As our world becomes increasingly digitized, it is really important to consider how our digital presence is affecting our lives. Are we satisfied with the amount and type of information we are consuming online? Do we receive far more messages than we can respond to on a regular basis? Do you wish you could simplify the amount of time and energy you devote to digital possessions? If any of these questions resonate with you, it might be time to consider a digital declutter. It's great for your heart, soul, and even your hard drive. My digital declutter series contains 4 parts - email, files and photos, social media, and setting boundaries. Without further ado, here is Part 3 of the Digital Clutter series - Social Media.
There are only 24 hours in each day. We can't add more hours just because we feel there isn't enough time to do everything. We can, however, choose to spend these hours wisely. Social Media is such a helpful tool in certain circumstances. We can reconnect with old friends, keep in touch with family members who live far away, hear the latest headlines, and grow our business. But if not used wisely, we can spend endless hours scrolling through social media while negative thoughts seep into our minds. As time goes on, we continue to feel worse about ourselves. If not careful, we may begin to compare our entire lives to the highlights of others' lives. This is a dangerous game. We can't trust everything on social media to be accurate, and we can only see part of the picture anyway.
We may see that so and so went on a cruise last month, but what we don't see is the constant fights she endures with her spouse, her struggle to lose weight, or her continually increasing credit card debt. Social media just doesn't tell the whole story.
With that said, social media is not all bad. There are many positive aspects of communicating with others via social networking sites. The important thing is that we remain aware of how these sites are affecting us and do our best to minimize the negative aspects while increasing the positives. My goal is to declutter the negative parts of social media, so I can live a more positive and fulfilling life. Below are 5 of my best tips for decluttering or decreasing your usage of social media.
1) Unfollow People
Sometimes it seems almost everyone has social media accounts these days. You can keep up with your friends from high school, college professors, and maybe even grandma. You can also follow famous musicians, actors/actresses, and even companies. The possibilities are endless! But it's so important to consider the type of content these people post. Toxic, rude, and negative people should not be allowed to clutter our mind and heart in our free time. If you feel comfortable doing so, delete them. If you feel like deleting Aunt Carol will cause a rift, simply unfollow her. I have unfollowed a lot of people, and it feels so good to see only the things you want to see.
2) Disable Notifications
One of the best things I did in regards to social media is disabling notifications. I used to hear my phone constantly "ding" with a notice that someone had liked or commented on a post. This really disrupted my concentration on more important things. When I heard the "ding", I felt compelled to look at what happened. If I saw something pop up on the screen, I had a strong desire to look at it right away. Although I only planned to check the one notification, I usually ended up scrolling aimlessly through the feed instead of getting back to my necessary tasks. I highly recommend disabling notifications and only looking at them when you have time set aside to do so.
3) Delete Social Media Apps
If you find yourself constantly spending too much time on social media apps, simply delete the apps. You can still look at Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in a web browser. Is it as convenient? No. But that's kind of the point. You cannot tap one button and suddenly be immersed into the virtual world. Instead, you must go to a web browser, type in the website, and sign in. It's still easy, but not quite as convenient. It just might be annoying enough to keep you from logging on as often, and that's a great way to decrease your usage.
4) Set Time Limits
Your phone should have the capability to set time limits on specific apps/websites. You can set a time limit for how long you want to spend on each site/app. Chances are you're probably spending far more time than you realize on social media. If you don't want to set an actual time limit on your device, you can plan out a chunk of time for looking at social media each day. Maybe you want to look at it for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. Maybe you want to scroll for one hour in the evening. Write it down in your planner/calendar. Having a plan is the first step to making your life work for you. Don't let social media control you. Take control of it by deciding how much time you want to devote to it and plan to make it work for you.
5) Do a Social Media Cleanse
If all else fails, take a break! Unless social media is your job, you can take a break. It's okay if you're not the first to know so and so got pregnant. It will be fine if you miss seeing a picture of your cousin's beach vacation. The world will not end if you take a break. Whether it's a few hours, a few days, or even weeks, taking time away from social media to focus on other things is very refreshing. You can keep yourself accountable by posting that you will be away for a while on each of your accounts. This will help cut down on messages from people checking in to see if you're okay. Take a rest and take a break. It will still be there if and when you want to return.
I really hope these tips help you take control of your social media habits, so you can focus on the things that truly matter. Thank you so much for your support! Happy decluttering!
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