful for these people. They pop a little more light into my day!
I care so deeply about social media and the positive effects it can have on us, in turn, I care very deeply about using it correctly.
We’ve all been there. You’re sitting across the table from someone that is having a non-stop texting conversation with someone who isn’t in the room. You are laying in bed, already exhausted from a long day and think you’ll just take a “quick peek” at Facebook. 2 hours later you’ve lost your chance at a good night’s sleep and have nothing to show for it but some tasty videos. (I love me some tasty videos :). You are spending time with your family and think you’ll take one quick picture of your niece who looks adorable, but 10 minutes later you’re still on your phone, editing the picture so you can post it to Instagram. This is when social media becomes too much of a distraction.
Need some help breaking the habit? Here are a few easy steps that have really helped me gain control over my social media usage and find freedom in my free time! Some of these tips are super simple baby steps, some are bigger. Pick one or two and start small!
- Turn off your notifications
What you don’t know won’t hurt you. You can see your email/Facebook/Instagram notifications when you actually open the app…it’s not going to hurt you to not know when the app is closed.
- Have time parameters for social media
We all can admit that social media is a huge time sucker. For me, the biggest temptation is to spend time on it right when I wake up in the morning (giving me a late start to my day) and right when I get in bed at night (killing time I should spend sleeping). For this reason I have 2 rules. I don’t allow myself to check Social Media before I go through my morning routine (making my bed, spending time in the Word, washing my face..those kinds of things). Once those things are done I feel no guilt about checking Instagram! In the evening I have an alarm on my phone that goes off every night and says “no social media”. Mine is at 9pm because that is the time I tend to start winding down for the evening, but do whatever time works for you! The alarm is just a reminder for me to stop me from checking it mindlessly.
3. Charge your phone away from your bed!
Take it one step further if you’re tempted at morning/nighttime like me!
4. Keep your phone in your purse when you are out.
Rather than setting your phone on the table at dinner, tuck it away in your purse or pocket. Keep it out of sight! When I do this I find it easier to engage and I’m not distracted by the *ding*’s coming in every few minutes. Doing this is also much more respectful to whoever you are spending your time with! If someone needs to get ahold of me urgently they can call me and I will hear the ring.
- Social Media Free Weekends
Pick one weekend a month where you are going to delete your apps altogether and commit to not checking. These are hard in the beginning but teach you to not check quite so regularly. I now crave these when I go too long without them!
- Schedule posts
If you use social media for business like I do, schedule your posts! There are tons of apps that will let you lay out your posts for the day. This way you won’t spend quite as long everytime you go to post! I love Mosiac for Instagram!
Since I have started limiting my social media I have WAY more time on my hands. This may sound dramatic, but you do have to break the addiction at first. When I first started taking social media free weekends I was shocked and embarrassed by how hard they were. Now they come easily. I promise having boundaries is worth working for! Keep it up!
Quick Action Steps you can do right now:
- Move your phone charger
- Schedule a social media free weekend and put it on your calendar
- Decide to keep your phone in your purse while you are out
- Set an alarm on your phone for the evenings as your cue to turn it off
Comment and let me know how you find balance between using and abusing social media! 🙂
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