This isn’t going to come as a surprise to many people, but I have a Facebook addiction problem. I spend more time on it then one would recommend as being healthy. I know over the past couple years my use increased a lot – I mean I always used it a lot before and before facebook there was myspace and AOL instant messenger and I’ve basically been connected to the world at large since age 11 but there has been something excessive or unnerving to me recently and having the motivation and desire to want to change it.
Over the past year with stepping further into self-employment Facebook has been a means of connecting with colleague around the world, learning how to run a business and furthering my skills and education. I believe this really increased my use as before it was just a social thing and it has just gotten to the point that it has infiltrated so much!
I knew I needed to do something….. but what?
I’ve been experimenting with solutions because there is a lot of good and benefit that come from social media and FB use (for me I know others don’t feel that way). The first thing I tried was deleting my app off my phone so I would be restricted to desktop usage. Which resulted in me missing social functions and using FB too much while at work. I did this a few times and currently have decided I need to have it on my phone so step two was to take off my notifications – which is helpful – when I’m busy. But still not helpful when I’m “bored” aka “avoiding shit.”
This week I started my most recent step which is not bringing my phone to bed with me. I talk to clients about sleep hygiene all the time and for a while my sleep hygiene was on par but has gone downhill the past couple years and I need to address it. It got worse when I was nursing throughout the night because what else are you going to do? That’s right… go on your phone.
I have heard of the solution of not bringing the phone to bed but I’ve always just said “well my phone is my alarm clock.” I always thought it was stupid to have an alarm clock. I mean I don’t think I’ve had one in maybe 10 years! Therefore I never really entertained the idea of buying an alarm clock and leaving my phone in the kitchen upon bedtime. Until now.
Finally I got over myself and said “just buy a fucking alarm clock.” So I did.
I specifically googled “cordless” because I didn’t feel like dealing with cords and shit. I wanted to buy something small without the bells and whistles like a radio…. Pretty advanced stuff, I know. And I wanted something that looked good to me. $40 and a few days later I got my brand new alarm clock in the mail!
Easy peasy.
I just started using it on Monday and I know it won’t solve ALL of my problems, even my problems with phone and social media use, but I do believe it will be a solid step in the right direction.
I hope that by using my alarm clock I will
1. Improve my sleep quality
2. Calm my mind
3. Allow me to be present with myself and others and
4. Reduce dependency on Facebook
5. Increase productivity
I know that’s kind of a tall order but I know there are more steps to be taken, and I can’t take the next step until I take this one… I guess I could jump ahead, but jumping has always been a scary thing for me and sometimes I need to feel it out a bit in the beginning before I jump two steps at a time. Even then I go back to one step cause bigger steps are more tiring and sometimes I need a breather to recover.
I’m excited to give this a try for a couple weeks and see what this step it will provide me. I’m curious as to what my next step will be and what that is going to look like. But 2017 needs to have some simplification and focus… And I know I can’t simplify and focus when I’m scrolling through FB, whether it be for fun, or for business.