For me, 2017 is all about fulfillment. I’m focusing on things that add meaning and value to my life and trying to reduce things that don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Netflix, but I’m realizing that there are other things I can do that I would appreciate much more, like reading or scrapbooking or doing yoga!
Three months ago now, I started a social media experiment. I decided that I was going to have social media free weekends. No Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram! I thought it was going to be SO easy.
I was actually really bummed to find out that it was very hard for me to stay off social media. I failed. I checked my social media outlets each night after Lily was in bed. But, I was able to go all day without doing it and so it was not a TOTAL failure.
I don’t have the FB app on my phone, and I don’t have notifications for Instagram, but I did for Snapchat. So, the following weekend I turned off my notifications for Snapchat and it was a lot easier for me to make it through the weekend without feeling like I HAD to check it!
Truly, I did not think that I was actually on social media all that much. I was convinced I had a really good handle on it. I don’t like the idea of Lily constantly seeing her mom and dad with their phones in front of their faces. I want her to see us doing things that we enjoy (such as reading or working out) or to just be playing with her on the floor.
After the first weekend, I was able to take a step back and figure out what the heck I was doing with my phone that made it so hard to stay away. I was doing MINDLESS things that had just become a habit that I didn’t realize!
I remember so clearly at one point that first weekend I did this, I was just laying on the couch reading a book during Lily’s nap and while I was in the middle of a page, I stopped and pulled my phone out to check Facebook. I stopped myself, but WHAT THE HECK?! I was in the middle of a page of my book! Why on earth did I feel the need to check my facebook at that point?
It’s a habit a lot of us have and don’t even realize we do it! There’s also this feeling of always needing to know if anything new has happened. This has been such a challenge for me, but it’s been so rewarding.
Since I started my social media free weekends, I am far more present during my time with my family and friends. I am considerably more focused on tasks that I’m doing during the week, and I’m finding that I’m coming up with new ideas. After all, that’s how I decided to start this e-mail list! And the ideas have been flowing for topics to write about! I’m also filling my time with things that are more meaningful for me and benefit my mental and physical health. I’m working out 6 days a week. I’m doing more yoga. I’m reading more than I was before. I feel more rested and less distracted. It’s such a sweet, sweet place to be.
There’s also something that I’ve realized during this process – no one needs me right now. There’s nothing on Facebook or Instagram or snapchat that can’t wait until my scheduled time during the week. I’ve even started checking my work e-mail less over the weekend, which has been so nice! The world won’t crumble, and my business will still survive. Anyone who needs me knows my phone number and can call me.
Something I started almost two weeks ago is to use the Moment app. It tracks how much I’m using my phone, as well as how many times I’m actually picking it up to check the time or to see if I have any new updates to look at. It can also track which apps I’m using the most, and how LONG I’m using them for! This has been such a valuable tool for me! It’s been really neat to actually have numbers to fall back on to see exactly how much I’m using my phone. I’ve also started logging out of facebook on my web browser on my phone so that when I’m done for the day or the weekend, when I try to go to facebook, I’m not actually particularly motivated to enter my log in info!
I know that some people truly hardly use social media, and that’s so great! I do think that there’s always something in our lives that we know we don’t need, and we spend too much time doing it. Do you know what that one thing in your life is? Do you know how if it’s affecting your life in a positive way? I encourage you to do some self-reflection!! It can make such a positive impact on your life!
For me, since I’ve started implementing my social media free time I’ve been feeling SO good and it’s definitely had such a great impact on my life!
Until next time, friends!
*I shared this blog post first with my e-mail newsletter community a few weeks ago. It had such an overwhelmingly positive response that I knew I had to share it on the blog as well, so I could reach more people. If you want to join my newsletter community and be the first to hear about things like this, click HERE!*
Linda is a Maine-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com
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