Today is the beginning of my fourth day of saying "No Way" to my favorite social media site, Facebook. How's it going?
Honestly? Much better than I expected it to go!
Typically, in the mornings, my "morning coffee" is sitting down at the computer for 20 to 30 minutes and checking Facebook, my e-mail accounts, and blogs I read. Sometimes, I'll pop over to Pinterest. It's a routine that helps get me going for the day, much like sitting down at the breakfast table and reading the newspaper. So, I figured taking an entire step out of that routine might throw a wrench in my day and make it difficult to get anything done. You know, kind of like when you lose your favorite piece of jewelry, the one you wear
every day - you just don't feel right without it, like you're walking around with two left feet and can't keep your balance.
And really, there's no problem with that. My problem with Facebook is that I tend to be a grazer. I'll sit down every other half hour or so just to check my news feed. And sometimes that turns into checking out other sites and blogs, or getting lost in someone's photo album of their kids' Halloween costumes, and before I know it I've been on my tush in front of the screen for an hour or more. Doing absolutely nothing worthwhile.
Since FB has become such a daily habit, I figured I would have more of a struggle when it came to staying away. I won't lie - the first day was difficult! The kids did several adorable things, and my first thought was, "Oh, I need to post that! So and so would get such a kick out of it." But then I remembered I couldn't, and I moved on with my day. A few times, I actually clicked on the Facebook shortcut on my toolbar, out of habit, before I caught myself. Thankfully, my husband also uses Facebook and had his account logged in, because surely I would have gotten sucked in quickly if I'd caught a glimpse of something interesting or funny at the top of my newsfeed.
The second and third days weren't so bad at all. I still checked my e-mail and surfed Pinterest, but I noticed that I spent considerably less time parked in front of the computer screen, and more time interacting with kids or catching up with stuff I've been behind on for ages. Or, writing in this blog, which I've sorely neglected these past few months.
Bottom line? I don't miss Facebook. Let me say that again, because it just feel so good:
I don't miss Facebook!
I don't miss it so much that I'm considering making my 7 day fast a 30 day sabbatical and breaking the social media habit once and for all. I can't stay away permanently, because I am trying to grow a business and social media is an important free marketing tool, but I think a 30 day break will be good for me, especially as I get into this busy month of holiday preparation and celebration.
I'll make my decision before my week is up, but for now, I'm enjoying this 7 days without Facebook.
How about you? Do you think you could go a week without Facebook? How about a month? What would you do with your extra time?
