You have decided on a social media break, here’s how to plan for it

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3 years ago

Deciding to take a break from social media is not a bad idea. However, it is not enough to decide. You can effectively follow up on your decision in order to make progress by having a plan.

Contents

1. Identify the need for it 2. Identify other things you’d rather be doing 3. Create SMART goals. 4. Identify the duration of the break 5. Identify the social media app you’d like to take a break from 6. Uninstall or freeze the apps 7. Seek to be accountable 8. Go for therapy 9. Constantly remind yourself why 10. Find other means of keeping in touch with your friends and family and people that matter

Venturing into something without a plan can be likened to an individual intentionally embarking on a journey that might not be productive.

If you have identified that you need some time off social media, why then should you plan your social media break? Well, it’s important for you to plan in order for you to be guided into making the most of the period away from social media.

Have you taken a break from social media, and when it was time for you to resume activities on social media, it really felt as if you wasted time and the break was unproductive?

In this article are guidelines on how to effectively take a social media break.

1. Identify the need for it

When the reason for a thing is unknown, mismanagement will be the order of the day.

People have different reasons for wanting to take a social media break, so it is different strokes for different folks. One individual could opt for a break because of cyberbullying, another could go for it because it’s getting in the way of their productivity. And for you, you think you need a break because the contents on there are getting to you, and it’s pretty unhealthy.

2. Identify other things you’d rather be doing

You need to be clear on what you’d rather be doing instead of being active on social media. Would you like to learn a new skill or continue learning one that you’ve abandoned for a while? Would you like to hang out with friends and family that you haven’t kept in touch with in a while? Would you love to read a book or join a book club? Is it movies you’d like to see or new recipes you’d like to try? How about you go for a walk or go shopping? Or would you rather spend more time sleeping?

It’s important for you to identify other activities that would fill up your social media time. You could write them down or record them. Just be sure to have them tracked somehow. The human mind can forget, right?

3. Create SMART goals.

There’s an old saying that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Plan your break so that it does not turn out to be an unproductive one.

You should set goals that are SMART in order for you to achieve the primary reason for the break. Of what use is a break that has nothing it hopes to achieve?

4. Identify the duration of the break

How long are you leaving social media for? Is it a day, a week, a month or more, or a year?

You should know how long you’ll be away. This will help you set your goals correctly.

Which social media app would you like to leave for a while? Knowing this will help you act appropriately.

6. Uninstall or freeze the apps

After identifying the application(s) you can either freeze/disable it throughout the specified duration or you delete the app till the break is over.

This strategy will come in handy for someone who happens to be addicted to the social media app. Because if you allow the app to remain in sight, you might break the plan under the guise of wanting to briefly check out something on the app. Then you spend hours and you eventually cancel the break.

It will help you stay focused till the end of the break.

7. Seek to be accountable

Have people that will hold you accountable throughout your break. This is another way to instil discipline in yourself. You have people to call you to order in case you are planning to chicken out. You also have people to support you if it is a bit hard to adjust to life without that social media application that you love so much.

8. Go for therapy

There’s nothing shameful about going to therapy.

9. Constantly remind yourself why

There’s the tendency to get so comfortable with the idea of taking a break from social media, that you forget the reason. And when you forget the reason, you might end up not working on it as planned.