Quitting Social Media – What happened and why

To be fair, honest and upfront, I have not removed my social media accounts, I am quitting social media by removing it from my fingertips. I still have it, but it takes a back seat in my life right now and here’s why:

Like most people living in 2019 with an iPhone, I had all the social apps installed. Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat. And I used them a lot. Always checking my feeds, always seeing what’s new, always keeping up with news and events. But over the past few years, I noticed that it was creating a problem.

The problem? No time. I was too dang busy. My business, my husband, the kids, the endless messes to clean up, etc kept me plenty busy. There is no time to read, or take a few moments for myself in peace.

I am a reader. I really love books. Tell that to my high school self and she’ll laugh in your face and tell you you’re crazy. Slowly through time however, I began to really LOVE books. But the last 5 years or so, I haven’t had time to read! My book list is always piling up and yet I never could even cross ONE book off my list. Not one.

But social media? Yep, I had plenty of time for that! “Screen Time” showed a shocking amount of time that was devoted to instagram and facebook. It didn’t even seem like I looked at it that often!

One day about a month ago, I was listening/watching John Crestani’s Youtube channel. He was sharing 8 things that poor people do that rich people don’t. A couple of those things really hit me hard.

The first one is that poor people react. Poor people react to notifications on the phone. Rich people make others react to them. They wait until they’re ready to respond. He talks about how he realized his phone was taking up too much of his time. By removing notifications, dings, ringers, and social media, he was able to focus better and increase his time.

Another is that poor people watch, and rich people read. You learn by reading and using your mind. Watching is passive and turns down your energy.

Oh how I needed to hear that! After mulling over what he had said, I knew that he was right. It struck me so hard that within a few hours, I deleted all of my social media on my phone. Without giving it another thought, it was gone. And it felt so dang good.

What I gained from quitting social media on my phone

It was weird to adjust to after deleting those apps. I found myself reaching for my phone, navigating to where Instagram used to be, and being reminded it wasn’t there. Guys, I was doing this WITHOUT REALIZING it. My brain had been so well trained to open it up, that I didn’t even know I was doing it. Freaky for sure.

Below are the major areas that I felt I have gained in the last month from quitting social media. Just one month! Imagine what a year or more would do.

#1. Time

With distracting apps removed, I found myself having the time I didn’t have before. Instead of being sucked into endless scroll, I am more intentional with the time I have. Even if it was just for a few minutes. I used that time to research, read, look at actual news events that mattered, check my emails, get more organized, and formulating plans to hit my goals.

#2. Creativity

My creativity expanded. I feel more confident and have more ideas because my mind isn’t bombarded with useless crap anymore. Those ideas are now being implemented into my business for the better!

#3. Knowledge

It’s been about a month with social removed from my phone. (To be fair, I did put just instagram back on when I was on vacation to post about that. My instagram is basically a family journal that I print into chatbooks.) With that month I have listened to 2 audio books, read 2 books, and have been more consistent in my scripture reading than I have been in a long time.

Because of the good information I’ve been able to consume, my knowledge and the way I’m thinking has changed for the better.

#4. Health

You don’t know how consuming media does to your health until it’s gone. The removal of social media from my phone allowed me to focus in on what mattered most. I wasn’t worrying about missing out or checking in. It may sound strange, but I honestly felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. I also had the time to be more consistent with my workouts.

Now what?

Now I do realize that social media is important. Especially as a business owner and blogger like myself. I’ll be pursuing it as I feel best at the time being. And honestly, at this point, I don’t even know what that is. But I’ll figure it out. I have the time to do so now! Quitting social media on my phone has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.