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Strategies to minmize social media usage

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Breaking Free from Social Media Addiction 🔗

I’ll be honest - the best thing you can do for your own growth, mental health and better mood is get off social media. It’s very difficult though, not because you are addicted but because in lot of careers and personal relationships social media have become very relevant.

The second best thing I can do is minimize your usage. Let’s discuss strategies I personally use.

Disclaimer - These are my strategies alone - I don’t subscribe to lot of productivity Gurus so they can overlap. It might work me but not for other people.

Physical Separation 🔗

  1. I have a habit of opening up social media via muscle memory if I have phone next to me while I am working. So I keep phone out of reach. Usual advice is to keep it out of room but I just keep it close enough to pick it up for 2FAs but I still need an effort to move my body to pick it up. So keep it out of reach of your hand while you are stationed.

  2. Remove the most used app. I have in last year used more LinkedIn and Reddit than Instagram. (I know I am crazy). I have removed both apps from my phone and only use them via Laptop. I have realised that most apps are optimized for doomscrolling and web apps are not that fun. It’s very hard to scroll for an hour on laptop than on phone.

Behavioral Changes 🔗

  1. Avoid picking your phones after waking up - if you start your day with scrolling it might turn a lazy morning to full on wasted morning.

  2. Avoid eating with your phone - You may be finished with your lunch but not with scrolling.

  3. Replace your scrolling with some other activity. I have started reading news and articles than use youtube for information. I find it less annoying when I am reading something which is not a post, I don’t get angry if there is no smirking by the information provider.

  4. If a post makes you angry skip past - don’t read comments, threads or engage by arguing with people online.

  5. Infact Do not read or write Comment Period.

Tracking and Replacement 🔗

  1. Sharing Reels / tiktok is fine but count how many you did in day and try to reduce. Having metrics help reduction.

  2. Be bullish with your screen time - Gamifying it monitoring stats and seeing it go down fuels your resolve.

  3. Use another outlet to vent - you may be tempted to post - or fight with strangers online - do that somewhere else - use a notepad (digital or physical) to write the same thing you wanted to post - once its out you don’t feel need to say it again. You can delete or put it as blog on your personal site (Like this one :) )

That’s all I had for the day.