Allow Yourself to Disconnect For One Day And See What Happens

7 Easy Steps

We can’t live without social media: they are our main source of communication, they help us share stories and they connect us to the world.

I love them, yet I realized I was finding it hard to disconnect. Even if I limited my access to some specific times of the day, before and after my job, I checked my notifications after every phone call or online course, or after reading a few pages of an e-book. I was never leaving the telephone aside. With so many mindless emails and social media checks, I was starting to get stressed and exhausted, even if I didn’t have a heavy workload.

I worried I was becoming addicted to social media.

I decided I needed to step back, disconnect from virtual life, and connect with the real world again. Therefore, a few weeks ago I took a Sunday off, to give my mind a break from the constant stimulation of social media.

At first, I felt I was leaving something behind, or better, I feared I could be left behind. I thought that not reading the posts on a Slack group of writers and not checking messages on LinkedIn could limit my personal growth. I felt I was wasting my time by not keeping busy, and I felt guilty.

But then I experienced something new:

1-I went for a walk without my phone, and I enjoyed nature

2-I had better conversations with my family, I felt more centered and respectful because I was listening to them and not reading posts while on the phone

3-I felt less confused and anxious, and more in control of my time

4-I felt I had more time to exercise.

Apparently, just limiting my online access for one day helped me feel better.

I was so proud of myself that I decided to organize a little plan to minimize my use of social media. Here are the next easy steps I took to disconnect from the Internet and become more productive. If they work for me, they will work for you, too.

1. Do not use the telephone for one hour after waking up and before sleep.

Spend the first hour of your day setting your own agenda and goals, and the last hour of your day preparing your body and your mind to rest.

2. Charge your phone outside of your bedroom, leave it in another room, and don’t use it as an alarm.

You won’t be tempted to check before you go to bed and you won’t risk starting your day in a bad mood because of something you read on social media. Stop carrying it around with you.

3. Turn off notifications and delete some apps from your phone.

It saves your time and money since you are not tempted by the apps, and it avoids distractions.

4. Set aside certain times to check.

Choose 3 times during your regular workday to check personal email and social media. This will help you with being more intentional, and more productive.

5. Take some time off.

Choose a day or an evening a week to stay away from your telephone. It allows you to focus on other things and people in your life.

6. Check how long you spend every day on each platform.

I realized I was spending hours on social media, and then I complained I had no time to write! And I couldn’t even remember most of the things I spent time scrolling.

7. Keep yourself busy.

Go on a walk without your phone, meet people, read a book. Live.

All these steps will help you take control of your daily life, but only if you are ready to disconnect!