As years go on I find it harder and harder to remove social media from my every minute life. At times it consumes me to a point where I have to snap myself back into reality. With apps like Tiktok, they have become the catalyst for the endless film of content running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their format of content caught the eyes of other apps to the point where they also run 30-second short-form content at the scroll of a thumb. Lately, I’ve noticed my hands hurting from holding my phone constantly, and I’ve also had to put guardrails in place to cease my use during more productive times in my day.
Back when I was a kid in the early 00’s there was a time when the internet was in one place, the computer table. You would turn it on, grab your snacks, and you were free to move about the World Wide Web, and when you were done you turned it off. These days, your favorite show is at your fingertips as you scroll through five to six different streaming apps. And if you want to learn more about your show, you can just use your phone and go down the rabbit hole that leads you down an abyss of information you have no business or use of knowing. So here are 3 actions I take to consume less and live more.
- Go Outside
No literally go outside and touch grass or something. It helps! I don’t know the specifics or quantum mechanics possibly something to do with us coming from nature and going back to nature, but it helps to just be and observe the world around you. To me, actually living help me appreciate the beauty this world has to offer and makes me less anxious about missing out on the happenings of being online.
2. Carve out time for social media
Just like we carve out time for eating, sleeping, brushing our teeth, going to class, going to work, getting groceries, etc, etc… You don’t have to deprive yourself of the gift of social media, but it may be time to set a designated time for social media. Now, the plus side of having a smartphone is it can operate as a virtual assistant. I can assume it’s hard not to engage when we use our phones for a whole lot more than calls and texts, but I assure you. Once I started using my phone as an operating virtual and business assistant, the intention for picking up my phone changed. Here are a few ways I use my phone.
- Voice automated scheduling and routines
- Generative AI chatbot assistant
- Note-taking
- To-do lists
- Emails
- Itineraries
- Map and navigation
- News and world updates
- Smart Home Control
- Voice command tasks
And the list goes on.
3. Get a hobby!
When you immerse yourself in something you love, it allows you to produce dopamine—the pleasure chemical. The same chemical that is created when you are doom-scrolling through the Internets. Conserving your energy for how you want to show up in the world is important. Image your energy as currency, and every minute you spend not doing something to move the needle forward is another minute wasted.
Like I said, there is nothing wrong with social media, but as a millennial who is now an internet veteran, our use and short attention span through the expansion of digital globalization is something we should be aware of to maintain and preserve a stress-free relationship with social media. The internet is here to stay, and we will continue to feed it. So be sure to prioritize yourself and lead a life of freedom.