SCENE:
It’s the end of a long workday. You are coming home, planning a super-productive evening where you will have plenty of tasks marked as “done” on your to-do list.
You imagine how you will approach your to-do list and tackle each of the tasks and then fall into a well earned sleep with deep feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction when complete. Just the fantasy of all that work mastered is pleasurable and rewarding!
“So, before we start all this hassle,” you say to yourself as you take your smartphone into your hands, “we’ll sit on the couch for 5 minutes, peruse some social media, unwind a bit, and gather the strength and morale needed after this long day of work, so I can start ticking away at my to- do list.”
The next time you look up at the clock, you realize it’s been two hours. The precious little free time of your evening that you were planning on using for productive tasks has just been eaten whole by your social media scrolling. GULP! Once again!
Social media apps are very intentionally designed to capture your attention and hold you in place. They are made essentially to keep you blissfully unaware as you scroll and giggle at memes and ‘totally relatable’ content. Basically, they are meant to leave you inside a virtual world of likes, selfies, ads, media content and of course whatever your heart desires. They are designed to do this, and they do it well.
Now slow down, before you get it wrong, and think, ‘Oh great, this is an anti-social media post and here comes the rant…’ Please know dear readers, this is nothing of the sort.
Social networks have a lot of good you can get out of them, IF used correctly and in appropriate doses.
The negative impact is created when we are drawn to the content without paying attention to the substance and subject matter we are consuming and the amount of time we spend on it.
I have a simple method for ‘digital decluttering’ if you will, that I do from time to time on all my social and private media (this includes emails, different social networks, news sites, blogs and more).
I recently received an email from a clothing store mailing list that I once loved about a new sale they are running for Independence Day. I found myself clicking on the link in the email and wandering through the site. It took me but a moment to realize that I had no intention of buying anything at all. Why was I here? It wasn’t in my mind at all…until the newsletter that I was once subscribed to, contacted me via their mailing list. As it jumped in front of my eyes this time, I realized I was no longer a fan. I had outgrown them.
If it happened to someone as conscious and self aware of these issues as I am, then anyone can be easily tempted. But why should we be coaxed and try to resist this alluring temptation if we can avoid it in the first place?
So, then how do you do it?
3 Simple Steps as Follows:
- Make a list of all the digital platforms you use.
- Ask yourself HONESTLY – What are you trying to accomplish from each platform? Are you looking for inspiration (for example, fitness, art, fashion, business blogs), are you looking for practical tools such as tools on Facebook that help you search for an apartment, or specific interest blogs that are relevant to you, (like this one?) or are you just looking to keep in touch with people and enjoy your free time?
- Examine the people, pages, and groups you follow. If you get some value that contributes to your journey and where you are at this point in your life – stay connected to them. If you don’t receive any of the above-mentioned values, then unfollow / unsubscribe.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lee Snir is one of the founding partners of Legendary Life and is the original author of these blog posts. Lee is an active environmental advocate and in-demand speaker, writer and influencer in her native Israel. These blog posts were originally published in her native Hebrew in her personal blog titled, “Elita Yeruka” (“Green Elite” in English.)
When we translated Lee’s blogs for Legendary Life our goal was to only edit for grammar and clarity but to retain “Lee’s voice”. Thus the editorial choices were to err on the side of not “Americanizing” the language and thus leaving the translated blog as close as possible to the original. Therefore, native English speakers may occasionally find the word choices and phrasing a little different than they are used to.
For those of you who are Hebrew speakers and wish to read the blogs in their original form and follow Lee’s Personal blog you can do so here:
https://www.facebook.com/elitayeruka/?modal=admin_todo_tour
DISCLAIMER: Any statements, opinions or conclusions contained herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the statements, opinions or conclusions of Legendary Life (a Legendary Products, LLC brand), its owners, employees, contractors, affiliates, partners or advertisers.
