Let's get this out of the way, there was a point in time I would spend 10 hours on TikTok.
Are you shocked at the number? Well then you might want to share this with someone you know who is struggling.
If you saw 10 and thought rookie numbers...this post may be for you!
I could go into a long winded breakdown of how my addiction started but to be fair I don't remember my life without a screen somewhere. I got older and now I want to be what many consider a functioning member of society and I realized my social media hours were too high for that to happen.
I had a few jobs in communication and social media for reference so that helped me transition from consumer to creator; which leads me to step one.
Become an active user of the social media platform.
You can create an account for business only, you don't add friends or family.
Now you follow people for education, it can be business related or self-help.
Comment with consideration, when you find people who offer value this is easy to do.
Create a new account. Follow people who inspire you to get off the app. Comment with consideration. A simple "I love the way you said this" can break the scroll and guide you to other actions.
Set a goal not specific but centered in feeling
This is not commonly talked about, but from personal experience when I make I specific goals. It flops, hard.
When I started connecting a goal to a feeling, things started to get done.
Question for you: Why are you on social media?
To have a heart to heart, I go online to find connection. People who had similar goals and different ways they want to move towards it. I feel connected and get inspired.
Use more than one tool for the feeling
The last step that helped me get my social media time down to 30 mins a day on average without thinking too hard.
I added more options to get the feeling I was chasing.
Using the example of wanting inspiration and connection I didn't jump to real world options only.
I had a hybrid of options to choose from.
I joined niche discord communities for writing, gaming, reading, spirituality and more.
It was stimulating and I was making connections with real people who inspired me.
I use the most addicting apps like Instagram only for business purposes.
I read all types of books and have recently start working out as a hobby. (I do 1-2 reps in the morning and am looking at my step count. I am not striving for perfection but the feeling of share my steps with family and friends opened a new line of connection)
Reducing social media hours can be hard and come with a lot of shame. So pairing compassion with accountability has been key in my journey. I even pair certain actions together. Right now I am watching SWAT on Netflix with my brother while drafting this. So take your time and curate the journey for you.
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Thanks for reading this work by Sakura at Lantenrsalt Systems.
(Really cool quote I am still thinking about goes here)