Say Farewell To Facebook

Is it time to say farewell to Facebook? For me, it’s time to release it from the device that goes everywhere with me—my iPhone.

A month ago, while cleaning my office, I picked up an old journal and turned to an entry from March of 2019. In that journal entry, I had written about some frustrations I was feeling related to my business and expressing dissatisfaction at the amount of time I was spending on social media.

I sat there reading what I had written and I had this dreadful realization that nothing had changed. Two years later, I was still feeling the exact same way.

I was still spending too much time scrolling and mindlessly consuming social media on my phone and I was still feeling triggered by the smallest things in my business.

It was obvious. If I really wanted to change how I felt, it was time for radical change.

I deleted every social media app from my phone except for Clubhouse and Instagram and made the decision to only frequent social media when I was using my computer. I decided to try it for a week and document how I felt every day to track my progress.

Day One

I felt good but let’s be honest, it was day one. I fully expected Facebook withdrawals to set in soon.

Day Two

I was shocked, I went a full 18 hours without checking Facebook and… I didn’t miss it.  And, I felt good!

Day Three

Still feeling good, not missing the mindless scroll, or the polarizing discussions about politics, the pandemic and whether you should get a vaccine or not.

By the end of week one, I realized, every reason I have ever used to rationalize why I could never delete Facebook from my phone was gone.

I was no longer beholden to the mindless scroll from email to Facebook, to LinkedIn, to Instagram, back to email, because you know, in the span of 45 seconds, someone might have emailed me. And then you know it… the cycle repeats itself over and over again.

A month later, I feel like a changed person.

• I’m no longer zoned out on my phone.
• I don’t feel frustrated or triggered at work by little things that shouldn’t trigger me.
• I’m not irritated by the nonsense I am reading on social media daily.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am still active on Facebook. But now, I am intentional about when and how I use this social media channel. Now, when I go to Facebook (or LinkedIn) on my computer, I go with purpose and intention.

I log on to share something of value, to check in on my communities and interact with people, to take a quick scan of the newsfeed and then—I’m gone.

And it feels great.

If you’re feeling frustrated with how social media is controlling your life I highly recommend you try this for a week and see how you feel. It’s time to take back your life and attention!