8 Reasons Why My Life Is Better Without Social Media

Two weeks ago, I gave up using social media.

I’ve quit social media a few times before, but I always seem to go back to it. This time I don’t think I will. My new perspective is that I’m 43 years old and my time on this Earth is limited. We think we have infinite time but we don’t. I ask myself this question:

Do I want to spend my precious time on this Earth scrolling through Facebook and Twitter? And the answer time and time again is No.

So, I’ve decided to no longer spend my time on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And these are the benefits so far…

1.) More time.

I was spending approximately 1 hour a day (sometimes more) browsing Facebook, Twitter and sometimes Instagram. That’s 7 hours a week I’ve gained back in my life. Nearly a full working day.

Imagine what you can do with an extra 7 hours a week. That’s 28 hours a month. You could start a new business, write a blog, spend more time with your kids, renovate your house, write a book, walk or just do nothing.

For me, this reason alone is more than enough to give up social media.

“It’s easy to be seduced by the small amounts of profit offered by the latest app or service, but then forget its cost in terms of the most important resource we possess: the minutes of our life.”

Taken from Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

2.) More Sleep.

I go to bed earlier because I’m not having to drag myself away from scrolling Facebook statuses. Why is it so hard to drag ourselves away? More sleep = a happier me.

3.) Less Judgement.

I’m no longer judging other people’s lives by their Facebook status. Let’s be honest, we all do it. Nearly every post you look at you make a judgement on. It may be a positive judgement. Wow, they’ve run a half marathon, that’s amazing. Or it can be negative, they’re just looking for attention.

Every time you make a judgement (positive or negative) you are giving your power away to that person. You are spending your energy focusing on somebody else’s life.

Imagine if we spend our energy improving our own life instead of judging other people’s? How different could our lives be in a week, a month, a year?

4.) Less Comparison of My Life To Other Peoples

Social media isn’t all bad. It can be inspiring when people post pictures of their days out, their newly decorated bedroom or their wonderful holiday.

I think, oo I’ll go there for the day, that’s a good idea for decorating a bedroom and maybe it’s time for a holiday. Other people’s posts give me ideas and that was great.

But at other times, it made me feel disheartened. And it boils down to the fact that I was comparing my life to snapshots of everybody else’s. And frankly, my life often didn’t measure up to these postive plus points.

My day with the kids doesn’t measure up against somebody else’s memory filled day at a theme park. The bedroom you were happy with is not as lovely as your friend’s newly decorated boudoir. Your Facebook buddy’s fun holiday makes you feel sad because you’re not going anywhere hot and sunny this year.

What we don’t see is the family argument at the theme park or the debt and stress the family has after their wonderful holiday.

I’ve realised I can get inspiration for lots of other places when I need it. When I’m ready to look at decorating my house or going on holiday, I can do research on the internet or even by asking people on the phone!

Stepping away from social media means I’m no longer comparing my life to how fabulous everybody else’s is. This makes me feel happier and more content with what I have. I feel more appreciation for all the little things that nobody posts about. It’s easier to appreciate the smile I got from my son. The sunshine on my face at lunchtime. The satisfaction from reading a good book.

5.) More Energy to Focus on Things I Want to do and Create

Since coming off social media, I not only have more time but more energy. My thoughts are no longer focused on what other people are doing. They are focused on what I want, need and can create.

Since coming off social media, I’ve had more time to work on my websites, which will ultimately bring more financial reward. I have more time to play games with the kids. Instead of scrolling Facebook, I’ve been playing this game with my 9 and 14 year old. I have time to read the books I want to. I’ve also started to revamp a wardrobe….

6.) No Energy Taken up from Posting.

I realise that every time I post it takes up an awful lot of energy and time.

After I’ve posted my mind will always spend some time focusing on my post and people’s reactions to it. Questions often roll through my head – what will person x think of what I’ve posted? Will x respond? Will anybody like it?

This may be unique to me. But when I post something, I can become anxious. It might be because I’m an introvert, but you’re putting a bit of yourself out there to be judged. And like I said earlier it, we all do it.

Then people comment, which is lovely, but often comments require a response. Then I spend time curating a response – when I could do something more valuable and productive. Let’s face it, most of the stuff we post isn’t life changing.

You might think, sometimes a post brings awareness to a community problem, my business or is useful to people I know. My answer to this is yes, posts can be useful but is there a better and more impactful way you could spend your time raising awareness of an issue? If you spend 10 hours a week on Facebook or Twitter promoting your business or cause, are the returns you get for this time worth it? Is there a better way you can spread your message?

Perhaps you could write an email, do a zoom call, write a blog post, speak to three people at a network meeting, write an article in the local newspaper or telephone people? Sometimes social media has a place, but I think when this is the case it needs to be used purposely. And it’s important to consider whether the energy you are putting into a social media post could be focused impactfully elsewhere.

7.) Better Connections.

I have often gone on social media when I’ve felt lonely or bored to feel connected with people. The truth is that while I may get a feeling of connection with people when they comment on your posts and vice versa, it’s shallow and often fleeting.

I asked myself do I have come off Facebook feeling connected. If I’m honest the answer is no. It’s not like how you feel when you’ve had a coffee and a good heart to heart with a friend.

Not being connected on social media means you have to make an effort to connect with the people you really want to keep in touch with. You have to phone them and meet them in person. Ultimately, this leads to connecting with fewer people but it’s a much deeper and more fulfilling connection with people you truly care about.

8.) Freedom

Life without social media = more freedom. More free time and energy. You live in the moment. You don’t spend time taking perfect pictures and thinking about what you’re going to post.

What to do when the urge to go on social media arises

I’m still at the stage when I get the urge to go on social media. And I have given in and glanced at my Facebook feed for a few minutes – then I realise there is nothing of value to me on there and I shut it down.

What I’ve noticed is that the urge happens when I’m tired, particularly when I’m emotionally exhausted. I get the urge to go on social media with the goal to rest my mind. I’m aiming to take my mind off what I’ve been doing and focus it somewhere else.

The problem is, although Facebook and Twitter focus your mind somewhere else; it doesn’t rest your mind. I never come away from social media feeling refreshed, but exhausted.

Looking at social media is an addiction. And one way to get over an addiction is to find a replacement habit. So when the urge to go on social media arises, have a list of things you love doing that you can do instead. Here are a few of mine:

Read a book

Meditate – I’ve just completed the headspace meditations on Netflix which I’ve throughly enjoyed. If you’re new to mediation, these are great.

Nap

Just stare into space and do nothing – (honestly, the benefits of doing this are amazing)

Go for a walk

Do my nails

Play a game with my kids

Sometimes, in order to give up a habit, we need to focus on what we gain instead of what we’ll lose when we shut the door on something. If you’re thinking of giving up social media, – go for it. I hope my perspective can help.