Have you ever thought about scaling back on social media because it’s taking up too much of your time? I have been feeling the same way! That’s why I’m scaling back on social media.
I decided to do this because I know I’m not the only one who feels like social media is sucking the life out of them. And guess what? I have a strategy so it’s not about that. It’s really about the fact that social media is a long term game and takes a lot of your time if you want results.
So let me start by sharing how I started feeling despite sticking to my routines and taking care of myself by eating pretty healthy, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. I found myself picking up the phone more than usual to see what was going on in everyone else’s life. I didn’t realize that I was spending way too much time commenting and liking everyone else’s posts that I wasn’t sticking to my schedule so I was failing to execute my plan properly.
That being said, I could feel the anxiety building and I started posting less and less because I didn’t feel like my content was good enough or that I was doing enough. As I sat down one morning and really reflected on how I was feeling and identified where those feelings were coming from, I decided that I needed to scale back immediately to re-center myself.
Once I made that decision, I was so relieved!
So here’s how I’ve decided to manage my social media presence to stay active but not obsessed. I’m not posting to my Instagram profile right now and I don’t know how long I’m going to keep it this way. I plan to stay active in IG Stories for the most part but I don’t feel obligated to post multiple times a day every day.
I am actually spending more time on my personal Instagram account to keep up with my friends and family but I do find myself talking on the phone and texting them more these days. My Facebook pages for the business and the podcast will remain active with 1-2 posts a week. And I am thinking of ways to be more strategic with my LinkedIn account because of plans I have for the near future.
Now one thing that has been neglected is my Facebook group. So I definitely plan to be more strategic and more active with that in upcoming days because I feel I will get a better return on the investment of my time. After all, who has time to waste, I know I don’t!
Social media is supposed to be fun and it is a great way to find inspiration, connect friends and your community, cultivate relationships that lead to business opportunities and more. However, I need to spend my time on more strategic tasks that align with my long-term goals.
So in addition to limiting my time on social media even more, I will also be doing the following:
Adding “Social Time” to my calendar
These will be designated time blocks for me to connect with friends and family and be social either in person with a select few of course for safety reasons or even connecting on Zoom or on the phone. I’m even compiling a list to start sending out good old fashioned cards!
Taking walking tech breaks
This one has a dual purpose for me. My daily goal is 6,000 or more steps every day right now. So I schedule two 15 minute walking tech breaks every day. I pop in my Airpods, turn on my playlist, set the timer on my Apple watch for 15 minutes and just walk outside in the fresh air when the weather permits. The bonus of doing this is my eyes get a break from me working on the computer all day, I get outside and soak up some vitamin D and I come back refreshed and rejuvenated which increases my productivity.
Live in the moment
I purposely keep my phone somewhere away from me when spending time with friends and family. I don’t worry about posting pictures and videos online for everyone in the world to see what I’m doing. Instead, we capture the moment with a few photos and we put the phones away and just enjoy ourselves. This reminds me of life before social media and I love it! This is also a great time for you to just put your phone on the charger and just live in the moment and make priceless memories.
So in a nutshell, I am scaling back on social media to care for more important things including myself! Am I worried that my business will suffer because of this. No I am not! I’ve actually noticed that I have more conversations in the DMs and am making better connections for my business even though I’m not posting to my IG feed.
And the best part, I’m using all of my extra time to practice more self care and do things that bring me lasting joy in life in addition to working with my current clients. So I have no regrets!
Feel free to join me, even if you just scale back the time you spend on social media by 10 minutes. You will be amazed at the difference that will make. So if you decide to try this, DM me on Instagram stories and let me know! I would love to hear what changes you plan to make.
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