3 Ways I’m Cutting Back on Social Media
And working on taking back 20+ hours of my life per week.
After having several friends enthusiastically recommend watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix, I sat down to watch it while doing a little late-night writing work. It was certainly interesting, but not surprising. Yes, if you’re not paying for a service, you are what’s being sold. Didn’t we learn this over a decade ago when Facebook started running ads on their platform and harvesting our personal data?
Even a few years ago, we noticed that ads on our phones were popping up based on searches and even conversations we were having with friends. Of course, we’re what’s being bought and sold. I’m not in tech, but I don’t think you need to be to have an understanding of how these platforms are using your information on a basic level. And it’s definitely worth it to take the time to understand what’s happening.
With that said, yes—I absolutely use social media. Instagram is my biggest weakness. Followed by Facebook. I have a Twitter account, but I don’t really know how to use it effectively (I really have it to read everything Chrissy Teigen tweets). LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Reddit are also on my phone, but I probably open them once a month. I’m still undecided on downloading TikTok. Even still — I’m somehow managing to be looking at my phone for an average of 7.5 hours a day! How on earth is that possible?
How much time am I really spending on Social Media?
One of the first steps of overcoming many addictions is to take a “searching and fearless inventory” of what’s going on. It seems like Apple wants to help iPhone users out when it comes to self-regulating our usage by offering Screen Time analytics directly on the dashboard.
For those of us who get giddy over data, it’s neat (yes, NEAT) to check out how we’re using our screen time. So I fired-up the Screen Time analytics and found an average 7+ hour screen time day shakes out to:
3+ hours on Social Media
3+ hours on Productivity/Information/Reading
1ish hours on Games
I also noticed that when my screen time extends past 7 hours, it’s typically due to increased social media use, not any other usage.
The 3+ hours on productivity, information, and reading don’t really stress me out too much. This includes my accounting and project management apps, reading the New York Times, and whatever I’m currently reading on Kindle. Some of the apps I use for work are set and run while I’m doing work off-phone. Ultimately it’s the 3+ hours on Social Media that doesn’t sit well with me and the hardest to cut back on. If I’m honest — some days it’s a lot more than 3 hours.
What’s the big deal anyway? Why do I want to scale back?
When I think about all of the things I could be doing with those 3+ hours every day, I feel like I’ve let myself down. Sure, no one should spend every moment of their day being productive. I’m a big fan of intentional resting. But there’s also a long list of creative pursuits that I’d like to tackle — including ones that have been inspired by the beautiful things I’ve seen online.
It’s about finding the balance between seeing what’s going on and getting some cool ideas, and then making time to experiment, play, and create on my own in real life.
Then there are the satellite effects of high phone usage that I’d like to have more control over. As someone who struggles with insomnia, it’s just good hygiene to limit screen time in bed and when getting ready for bed. That could use some work.
And sure, I’ll admit that I’ve felt the negative emotional ramifications of comparing my creative pursuits and lifestyle choices to those that other people are posting online. I consciously know that comparison like that is irrational and unproductive. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that when you’re inundated with the constant successes and milestones of others online.
So what am I going to do about it?
Once you’ve figured out how much time you’re spending on social media and why you’d like to spend less time using it, it’s time to develop a game plan for pulling back. These are the top three steps I’m taking to cut back on my social media use:
- Turn off notifications
I took the major recommendation of the interviewees of The Social Dilemma, and the very first thing I did was to turn off notifications for all social media alerts. I’d have an Instagram alert for every single like, comment, share, and DM at one point in time. I still crave those likes. But without all of the notifications popping up on my screen, I’m opening up the app less and less for a hit of that validation.
When I post now, I still find myself curious about how my post is performing for the first few hours after it goes up, but less so after that. The same goes for Facebook and LinkedIn. I’ve tried deleting apps from my phone and vowing only to access those platforms on my computer, but that hasn’t ever lasted long. Turning off notifications is less extreme than deleting apps outright but more effective in diverting my attention from using them.
2. Program App Limits and Downtime
On iPhones, you’re given the option to set time limits for app usage as well as schedule “downtime” for turning off nonessential apps. Both are customizable, and both have helped curb how much time I’m spending scrolling.
Sure, part of me feels like I’m implementing my own parental controls on myself — and in a way, I am. But I’m trying to look at it less like a restriction and more like an opportunity to focus on other things.
At the moment, I’ve set a time limit for 2 hours of social media usage per day (covering Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter). In the future, I’d love to cut that down even further. I’ve also set a downtime from 12 to 3 pm. During that time, I can only receive messages and calls from my family and use essential apps like Weather, a meditation app, reading apps, Google maps, and my banking app. This turns my iPhone into little more than an actual phone — and cuts down on interferences while I’m working or resting. In the future, I’d love to increase that time frame.
If you want to waive the time limits at any point in time, you’re welcome to do so. But having an awareness of how much time you’ve spent scrolling goes a long way in regulating your own usage.
3. Give yourself something else to do
When I stopped to think about why I was mindlessly scrolling, it turns out that I was just bored or procrastinating. I’m still not sure if I was scrolling because I was bored or bored because I was scrolling, but either way — it eventually comes time to break the cycle and face your procrastination head-on.
App developers have intentionally made social media platforms as stimulating as possible, serving up the desire for validation and drive for interactions that can sometimes dwarf real-life interactions. Ironically, the most interesting content comes from the people actually doing and creating real-life things (even if the ultimate goal is to create more content).
So I made a list. Nothing fancy, just a quick list of all of the things that I’ve wanted to do recently. It’s mostly made up of things I want to cook, read, write (like this article!), and paint. One day it will include places I want to travel to and visit when the world is safe to do so again. Once I hit that time limit for social media consumption for the day, I can choose to keep scrolling or choose to put my phone down and create something of my own.
The one thing I’m trying to balance is: in an especially sinister way, many of the things I create can ultimately be shared on social media, perhaps fueling this cycle. The long game really is about finding a balance between what I consume and what I create.
Obviously, social media and phone addiction is a real thing. These simple steps scratch the surface of an average social media infatuation and in no way should be considered medical advice. I encourage anyone finding it difficult to detach from their screens for a prolonged period of time (or those who see loved ones struggling) to seek out a behavioral therapist for help.
