Isn't it amazing how unaware we are of just how much time technology is robbing from us? I just did a seven day detox without my phone and it was remarkable. My mind was clearer, energy was up, I was less anxious and got agitated less easily. Nothing but positives! Thanks for sharing.
Great idea!! Social media lost its charm for me when I started having to use it for work. Now I barely check it as it holds no reward for me but I still use my phone a lot for listening to books and podcasts, reading ebooks, checking emails etc. Recently I listened to a podcast with a lady who works in the mental health space and she was talking about a trip she took to Spain to give a talk. She forgot her phone at home and realised on the way to the airport so had to travel without it. She was there for a week but happened to be participating in a study that was tracking biological markers like heart rate and blood pressure etc. ALL her markers improved that week and she credits the change to being without her phone.
Before I deleted the most addicted apps I had around 2h of screen time. Now its around 30min, all depending on the day. More boring day more phone aka away form all the fun stuff.
Yes to quality time! I also follow similar boundaries. Though, I would add my favourite: The first and last hour of the day is a 'no phone zone'. Thank you for sharing.
Less time on tech was an intention my partner & I set at the start of year but to view it in terms of hours gained really puts it into perspective.
We too have started reading more and my partners doctor commented on how wonderful it was to see a young person reading in the waiting room rather than on their phone...
It really does put things into perspective, especially when you start to see the numbers at scale. Going to bed reading a book versus browsing social media are 2 totally different experiences.
For me, being older (71) and " old school", I actually have zero social media apps on my phone! In fact, the only app I added to my phone was for The Chosen, the crowd funded series on the life and ministry of Christ as seen through the eyes of His followers.
I am not sure if I consider Substack as "social media ", as I do come on here to write and to read what others write. I do interact on Notes, as the dialogue can be fascinating!
I am on Pinterest but not with an app and mostly it is a solitary enjoyment for myself, on subjects I love (fabric, garments, style, nature and animals).
Thank you for sharing, Wendy and it's wonderful to see that you are here at 71. You are setting a fantastic example for people who want to start something new and are scared of being too old.
As long as you are in control of how you spend your time on your phone, everything is fine. The problem is when it starts to rule your life and it becomes a central part of it. It sounds like you have the right balance.
Thank you for this article ! I just stopped using instagram after 5 years of… addiction?! And the process was reaaalllly weird, like if the instagram-entity in me was not agree to left! I lived a few weeks of depression and agressivity. Now I see clearly, and will never go back again !
I deleted also minor social medias, suppressed a lot of telegram groups, and decided to clean and give space to many things in my business 🙌🏼
That's so interesting, Johanna, and you could maybe write about it and share your experience. It sounds like you had a bit of withdrawal symptoms.
For me it was almost the opposite; I felt a great senes of relief and liberation and realized that I thought it was much harder than what it really was.
I also removed Substack, LinkedIn and Medium so that I only interact in any social media platform when I choose to do so on my computer. It makes it more intentional.
If you work in the social media field it gets even worse - taking breaks are essential not only for your health but also your sanity in the long term. I enjoy tech and using social media but I'm from an era where I didn't grow up with it so it gets to me sometimes.
I'm working on using social media. It's a great tool and it shouldn't have an impact on your life just because it is part of your life.
Totally agree, Richard. I do work in the social media field: Medium, LinkedIn, Substack, etc so it's difficult to switch off; that's why I made the decision of deleting it from my phone. It's about finding your balance and you are right, it doesn't have to have a negative impact provided you are in control. Cheers
BOOM. The rest of the world talked about making a change this year. Instead, you did it. No delay. Your "before" and "after" comparisons make your motivational writing sparkle even more. Well done, Veronica!
Thank you Tom! I really wanted to share this because anyone can do it and the impact is huge in a very short time. I actually started writing my 4th book in January and I was able to be much more productive. You are always the motivational one here by the way ;)
Thank you, Anna Catherine. It's been a massive improvement in my quality of life in general. I'm happy I did it and I encourage everyone to think about what they could do to have a healthy relationship with technology. Maybe it's limiting it to certain hours, etc but it's easy to let it become an anchor...Cheers
Astonishing to find you gained 15 extra hours for the week! Way more quality time for the ones you love and the things you love doing! Love this New Year’s resolution and pretty awesome you have stuck with it so well! Thanks for sharing, Veronica!
I'm so happy with it and you get used to not checking your phone by default all the time - like I used to. It was confronting to see how much time I was spending browsing and it doesn't have to be that way.
Isn't it amazing how unaware we are of just how much time technology is robbing from us? I just did a seven day detox without my phone and it was remarkable. My mind was clearer, energy was up, I was less anxious and got agitated less easily. Nothing but positives! Thanks for sharing.
Great idea!! Social media lost its charm for me when I started having to use it for work. Now I barely check it as it holds no reward for me but I still use my phone a lot for listening to books and podcasts, reading ebooks, checking emails etc. Recently I listened to a podcast with a lady who works in the mental health space and she was talking about a trip she took to Spain to give a talk. She forgot her phone at home and realised on the way to the airport so had to travel without it. She was there for a week but happened to be participating in a study that was tracking biological markers like heart rate and blood pressure etc. ALL her markers improved that week and she credits the change to being without her phone.
