How I took back control from social media and the internet

Like many people, I rely on being connected to get things done. As a freelancer with my own business, I need regular access to email, LinkedIn, messaging and the web to keep in touch with clients and seek out opportunities. I also enjoy the benefits of keeping in touch with family and friends across the country and internationally on Facebook and Twitter.

Since going freelance, it has been much more incumbent on me to use my time wisely. I had found that social media and some websites were consuming far more of my time than I liked. You know how it is; you just pop into Facebook or a news site for a “quick look” and find yourself looking at YouTube or reddit an hour later. I made a decision to take control over how I used the internet and social media.

Initially I just tried simple willpower. However, as others have shown, willpower is a finite resource best not squandered on resisting the temptations of Facebook or your favourite time-sucking website. I want to conserve my mental energy for my work, my family and to ensure I get some exercise. Also, I found willpower just didn’t work much of the time.

Over time I have implemented some practices that have helped me gain real control over how much social media and online content I consume and become more productive. In no particular order I’d like to share these with you.

(Note: I use OS X and iOS so my approach is geared to those platforms. Equivalent approaches should be available for Windows/Linux/Android/Insert-Platform-Here).

1) I deleted all my social media apps (Facebook, Tweetbot and LinkedIn) from my phone and logged out from the mobile browser from these services. This was the most valuable and important step. I had developed a natural tendency to pop in to Twitter or Facebook whenever I had a spare moment, like in a queue. For someone trying to wean themselves off so much online time, this had to stop.

2) To avoid the temptation to log back in, I wrote down the passwords to my social media services on paper and keep that in a drawer at home. I then deleted these passwords from Keychain and Dashlane (my password managers). This means I cannot sneak back in to these services when away from home, even if I want to (ok, I could ask for a password reset via email, but this is about putting barriers in place to prevent mindless use).

3) In iOS and OS X you can log in to social media accounts via the operating system (through the Settings app on iOS or the System Preferences app on OS X). I have logged in through these and I turned off notifications for these services. This enables me to use social media like a “one-way mirror”. I can share photos, messages and my location with the world via my phone or laptop but any replies will remain invisible until I log in to social media deliberately (see step 4 below). In time the lack of feedback has reduced the incentive to keep sharing. Given how inane much of the content I was sharing was, that’s a good thing. I post very little to these services now.

4) I use Facebook Messenger app on my phone to allow me to use Facebook’s messaging functionality without the rest of the FB vortex dragging me in. Again, notifications are turned off so incoming messages don’t interrupt me when I’m getting things done.

5) I log in to social media ONLY ON MY HOME DESKTOP COMPUTER, not on any other devices. I access social media in dedicated blocks, typically at the end of the day during my leisure time. I get through the updates in one block and it doesn’t impinge on my work time. This lets me keep up with news from family and friends without chewing up my work time.

6) To prevent social media and time wasting websites from drawing me in when working, I use the free SelfControl app to block access to all my known time wasters on my computer. When I start work I activate the app for a given duration (typically 6 or 8 hours). It then prevents all access to a blacklist of my choice, either via desktop apps or via any browsers. It even continues to block these sites if I restart the computer. Use with caution!

7) I typically keep my phone on its charger in another room in the house while I’m working. This prevents sneaky glances at the web on the phone when I’m foiled by SelfControl (step 6). Unfortunately I’ve not found any SelfControl-type apps for the phone, so physical separation helps.

8) I use the Pomodoro technique when I need to focus. I use the Focus Time app as my Pomodoro timer but you could easily use the traditional kitchen timer. It takes quite a bit of practice to get used to being truly focussed and not get distracted by tidying your desk! In time, though, I’ve been able to built up to 6–8 pomodoros on a good day. That doesn’t sound like much (3–4 hours) but it’s highly productive and focussed work. After that I’m generally mentally spent and drop back to easier tasks like sorting out email or doing business admin.

9) To keep a clear head, I use much less caffeine than I used to. I can get a boost from a quick walk around the block or a quick mindfulness meditation session sitting outside.