Internet Detox

So, I've been tossing something around in my brain for a few days, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to take a social media/internet break. 

I'm far too addicted, and while watching YouTube one night, I came across this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve37Bg4-hPc.

In the video, the woman talks about how she's so caught up in social media timelines and television that she realized she doesn't really have any hobbies or self-interests anymore. And, that really struck a chord with me. Most of my time online is spent either doing business work (which I will, of course, continue) or mindless scrolling through timelines liking and sharing things that, perhaps, aren't always as important as the time they take away from me is. 

So, I've been trying to think how best to do this. And, I've come down to a few rules:

1) I will allow myself 1 hour of television per day only (and it still counts if it's just in the background as I'm working…which is what often happens).

2) I will give myself 10 minutes maximum a day to check through my emails. If there is something that needs to be dealt with, I will give myself the time to do so, otherwise, I will delete and move on. 

3) I will limit myself to social media for only 30 minutes a day. This should allow me time to respond to any business-related comments/questions without giving me time to scroll mindlessly. 

4) All social media posting on my end will be done through our scheduling service, so that I'm not tempted more than the 30 minutes allotted per day. 

5) I'm removing all internet-connected electronics from my bedroom. I'm buying a good, old-fashioned analog alarm clock so that I can stop using the excuse that I use my phone for my alarm. This should stop the temptation for me to check my phone any time I wake up in the middle of the night and not tempt me to keep scrolling before bed. 

6) I'm still going to allow myself to blog should I feel the need, as I feel writing and reading, done mindfully, are great ways to exercise your mind. 

So, that's what I've come up with so far (we'll see how possible it is for me). It's going to be terribly difficult for me, but I have to do something. As they talk about in the attached video, I think there's a lot of sadness on social media, and I'm trying to get out of the constantly-connected mindset. I'm mostly posting this so that I can hold myself accountable (and you can, too), and in case anyone else would like to give it a try with me through the new year! I'm going to try to do it for 30 days as they did (starting tomorrow). 

I'm going to try to be kind to myself if I mess up, but I really want to keep to this schedule to try to make things better for my overall mindset and try to get back to "me" (not to mention, see what else is out in the world for me once my foggy internet glasses are removed). 

Thanks for reading, and wish me luck! And, if you'd like to join me, please comment below, and we'll help one another to stay on track!