It’s hard to pull away from the smartphone when money and other forms of validation are oozing from it, thus bringing you success and warm and fuzzies.
Still, we need to for our mental health and balance.
So:
Airplane mode
Do Not Disturb
Social media detoxes and cleanses
…are your best friend.
This way the fun of it all isn’t drowned out by the overwhelm of media overload.
Here’s how I utilize all 3:
Airplane Mode
Whenever I am overwhelmed, anxious, or experiencing decision fatigue, I go on airplane mode and sit in silence for a bit or pull out my journal to organize my thoughts.
Do Not Disturb
Those payment notifications, client replies, and social media metrics can usually wait. And getting them in large batches always feels better than the mindless checks and scrolls.
When we’re glued to our phones, we miss out on the value of focus and productivity that could yield even more of those gratifying validators.
I give pockets of my time throughout the day to responding to media in batches, rather than being inundated by the free-for-all and losing focus when it matters the most.
Social Media Detox/Cleanse
I take periodic breaks from social media to reset, catch my breath, and realign with myself sans the influence of media.
I also cleanse my timeline of things that no longer interest me or look like where I’m going. I’d otherwise have a bunch of distractions pulling me in a million directions. The mute, unfollow, and block button are your friend. Don’t be afraid of who you may offend. The fear of man is a trap (Proverbs 29:25). And it will literally trap you in the same repetitive cycle, if you don’t break away; choose yourself and prioritize where you’re going.
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If social media is a major part of sustaining your livelihood, here are a few strategies you may implement.
–Set higher goal margins prior to your planned “detox” so that you can offset any perceived “loss” while you are away. In the same way that at a 9-5 you build up PTO to use on vacations, cultivate a similar system, where a bonus event generates higher yields so that you are sustained financially through your break.
–Use time away from media to beef up your engagement in other ways by doing personal check-ins on your audience through other forums, such as automated email, texts, etc. referring them back to valuable content you’ve created in the past.
–The whole purpose of a detox or cleanse is to break away from the norm to reset and create better returns on the other side. Consider the attachment you’ve made to social media and if it is blocking you from approaching things well. If it has become an idol that you cannot break away from, then you may be inhibiting growth that would otherwise take place by re-centering and trusting your source outside of the algorithm who is much more powerful and able to produce results than anyone at Meta and the likes.
Bonus: There’s something so sweet about forgetting your phone altogether. When you’re so in the zone or in the moment that you forget where you left it for hours. Toss it behind the couch or over the bed, and forget about it for a few hours. You’ll thank yourself for the break.
Technology is growing and will soon replace most of what we do. On the journey there, start to find that balance for yourself so that it stays fun and productive and doesn’t ruin you.
