What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Before I even get out of bed, I reach for my cell phone and start scrolling through my social media feeds. Don’t laugh. According to statistics, I’m not alone. The percentage of 18- 34 year olds who check Facebook as soon as the wake up is 48%. The average user will spend 600 minutes scrolling, clicking and posting a month.
I love the posts and pictures of my friends’ latest adventures, babies, weddings and other big announcements. It’s a source of news from them and from media outlets around the world. Social media platform made me feel connected. But not anymore.
At some point, my habits changed. I couldn’t put down the phone. It became a frequent source of interruption at dinner, on trips, while sleeping, during school recitals and in the midst of conversations about my daughters’ or husband’s day. Those calls and lunches with friends were replaced with a stream of messages attached to a post. Laughs, smiles and hugs were replaced with yellow smiley faced emojis. It was time to put the phone down.
Just a few days was all it took for my life to change.
I’m more productive
Let’s be honest. Most of us probably spend a little more than 20 minutes on social media. I certainly did. I suddenly have enough time to clean, read (a Jane Austen book), cook, workout and go to bed by 10 pm. Items on my to-do lists seem to be checking themselves off leaving me looking for something to do.
I’m having more fun
Extra time gives me the ability to tackle household chores and get out of the house for a little fun. Over the weekend, we pulled out board games collecting dust in the girls’ playroom. We spent time outside riding bikes and going to the park. I do snap an occasional picture. But they are for us, not for a “cool” social media post.
I’m focusing on real relationships
A clean house, stocked pantry and cooked meals make our home more welcoming to friends. We now have dinner, laugh and delight in the trials of parenting with friends in the kitchen while the kids all play together in the den. Numerous nights of back-to-back entertaining may seem exhausting. But it’s not. It’s quite soul fulfilling.
So how do you feel after you finish scrolling through your social media feeds? Fulfilled? Happy? Closer to your family and friends? Any closer to accomplishing your own goals? Think about what you could do with the extra time. Yes, I still find myself often reaching for my phone. But I think again. I’d rather be living my adventures instead of watching others fulfill theirs.
