Social Media Detox
Today, most of us have an online addiction. Don’t think so? Given an idle moment, do you reach for your phone or check your inbox whilst watching tv? If you check your social media timeline whilst stuck in traffic or post an update whilst your dinner companion has gone to the toilet, then you can count this as a social media addiction.
According to a recent report from OFCOM: “The average person in the UK spends more than a day a week online. People are, on average, online for 24 hours a week, twice as long as 10 years ago, with one in five of all adults spending as much as 40 hours a week on the web. Britons are now so addicted to smartphones that they check them every 12 minutes.”
Whilst searching the internet and perusing social media can be a very pleasurable pastime, could your time be better spent? We’re not advocating giving up social media completely as it plays an important part in staying connected to the world, but next time you break out in a cold sweat because you can’t find a suitable emoji or think of a quirky hashtag, take the decision to follow these simple guidelines for 30 days to see if you can break the habit:
Turn Off Notifications
Being distracted every minute by a notification means your mind isn’t on the job. You are constantly being side-tracked with your phone lighting up instead of focusing on what you should be doing. Don’t worry, the notifications will still be there when you log in but is it worth working through lunch or staying late because you lost valuable time looking at meaningless images of your friend’s cat or their lunch?
Put Your Phone Away at Dinner
This has become an absolute pet-hate of the majority of people however we all have been guilty of it. Stay in the moment and catch up with family or friends. Social media can wait until you have a genuine free moment – don’t be the one sat on your phone while everyone else is enjoying their evening.
Don’t Take Your Phone to Bed
Spending time on your phone or tablet has been proven to disturb your sleep. Make your bedroom a no phone zone – switch off an hour or so before you go to bed and give your eyes and overworked brain a rest. Say goodbye to the bleary eyed you in the morning by getting a decent night’s sleep!
Don’t Mix Work and Social
You are paid to do a job and if you’re one of those people who check their phone every 12 minutes, then you’re not doing your job. Check your feeds at lunchtime or after work, we have enough pressure with deadlines and keeping on top of our inbox without adding to it.
Putting your phone down and paying attention to the world around you will hugely benefit you. Our dependence on social media has become a borderline obsession so try the 30-day detox and you’ll appreciate how much more you can get done during the day. Remember, time is precious, so use it wisely.
