On September 9th, 2021, I stopped using Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. I logged into Instagram on October 19th to add a post to my feed. Later, I logged into Facebook, and then a few days later, I logged into TikTok (after recovering my password). I haven’t logged into Twitter. So, I’m officially back using social media. Below is what I experienced while away from social media.

More Clarity

Although I still published blog posts, uploaded videos to YouTube, and wrote my weekly newsletter, I still had more clarity than ever.

Constantly consuming the content of others instead of creating your own can bog down your brain. As a result, the brain never winds down to relax, which means the brain’s gears are constantly grinding.

When I took time away, I gained more clarity, and since I wasn’t consuming a lot of information, my mind could be still and quiet. The smoke cleared, and I could think better.

We know we need rest for our bodies for energy and performance, but no one ever tells us to rest our minds from information consumption.

Resting our minds has nothing to do with sleep; it has more to do with embracing the moment and not allowing a lot of other stuff to cloud the mind. Information overload can take a toll on you. The mind/brain needs to unwind too.

More Creative

I continued filming videos, publishing blog posts, and sending emails to my mailing list. Unfortunately, I fell off some with blog posts and emails, and that’s because I got sick.

My energy level was in the dumps, and it was at this moment, I knew I needed to make changes for better health and wellness.

I’ll write a blog post about it soon, but all you need to know is that I had a wake-up call, and it was enough to put a fire under my butt to stop procrastinating and to do what I know I need to do.

I feel better, and mostly because I got back on track. Sometimes, things happen to open your eyes to help you make a quick change. And change I did.

During the time I was away, my creativity increased. My video editing improved, I filmed more videos, thumbnail creation for YouTube improved, and I even got the ball rolling on my new project.

Sidenote: As a result, I had steady growth on my YouTube channel.

You’re probably wondering, “How does Evelyn know her video editing and thumbnails improved?” A subscriber said they like my thumbnails and editing, and they even requested that I film a video sharing what I use.

I told the subscriber that I didn’t think my audience would want to know that, so I answered the request in my reply. However, after thinking about it, I decided to honor the person’s request.

If a subscriber takes time to compliment me on video editing and thumbnails, I know they aren’t the only ones wanting to see that information. But, unfortunately, sometimes we have to step outside of our box and do those things that are not the norm.

When you’re not spending time-consuming information, you have a lot of time for creation. Even with filming and writing, I noticed my authenticity (not afraid to be myself). And that’s what being away from social media did for me.

Social Media Is Not Necessary

As you know, I accomplished more staying off social media than I did when I was posting consistently on the platforms.

My YouTube views increased along with steady subscriber growth. Traffic to my blog increased. More skincare companies reached out to me for collaborations.

Most social media experts tell you that social media is the place to be for your business, get noticed, stand out, and make money. But I also know people with thriving companies who don’t spend time on social media because they are too busy working.

These days it seems like the only way to get noticed on social media is to do or say something outlandish, and most of the time, the person who screams the loudest gets the eyes and the ears on them, and I’m not about that life. I’m satisfied with working quietly and diligently creating what God has placed inside me.

If I want to grow my business and influence, I cannot be on every platform because it limits my time for content creation.

Social Media Platforms I Use

Digital Minimalism for thirty-plus days helped me declutter my social media feeds and prioritize which platform is worth my energy and time.

I chose to remain active on Instagram and TikTok. However, I have certain days I post content to those platforms. And I don’t waste time scrolling through the feeds when I’m bored.

When I log in to Instagram or TikTok, I have specific actions I do, and once complete, I sign off. I don’t feel the need to scroll endlessly. It feels good to have control over how I spend my time.

I kept my Facebook account only because I have a client that I communicate with, plus I can help them with their FB page (if needed) and grab content I need for their website updates.

I have a Facebook Creator’s Page, but I’ve decided not to be active; I might even delete the page. The FB page won’t grow unless I spend money, post much content, and invest time, which isn’t worth it.

As for Twitter, if I can ever get logged in, I’ll delete the account. Because it serves no purpose other than me reading tweets that are triggering.

The links to my content that I shared on Twitter got little to no clicks, so it’s not the best use of my time to be active on that platform. So I refuse to share content that no one sees. My time, sanity, and managing stress are more critical than being triggered by the opinions of people I don’t even know.

Final Words

I know this is a long blog post, but I had a lot to tell you. The takeaway from my 30-day social media challenge is that social media platforms aren’t necessary for growth.

You’re not missing out on anything if you’re not using the platforms.

Life rolls on, and I’d rather live in the moment than spend most of my waking time on someone else’s website, making their pockets fatter.

Most importantly, you’ll be happier and in a better place mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically by spending less time on social media and more time living life in real-time.

Never be afraid to launch out into the deep. What’s the least that can happen? You’ll either sink or swim. I have a feeling you’ll do more swimming than sinking.

Until next time.

Keep shining!🌻