5 Ways to Unplug from Social Media

5 Ways to Unplug from Social Media

Have you ever considered what your life would look like if you could get the time back you’ve wasted checking the notifications on your phone and scrolling social media?

I’m as guilty as the next person of logging more screen-time than I care to admit. But as the years have unfolded and our society’s addiction to our phones and social media only deepening, I’ve become more intentional about my usage of social media and found ways to unplug on a daily basis.

Because social media is, essentially, a waste of time you can never get back. It also steals from the real, true life experiences that can only be found when we unplug from our devices.

Let’s discuss five ways to unplug from social media.

5 Ways to Unplug from Social Media

First Hour/Last Hour Rule

What does your morning routine consist of when you wake up every morning? Whether you have an intentionally planned morning routine or not, you do have a morning routine of some sort.

For many people the first thing they do after they roll over and shut off the alarm (or hit snooze) is tap into their social media apps for notification updates or get lost in the endless abyss of scrolling.

This is absolutely the worst way to start your day as you are operating in a reactive state and putting other people’s agendas before your own instead of engaging in activities that prepare you for the day ahead.

Avoid social media, texts, emails, etc. for the first hour you’re awake and watch your level of productivity soar.

Also, unplugging the last hour you’re awake is equally beneficial, but for a different reason. Unplugging from digital devices an hour before going to bed will enable you to get a good night’s rest.

If you aren’t sleeping well and you’re in the habit of falling asleep with your phone in your hand, listen up! Falling asleep while scrolling news feeds or other people’s dramas doesn’t set the stage for a good night’s rest.

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Unplug in Social Settings

A sign you’re addicted to your digital device is if you can’t make it through dinner without checking it.

Do not use your digital device when out to dinner, out for coffee, or in any setting where conversation is taking place. This includes at the dinner table.

Prioritizing your phone over people in a social setting signals to the people you’re with that what’s on your phone is more important than their company.

Not to mention, it’s just plain rude.

I don’t even take my phone out of my purse when I’m out to dinner, and when people are over at my house, my phone is abandoned somewhere out of sight. The only time my phone is in use is to take a picture with whoever I’m with, or to show them something (usually one of the thousands of pictures of my pets).

Unplugging from your device when in the company of others allows you to have real connection and conversations that devices otherwise destroy.

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Go Off the Grid

Take at least one day a week to go completely off the grid.

Stay off social media entirely for 24 hours. This is a great way to train your brain to avoid the urge to reach for your phone and check your notifications every five minutes.

It enables you to break the habit of staying in this reactionary state where we answer to our phones instead of living in the present moment.

Try doing this even one day a week, and take note of what you did during that time you’d otherwise be mindlessly scrolling on your phone. What did you get done? How much more productive were you at work? Did you engage in more meaningful conversations with others?

How does life look when we go off the grid from our devices?

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30-Day Coffee Shop Challenge

Another way you can train your brain to make unplugging a habit is taking what I call the 30-day coffee shop challenge.

For 30 days, go to a coffee shop for one hour a day with a book. Do not take your phone. Leave it in your car, at home, or if you must, at the bottom of your purse. But don’t take it out.

For one hour, do nothing but read the book you brought and just pay attention to your surroundings and the people around you. Much too often we are glued to our screens and fail to pay attention to the world unfolding around us.

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Go for A Digital-Free Walk

I make it a habit to log 10,000 steps a day, and my favorite way to accomplish this on a daily basis is to go on walks. Early-morning walks are my favorite, but I fit walks in as my schedule accommodates it.

But while walks are wonderful, you steal from the experience if you’re glued to your screen the whole time. I do take my phone with me on walks, but it’s because I’m usually listening to a podcast or music while I walk. My phone stays in my pocket, tracking my steps.

Go on a 30-minute walk phone-free (or leave it in your pocket if you’re like me). This is my favorite way to decompress and I cannot recommend it enough. Take this time to be alone with your thoughts and pay attention to your surroundings.

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Before You Go

Implement these five ways to unplug from social media, and take notice of the changes in your daily routine. You’ll be much more productive, use your time intentionally, and live a more purposeful and fulfilling life.

In what ways do you unplug from social media and digital devices? Let me know in the comments below.

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