9 Tips on How to Do a Social Media Detox as a Good Marketer
Being always active online and on social media can physically and mentally drain you. It’s been a concern for everyone who uses social media apps and taking a break from it once in a while will do wonders for your well-being. If you are searching for a sign to have a social media detox, this is it.
There is actually nothing wrong with spending time on social media. As marketers, it’s an outlet that helps and aids in our careers. It can also be a source of happiness and inspiration for some. However, when you can feel that the time you spend on these social media apps has bad effects on your life, it may be time to take a break from it.
A proper detox from social media can do wonders and has helped a lot of people become more relaxed, focused, and more productive.
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Social media apps like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and more, are the most common platforms that let people from any part of the world connect and communicate with each other. These platforms give us the ability to know what’s going on around the globe and form societies and friendships. When you focus on these aspects, these really make spending time on social media worthwhile as it teaches you new things. However, this is not the only thing that social media can give us.
Back then when social media wasn’t yet invented, people get to know about current events in newspapers and talk to actual people personally rather than just facing a screen to communicate. Today, we automatically grab our phones the moment we wake up to learn about the latest news and updates. We learn so many things on social media and we get to see news upon news on so many things – animal mistreatments, natural and man-made disasters, politics, terrorists, war, deaths caused by COVID19, and all sorts of heartbreaking news.
Getting all kinds of news in one sitting can cause anxiety and depression. And as an avid social media user, it’s recommended to step back from these mentally draining things to put your focus more on your personal and business life. As a marketer, you should not let the number of likes and comments on your promotional posts get you stressed.
We all want to be productive and use our time wisely so that we can improve our lives. With the toxicity of social media these days, it’s no secret that sometimes it really affects people negatively. So when this does happen to you, you can always have a social media detox to take care of your mental health.
How to Do a Social Media Detox
Here are some tips you can do to lessen or maybe stop the negative impact of social media on your life.
Look and scrutinize your apps
Do you really use all of the apps you have on your phone? Look into it and really think about it if each app is significant in your daily life.
Oftentimes, we just download an app thinking that it can be helpful for us eventually. So, the first step in your social media detox is to review the current social media apps you have on your phone and delete the ones you rarely use.
If there are any apps that are not necessary for your work, remove them. You don’t have to interact with its content as its notifications will only distract you or add to your stress. Moreover, additional apps will only consume your phone’s storage space, so you won’t only take care of your mental health, you’ll also be making way for more storage space for more work-related stuff.
Turn off all push notifications
Push notifications are those messages that pop up on your phone whenever something new happens from a certain app. It’s when your phone lights up and pings to alert you that there’s something new. What this most likely does is stop you from whatever it is you’re doing and check your phone to see what the notification is about. When you disable the push notifications, you’ll have the power to decide when to look at your phone instead of getting distracted every time it pings. This will allow you to regain control over your attention and time.
Remove the apps from your home screen
When you have all of your apps on your phone’s home screen like most people, chances are you can’t help but browse on them when you find yourself bored. Removing some apps from your home screen and only leaving those really important ones can be helpful. Put them into folders so they’re not always visible and you’ll be less tempted to access them. Out of sight, out of mind…
Don’t take your phone to bed
During bedtime, it’s not advisable to take your phone with you. Leave it out of arm’s reach at least an hour before bed so that it’s not the last thing you see at night. It can be quite tempting to browse through social media before sleeping but this is just counter-productive and it will even affect your sleeping habits.
Schedule Your Posts in Advance Social Media Detox
Social media is a part of your job and it’s understandable to allot a certain time of your day to check upon them. But if you want to take a social media detox, it’s still possible to keep the accounts you manage active by simply scheduling your posts in advance. There are many social media scheduling tools that you can use and you can create updates in bulk and schedule them ahead of time.
Decide on Active and Non-Active Hours Social Media Detox
Set your daily pace and decide the average time you’re gonna use Social Media Detox. Schedule a certain time of your day dedicated only to working on your social media accounts and when to stop using them. Make a conscious effort to focus on the real world and do the important tasks you’re supposed to do. If you find this challenging, place your phone somewhere you can’t see it and use your desktop or laptop and open your messaging apps there so you’ll only chat with your colleagues about work-related issues.
Start small and go offline for a day
FOMO or Fear of Missing Out is real and it’s not as easy for everyone to just turn off their phones and go offline to take a break from social media. So to ease in a social media detox in your life, take baby steps and start small. Start with spending a few hours going offline and see how it goes from there. You can then build up your offline moments up to a day or two as you incorporate this practice into your life.
Organize Social Media-Free Weekends
As a marketer, it may be ‘impossible’ for you to leave your phone even for just a while. You think you always have to be online to catch up on the latest trends in your field and niche. In this case, you can choose to be social media-free on weekends or during your days off. Go do other activities that don’t require you to use your phone for a change. Go hiking, meet your friends, read books, or maybe go swimming.
Find A Detox Buddy Social Media Detox
Having a detox buddy will push you through doing it more than just by doing it yourself. Having someone on the same journey with you will motivate you and will hold you accountable to really do that social media detox. You’ll both root for each other and push one another to go through with your journey.
Final Thoughts
We live in a digital era where phones and social media have overtaken our lives. Being in the digital marketing industry, you won’t be able to avoid using social media from time to time but you can always control it. Follow the tips we shared above and you can then use your free time constructively, doing other things that will make you more productive.
Taking a social media detox once in a while will let you live a simpler and much calmer life. You’ll get to take care of your mental health as you spend your time wisely doing other things than just mindlessly scrolling through your phone. Take this as a step for a better lifestyle and you’ll gain the benefits eventually Social Media Detox.
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