I’m completely changing my relationship with social media. Really, I am.
I’ve said this before but this time I mean it.
I conducted a little experiment and it was so enlightening that I can’t imagine going back to my old ways at this point.
Here’s what I did.
I put a block on my Instagram, Facebook, and email phone apps from Friday at 7 p.m. until Monday at 9 a.m. And the impact was so much more than I ever could have realized.
I’ve always known that social media can be a problem. From the destructive practice of comparison to losing hours of your day to the never-ending scroll, the negative impact of social media is not a new discussion. And I should say, I’m including email in this definition of social media because it’s a place where we spend time communicating with other people and where we feel a need to constantly check in and see what’s going on.
All this “checking in” is not really good for us.
But even though we know this addiction to tech is not good for us, we find ourselves using it far more than is healthy because we tell ourselves that we “need to.”
I run a business, so I have to post on social media constantly.
I need to check in and talk to my community.
I have a Facebook group that expects to hear from me.
I can’t miss an email.
These are things that I have said more than once. And for years I have walked around with my phone as a key element of my daily life.
But I’ve decided that’s got to stop.
So I conducted my little experiment, and here’s what I found out…
After 62 hours without looking at Instagram, Facebook, or email, I felt happier, more relaxed, more creative, more focused, and more energetic. My workouts felt stronger. My attention span improved. My patience increased.
I am not making this up.
I was so excited by this experiment. The results were so damn overwhelming that I’d have to be a freaking dummy to not keep this up.
This is something that I really wanted to share with you all because I imagine that you deal with something similar. There’s a pressure on business owners to be constantly on top of all of these things. No absences, no breaks, no delays.
And that just isn’t sustainable.
Contrary to what every social media expert out there will tell you, you can do things differently. You can decide when and how you will use this tool to build and grow your fashion business. You can create a bond with your community without being always, immediately, or constantly showing up on social media.
If you want to be in your business for the long haul, then consider conducting your own experiment and make a plan that works for you.
Lots of love and encouragement,