I also noticed how much more present I am when I’m off socials! ESPECIALLY before bed and right when I wake up! Our brains need a break 🧠
👏👏👏👏
Thank you, Lindsay!
It's very easy to go astray on social media. We have to be really intentional
That's exactly right, it's about intention and purpose.
Really Fantastic!
Thank you!
Before I deleted the most addicted apps I had around 2h of screen time. Now its around 30min, all depending on the day. More boring day more phone aka away form all the fun stuff.
Wow, 30 minutes of screen time. I have a new goal now. Well done!
Never been a fan of using my phone. Desktop screen time on the other hand 🤣
Hello! I did the same last month. The result? A newsletter on substack 😁
Boom, talk about results. I started writing a new book and I'm at 37,000 words! Bring it on!
Fantastic ! Good luck 💪🚀
Yes to quality time! I also follow similar boundaries. Though, I would add my favourite: The first and last hour of the day is a 'no phone zone'. Thank you for sharing.
That sounds amazing. I love that ritual of free phone start and end of the day.
Highly recommend! I also have my phone turn black and white from 10pm-7am. A little extreme, but I am a recovering hustle culture advocate. 😜
Less time on tech was an intention my partner & I set at the start of year but to view it in terms of hours gained really puts it into perspective.
We too have started reading more and my partners doctor commented on how wonderful it was to see a young person reading in the waiting room rather than on their phone...
It really does put things into perspective, especially when you start to see the numbers at scale. Going to bed reading a book versus browsing social media are 2 totally different experiences.
Veronica, you have an excellent idea here.
For me, being older (71) and " old school", I actually have zero social media apps on my phone! In fact, the only app I added to my phone was for The Chosen, the crowd funded series on the life and ministry of Christ as seen through the eyes of His followers.
I am not sure if I consider Substack as "social media ", as I do come on here to write and to read what others write. I do interact on Notes, as the dialogue can be fascinating!
I am on Pinterest but not with an app and mostly it is a solitary enjoyment for myself, on subjects I love (fabric, garments, style, nature and animals).
Thanks for your inspiring writing!
Thank you for sharing, Wendy and it's wonderful to see that you are here at 71. You are setting a fantastic example for people who want to start something new and are scared of being too old.
As long as you are in control of how you spend your time on your phone, everything is fine. The problem is when it starts to rule your life and it becomes a central part of it. It sounds like you have the right balance.
Thank you for this article ! I just stopped using instagram after 5 years of… addiction?! And the process was reaaalllly weird, like if the instagram-entity in me was not agree to left! I lived a few weeks of depression and agressivity. Now I see clearly, and will never go back again !
I deleted also minor social medias, suppressed a lot of telegram groups, and decided to clean and give space to many things in my business 🙌🏼
That's so interesting, Johanna, and you could maybe write about it and share your experience. It sounds like you had a bit of withdrawal symptoms.
For me it was almost the opposite; I felt a great senes of relief and liberation and realized that I thought it was much harder than what it really was.
I also removed Substack, LinkedIn and Medium so that I only interact in any social media platform when I choose to do so on my computer. It makes it more intentional.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you 🙏🏼 i have wrote about it here https://open.substack.com/pub/johannajourney/p/pourquoi-jai-quitte-instagram-and?r=37fnhv&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post and it was my first post on substack ☺️ i was thinking of deleting the substack app too to play only with the computer but the thing is i don’t have an internet connection on the road so it would be only once a week or two :/
If you work in the social media field it gets even worse - taking breaks are essential not only for your health but also your sanity in the long term. I enjoy tech and using social media but I'm from an era where I didn't grow up with it so it gets to me sometimes.
I'm working on using social media. It's a great tool and it shouldn't have an impact on your life just because it is part of your life.
Totally agree, Richard. I do work in the social media field: Medium, LinkedIn, Substack, etc so it's difficult to switch off; that's why I made the decision of deleting it from my phone. It's about finding your balance and you are right, it doesn't have to have a negative impact provided you are in control. Cheers
BOOM. The rest of the world talked about making a change this year. Instead, you did it. No delay. Your "before" and "after" comparisons make your motivational writing sparkle even more. Well done, Veronica!
Thank you Tom! I really wanted to share this because anyone can do it and the impact is huge in a very short time. I actually started writing my 4th book in January and I was able to be much more productive. You are always the motivational one here by the way ;)
Yes! #3 and #10 are so good!
Thank you, Anna Catherine. It's been a massive improvement in my quality of life in general. I'm happy I did it and I encourage everyone to think about what they could do to have a healthy relationship with technology. Maybe it's limiting it to certain hours, etc but it's easy to let it become an anchor...Cheers
Astonishing to find you gained 15 extra hours for the week! Way more quality time for the ones you love and the things you love doing! Love this New Year’s resolution and pretty awesome you have stuck with it so well! Thanks for sharing, Veronica!
Thank you, Kevin!
I'm so happy with it and you get used to not checking your phone by default all the time - like I used to. It was confronting to see how much time I was spending browsing and it doesn't have to be that way.
Cheers!
Very awesome! Cheers right back!