4 things that happened when I broke up with social media
Audio more your jam? Listen to this post as a podcast episode!
Hello petals,
I’m coming to you LIVE and FRESH like a salmon who’s just escaped the trawler net pre-fish market. How and why?
*Drumroll*
Last week, I spilled my guts (or the tea if you’re reading this before you’ve had breakfast and GUTS is too confronting) over on the podcast about my soft breakup with… Instagram. Which I also shared on Instagram. *awkward*
I’ve come to the end of our first weekend apart and I’ve gotta say, when all’s said and done, at the end of the day…
I BLOODY LOVE IT.
In this blog post, I’m sharing what I’ve done (aka the deets of the soft socials breakup) and four things that’ve happened in the three days since I’ve let the ole’ socials down easy. I’m also including some meaningfully positioned questions (MPQs) for you to ponder in case you’re thinking about a lil’ breakup of your own.
THE SOFT SOCIALS BREAKUP (SSBU) HOW-TO:
I still have aaaaall my social media profiles, but I delete the apps from my phone when I’ve finished using them.
I have the Instagram app installed on my desktop, so I use this for replying to DM’s and checking in on client posts.
I use Facebook Meta on desktop to schedule client posts and participate in any Facebook groups for course I’m enrolled in.
If I want to connect with someone, I send them a message, a text or I call them. I KNOW RIGHT.
Otherwise, that’s it. I call this a soft breakup because I’m really using it to evaluate exactly how I want to make social media work for me and my business, and I’m still sharing a post or two here, a story there. Instead, I’ll be consciously thinking about how I can share the message I want to share and connect with my audience, using the least amount of time spent on social media as possible.
LISTEN TO EPISODE 12: FOUR THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO MY TIME SINCE MY SOFT BREAK-UP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
FOUR THINGS THAT’VE HAPPENED SINCE THE SSBU:
I’ve really, really evaluated exactly what I get out of using social media versus the time and energy I put into creating content FOR social media. (I AM BOLDING THE VERY IMPORTANT POINTS I WISH TO MAKE). I’ve been running my Virtual Assistant and Productivity Strategist business for over a year now and 80% of my marketing efforts have been channelled into social media. Is this where 80% of my revenue has come from? NO. EFFING. WAY.
MPQ FOR YOU: Without getting ultra-spreadsheety (although, if you’re into it – GO THERE), have a think about how much of your time and energy is spent on social media. Looking at your screen time app is a good start. (This could include creating content, mindless scrolling you’re kidding yourself is ‘research for work’ as you eat grated cheese outta the bag (for example), thinking about creating content, crying into your cereal when the reel you’ve just made disappears for no goddamn reason – or just opening and closing your apps multiple times a day.)
Now think about how much you actually GET out of social media – do you generate revenue? Leads? Clients? What percentage of your business comes from social media and does this correlate with the amount of time you invest in making these leads happen? If you’re using it to connect with others, are you ACTUALLY getting what you want out of it for the time you’re pouring into it?
I’ve felt like myself again. On last week’s podcast episode, I talked about some shitty advice I received that went something like ‘your business Instagram isn’t the place to be funny’ and I actually listened to it. What happened? I totally lost who I was in my content and you can TELL. My content and what I was putting out there started to look like everyone else’s – the message I was so excited to get out there and share with everyone became this watered down soup-puddle of weird trending audios, pointing and me, silently showcasing something that looked like resting smug face. So I bellowed ‘SCREW THAT’, gave myself a hug and reminded myself that I don’t want to be like everyone else. I bet you don’t either.
MPQ FOR YOU: Do you feel like you can be yourself through the content you’re creating? Really? Truly? What feelings come up for you when you think about creating social media content? Excitement? Dread? Nervousness? Anxiety? Disappointment? Fire in your belly?
I’ve felt MORE INSPIRED to create than I have in a very, very (VERY) long time. My brain is taking all the time I’d usually fill with an unsatisfying scroll and serving up ideas for my business, thoughts about what I can share with you guys next, telling me which books it’d like me to read, nudging me to actually pick up the phone and call people and fondly gazing at my husband and kids with a eye-mist emoji face. I actually sat down to write (this newsletter) for the first time in a long time and thought about how I could leverage THIS piece of content, instead of thinking about trending audios and text overlays and pointing and all those bits and pieces which, frankly, are a little bit ridiculous.
MPQ FOR YOU: What do you actually like creating when it comes to content and connecting with others? If you enjoy writing, could you take the chunk’a time you’ve got parked for social media and start an SEO-optimised block? Could you repurpose that as a newsletter? Do you love a chat? Could you start a podcast? Would you just like to write something for the sake of writing something? Or draw something? How would this help you feel more inspired in other areas of your business and your life?
NO ONE HAS DIED. This is probably the most important thing that has happened since the SSBU. Literally, nothing has happened. I deleted the Instagram and Facebook apps from my phone for the weekend, and reinstalled the Instagram app this morning to post a reel for a client. I flicked over to my own Instagram. Nothing’s happened, no one’s died and I even gained 5 more followers. (Huh). So I didn’t post, I didn’t scroll, I stopped thinking about how I could turn everything into a post and no one died, my business didn’t implode as a result BUT – I feel inspired, creative, I’m loaded with ideas and I had a great bloody weekend just being me.
MPQ FOR YOU: WILL ANYONE ACTUALLY DIE IF YOU DELETE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA APPS? More helpfully, what will actually happen to your business or your life if you delete social media apps from your phone? How could you take all that time and bundle it up into something magical that actually delivers you the outcome you want to achieve in WAY less time
That’s it, gang. I hope this has left you inspired and left you lots to ponder. I’m really, genuinely grateful for you taking the time to read this, and I can’t wait to share more with you. If there’s something you’d like to ask me or chat about - snack choices, favourite books or a question about being more productive or working a little bit less - holler at me. I’ll be here.
Yours in time,
Kat
