Do you regret spending too much time scrolling on social media apps?
Almost everyone does! We are all on the same boat ⛵
On average, people spend 3-6 hours every single day scrolling through social media 😶
First of all, acknowledge that the smartest scientists of the world are working for these social media platforms to keep you on their app for as long as possible.
You CANNOT fight them.
So how would you control your usage?
I mostly see people on two extreme ends.
Type 1 – Spend 6 hours a day scrolling Instagram. Realize at the end of the day. Then regret it.
Type 2 – Deactivate account and never install this app again! #DigitalDetox bro!
I don’t see any of these types sustainable ❌
You deserve entertainment after your stressful day. You need some relaxation.
Our parents used to watch TV in the evening to entertain themselves. Now that space has been taken by social media.
I see nothing wrong with using these apps. Neither do I try to control myself.
Problem is not with Instagram or social media platforms.
It’s about not being able to manage priorities.
✍ TODAY’S ACTION ITEM
1] Make a setting on your phone such that it locks your distracting app after specific time that you fix
Android – Settings > Digital Wellbeing > App Timers
iOS – Settings > Screen Time > App Limits
I have limited my Instagram (5 mins), Facebook (10 mins), LinkedIn (15 mins), Whatsapp (20 mins)
2] Turn off notifications for these apps permanently
I haven’t received a single notification from any app for the last 8 years. Not even Whatsapp. If I feel, I open and check them manually. Trust me – I never felt that I missed anything due to this habit.
3] Follow limited people and pages so your feed.
I follow 87 accounts from my personal profile. So my feed ends within 4-5 posts and I am left with nothing to do.
4] Fix a distraction time for yourself when you will actively use your favorite apps.
I have reserved 1 hour after my office to check all social media accounts. Now I don’t remember opening for the rest of the day but initially I replaced that habit by playing mobile games instead.
5] Use web version instead of app
If you are someone like me who needs to use social media for work, using web version will make more sense for you.
The UI is so bad that you will just use it bare minimum.
Even after reading this, will you implement this and reduce your usage? No. Most people don’t 😂
Then why am I even telling this?
Just to remind you that it’s fine to get distracted as long as there’s no regret and you’re aware about the time you spend.
If it’s mindless and you regret it, you have these ways to limit the usage. You don’t really need to escape every distraction.
Not every distraction in your life will be as simple as uninstalling it forever. Sometimes, you gotta deal with it 🙂
(See how smoothly I gave a life lesson within this technical topic – proud of myself!)
🌐 RELATED RESOURCES
Stay Focused is a good app that restricts your screen time by putting a password to your apps.
So it will allow you to use your favorite app for whatever time you set – maybe 30 minutes. Once you cross that, it will get blocked.
You need a password to unlock that.
I know what you are thinking. You can simply put the password and unlock the apps.
To solve this, better make someone else set the password for you – friend, partner, sibling, or parent.
There you got an accountability partner 🙂
✔ WHAT I DID THIS WEEK
This week was way too empty because I wrapped up most of my week’s activities over the weekend.
So I spent the rest of my week nicely without any agenda. Such earned leisure time is really satisfying, isn’t it?
Published 2 videos and 2 social posts this week.
In my first social post, I researched, compared and analyzed 4 biggest quick commerce platforms (Blinkit, Instamart, Zepto and BBNow) to help you decide the best platform for you.
Second post was about my professional takeaways as I completed 5 years as a full-time working professional.
Watched Lockwood & Co, which is a thriller series about a group of young ghost hunters who destroy murderous ghosts terrorizing London.
It’s based on a book which I didn’t read. There are more parts of books which Netflix decided to not produce their series on. Not sure why. Did you read this book?
Then watched 1 Black Mirror episode.
It was my mother’s birthday so I spent time with my family. And spent the rest of the time researching for the upcoming trip.
How was your week?