How To Spend Less Time On Social Media in 2023
- TikTok users spend on average 52 minutes per day on the platform.
- Even more shocking, people ages four to 15 spend 80 minutes per day using the app.
- Whether it’s Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, Americans spent about 1,300 hours on social media last year. That’s almost two months of the year.
While social media can be helpful in keeping us connected, it also has a dark side. People can waste hours of their lives scrolling through images and feeling unhappy.
If you find you’re not as productive as you used to be, maybe it’s time for a break. Here are some tips to help you spend less time being on social media. Start living your life to the fullest again.
Related: How To Use Social Media Wisely and Mindfully
Social Fever is an app that can track the amount of time you use your social media apps. Download it and see how much you’re on social media for a week.
Once you know the amount of time you’re on the platform, you can start setting goals to cut down on your use. If you use social media mostly on your computer, manually track your time, and then set a goal. Start small by cutting down your time by 15 minutes.
If you do more than that, even better. Then gradually cut down your time more each week.
You don’t need to be alerted of every new Instagram follow or Facebook like. Anytime you get that notification on your phone, it tempts you to check it. Save yourself from having to fight the temptation by turning off the notifications.
3. Find new activities to do
A lot of times people are on their social media because they’re bored. It used to be the case for me when I was on Facebook frequently. Instead of being busy with my own life, I was busy following other people’s lives.
But eventually, I put my attention towards my blog and other productive things. As a result, my life got better for it.
You can make yours better by doing the same. A few activities you might consider to improve yourself include:
- Exercising more
- Searching for jobs
- Making a minimalist budget
4. Have someone hold you accountable
Let someone know what you’re trying to do. Ask them to support and encourage you in your journey to cut down on social media.
Anytime you feel tempted to check, text or call them. Maybe your friend can take you out so you won’t be focused on not getting on social media.
5. Heal the deeper issue in your life
Think about why you’re on social media so much to begin with. As mentioned earlier, if it’s because of boredom, find more activities to do. Other problems people may be using social media to fix include:
- Loneliness
- Insecurity
- Sadness
Reflect on other ways you can resolve your deeper issues. If necessary, communicate with a professional to get some insight on how to heal.
6. Keep away from your phone before bedtime
A survey found that 45% of people scroll through social media at night rather than sleep. Given that information, choose to not have your phone in your room before bedtime. That way you can sleep more and thus stay off social media.
7. Do old activities again
Maybe before you were on Twitter, you had a passion you really enjoyed doing. Now can be the time to get back into it.
If you’re an artist, start drawing again. If you’re a musician, start playing music again. Get back into your passions again.
8. Believe you are in control
Research from Harvard found that people can have more self-discipline if they feel they’re in control. Choose to believe you can control whether you choose to be on social media or not.
Dr. Shahram Heshmat suggests that the more you want a goal, the more willing you’ll be to do what you need to to make it happen. The same can be the case for getting off social media. Decide now that you really want to limit your time on there once and for all.
10. Have a plan for moments of temptation
Think about the moments you feel most tempted to get on social media. Is it first thing in the morning, in the middle of the day, or right before bed? Do you feel tempted when you’re bored or whenever you have a bad day?
Have a plan for what you’ll do instead of getting on social media. Know your go to activity that you’ll do to help you stay off.
One of the most important aspects of being successful at a goal is monitoring progress. Keeping track of how much you’ve stayed off social media can motivate you to keep improving. Whether you do it through an app or manually, be sure to keep track of how well you’re doing.
12. Focus on the big picture
A study found that abstract, global thinking, such as focusing on the big picture, helps you have more self-control. Remind yourself of the end goal when you find yourself struggling. Visualize how good it’ll feel to be successful in keeping yourself off social media.
13. Get adequate sleep
A Harvard Business Review study found that when we deprive ourselves of sleep, we have less self-control. Get more sleep to be at your best to stay committed to staying off social media.
14. Be in a relaxed state
University of Illinois researchers concluded that people in a relaxed state are less likely to give in to temptation. When you feel the temptation to be on social media, do a relaxing activity. You can meditate or do something else that makes you feel relaxed.
15. Do short bouts of exercise
The British Medical Journal published a study that found shorts bouts of exercise increases oxygen and blood to your pre-frontal cortex. That part of your brain is responsible for self-control.
As a result of the exercise, the ability to control your self is boosted. Make time to do moderately intense physical activities to help yourself stay off social media.
A study found that reducing your time on your social media to no more than two hours a day can lower your risk of sadness. But honestly, even less than that would probably be better. Hopefully all these strategies will help you spend far less time on your social media, and much more time living your life.