My business coach dared me to go on a social media hiatus for 14 days.
Obviously, I didn’t want to. So I waffled around for a few days after her dare, telling myself that I would start the hiatus “soon”.
But then a little voice in my head spoke up – “just do it – you’re procrastinating.”
Sigh. Fiiiiine.
So I deleted the Instagram app off my phone. Same with Facebook.
I must say, I didn’t have a hot clue how AMAZING this would feel. So many positive things came out of this journey, and lessons were had for all.
Let’s jump in!
Why I Did It
My business coach, (the great) Tiffany, dared me to delete socials from my life for 14 days.
And while I totally trust her judgement, I’ve never been one to just go with the flow for the sake of going with the flow.
Pen in hand, I journaled it out.
Ultimately, I realized that social media wasn’t bringing much joy to me. Like, at all.
It was a constant battle. Endless doom-scrolling to procrastinate, anxiety levels creeping up minute after minute because of A) the endless barrage of content & information, B) I wasn’t getting anything done.
I always felt tired after scrolling socials. Like, soul-tired.
That was a clear sign to me that it was time for a breaker reset.
How I Managed My Art Business
My first objection to the dare was “but Tiiiiiffany, my business!”.
And to which she said, “what about your business? Do you think that you not scrolling on the app for 14 days will break it?”
No, obviously.
So I jiggle-mode-d my iphone, and deleted the apps.
But truthfully, the reality is that I social media is a good chunk of my marketing plan for my artwork. So I set to researching.
Here’s the thing – I’ve always been a planner. So I’ve been scheduling the vast majority of my social media posts for the past few years.
Which meant that I could still post to Instagram without actually opening up the app.
First hurdle down.
That left the whole “engagement” thing. It’s not kind to leave your beloved followers hanging when they share their adoration, so I needed a way to interact with my fans & followers without the app.
Enter Facebook Creator Studio.
What a magical little platform!
I linked my accounts to Creator Studio, and like that I was able to see a stream of notifications and comments that I needed to respond to from my desktop computer. No scrolling to be found.
My mind got a little unsettled here – is this cheating?
I ended up coming up with this plan: Post every few days via Hootsuite (my Instagram scheduling tool of choice), then once every 2 or 3 days, jump onto Creator Studio for a maximum of 10 minutes and respond to comments & DMs.
That made the “this is cheating” feeling go away – the beauty of setting boundaries.
How I Felt During My Hiatus
I was absolutely floored to realize that I didn’t miss social media AT ALL.
That shocked me. It was truly the eye-opening experience that I needed to reset.
Week One was glorious – I felt free and fluid, my mind felt awake and ready to dig in. Before I used to combat negative emotions by distracting myself until they passed, never truly dealing with them or their source.
But without that quick gratification of scrolling to distract, I was forced to explore these feelings and make peace with them. Learn where they stemmed from, and how I can give myself the space to work through them.
Who would have thought this experiment/dare would result in free therapy!
During Week One I still posted a few times and responded to comments and DMs.
And during Week Two, I stopped posting altogether.
Partly because I wanted to see what effect it truly had, and also because…I just didn’t want to do it. I started to wonder if I would ever download the apps again, as I wasn’t missing them whatsoever.
That continued on throughout Week Three, and through Week Four and Five.
That leads me to today. I woke up and the thought that “today is the day” made me whip out my notebook and map out a plan for getting back on the social media horse.
What I Learned
It’s All About Your Intention
I realized that social media was more negative than positive in my life – that was the first sign that I needed to change my boundaries with the platforms.
They are incredibly useful tools, I’m not denying that. But, their addictive qualities can seriously bite into time and your psyche, so by choosing to consume social media with intention, you can take back control.
That’s what I plan to do.
I Was Using Social Media As A Way to Numb Myself
Endless scrolling (as I call it, “doom-scrolling”) was a procrastination tool – but not only that, it allowed me to numb myself. Rather than dealing with negative emotions that popped up, I’d blind myself with an endless stream of content instead.
This just doesn’t vibe with me anymore. And I’m so thankful that I had the wake-up call that I did.
Setting Clear Boundaries is the Way To Go
And not just for social media either. For life. For relationships. Everything.
What I’ll Do Next
Hide the App
I’m going to download the app again, but I’m not making it front and center on my home screen. If I reeeeeally want to scroll, I’m going to have to work for it a bit.
Turn Off Notifications
I’m also keeping all notifications for the app turned off – it’s much easier to resist temptation when it’s not dinging all up in your face every 2 minutes.
Purge the Following List
If your account doesn’t bring me joy or add positivity to my life, then adios!
Use Creator Studio
Do the bulk of my responding from Creator Studio. Besides, I don’t love typing on a teensie keyboard with cold fingers.
My relationship with social media has forever changed. Sure, I’ll likely fall off the wagon and get sucked back into the sticky mess that it is, but with the awareness of the effect it has on my life, I’m confident I’ll be able to pull back whenever I need to.
And if not, then it’ll be time for another reset. 🙂
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