social media detox

i went on a social media detox this week.

i wanted to start my 2020 with 20/20. no screens, no comments, no likes, none of that shit. here’s what i discovered while fasting from social media during the first week of this year:

1. strangely enough, i didn’t miss social media:

   i genuinely did not crave the fun. there was no FOMO. if anything, i felt relieved to not be so active on instagram and tiktok. the thing is, when i go on social platforms, it’s work. because I am using those apps to showcase my music and grow a following… it’s my business. i love it & every day that i use those apps, i get closer to my dreams becoming realities… but it’s work… in my perfect world, i wouldn’t need social media. but i do. being active on social networks is the cost of business in this digital age. it’s the new happy hour, the new networker, the new open mic. making sure you are exposed on these apps is how you build your name as an artist. but that being said, i did not miss the hustle and bustle of social media for the entirety of the week. it was a nice break. it allowed me to recalibrate.

2. i realized how afraid I am:

   a crippling and lingering sense ear was the reason i needed to recalibrate. before taking a break, i was forcing content. i was enslaving myself to get videos ready on a regular basis. i was never ahead of schedule, always on the grind.

   i had subconscious thoughts of… “what will happen to me as an upcoming artist if i don’t post enough?” will I lose my followers? will my account not perform as well? will Instagram screw me in it’s ever-amorphous algorithm? these questions caused me to create with the fire of fear lit under my ass.

   when i took a week off, the fear faded. i stated to realize that it was okay if i didn’t post. i would be fine either way. i began writing lyrics because i felt them, because i wanted to. they were much better. fear produces force. desire produces dreams.

3. i still used my phone just as much:

   turns out that we are addicted to the device, not the apps. at least, myself. my screen-time was basically identical to my averages. this tells me that, as addictive as instagram and tiktok are… our deepest rooted addiction is escaping into our phones. so, i couldn’t use social media… i can text more, i can check ESPN and read about my teams, i can film more videos and edit them more intensely. this was reassuring, oddly enough. because it helped me understand that, perhaps, what i really need is to leave my phone out of sight regularly, to really, truly detox.

4. finally, being structured matters:

   before my detox, i was winging it. my plans was this: i would just work on instagram til i’m done or tired, then i’ll work on tiktok til exhaustion, then i’ll write, then i’ll record. well… the problem is, i never get past step 1. i would work super hard for an indefinite amount of time on instagram, & then get so tired and drained, that i would have no energy left for other areas of my job. it was awful for business. so now, i am introducing time limits. 2 hours on Instagram (say 11AM-1PM), then 1 hour of reading (say 130PM to 230PM), then something else productive. this should allow me to get everything done, without burnout, and with clarity… i hope.

anyways, those are the 4 major takeaways from my detox. i hope they shed some light or offer some clarity to you in your own life. 10/10 would recommend you try it out. even just for a day.