Walking into the new year with a revised approach to social media
In one way or another I’ve been working within the social media space now for twelve years.
There’s a lot of advice out there on how to be better at social media, how to get more followers, how to increase your engagement and other tactics to improve your accounts performance. But there’s still not a lot out there about how to maintain your own health working within this space. For anyone who, like me, remembers a time pre social media, it’s easy to see how much of our lives these platforms can take.
Five years after I signed up to my first social media platform I started working within the social media space. In some ways this helped me draw a line between business social media and personal social media, but if I’m being honest, that’s a line I told myself. More and more over the last few years I’ve noticed those lines blurring and I’ve seen how being permanently stuck to my phone has impacted my relationships not only with others but also how I spend time by myself. As a social person (in the real world) I truly treasure my time alone for rest and creativity.
Raise your hand if you’ve noticed yourself being stuck in an app loop on your phone. This loop is where you open one app after another for either a dopamine fix, a distraction, or potentially even searching for a problem so that you can fix something.
As an owner of a Marketing Agency which specializes in social media, I see true value in these platforms in the way they allow us to share stories, connect with others, drive sales, and reach audiences we never could in the past. However, I’ve also seen team members get burnt out and overwhelmed. I believe there is a way to balance these two parts of our lives and I decided this year that I wanted to make a change and shape new habits.
After a month of putting the below practices into place I’ve been truly impressed with the amount of extra time I feel like I have each day and how much more relaxed, creative and happy I’ve been.
If you’ve been stuck in that loop and are looking to make some changes, try out the below tips for yourself and let me know how it worked for you:
No social media or messenger apps before 9am or after 6pm. This was the biggest one for me. By just changing the way I start and end each day it really impacted my overall mental health. I still check calls and texts in case my family or friends need me but otherwise I’ve been strict about staying off the phone. This has allowed me to start healthier routines, actually enjoy watching a movie without checking Instagram every five minutes, spend time with family and be truly present and more creative during my downtime.
Implement routines. By implementing routines in the morning and evening it helped me realize there was other stuff I could be doing rather than be glued to my phone. For me this includes; waking up, exercising or meditating, taking my dog for a walk, cooking a healthy breakfast, reading a book, having a shower and actually putting on proper clothes rather than starting my day in my PJs. Only after I’ve finished this routine do I check my phone.
Being phone aware during the day. In the past when I’ve felt creatively stumped my habit was to pick up my phone, cycle through different Instagram accounts, etc. Instead now I step away from my computer for five minutes. Hug my dog, try to chase my cat for affection (unsuccessfully), make a cup of tea, or just walk out to the mailbox to get some fresh air.
Turn off notifications. This should be a given, but you don’t need to be reminded every two seconds that someone liked a photo or sent a message. If it’s urgent, they’ll find you. Trust me. If you work within social media, set clear times during the day to check your accounts. No more than twice a day.
If you have any other tips you think should be added to this list please send us a DM on Instagram: @viewfromtheedge.
We’d love to keep adding to this and find more ways to improve our lifestyles.
Stay healthy!