Social media: LOVE to hate it or HATE to love it?
Sponsored by U.S. Taekwondo Academy
If you’re like me, it’s probably a little bit of both. It’s an incredible tool to connect with others, build community and build businesses. But it’s also a comparison trap and most of all – a major time suck.
I mean seriously – who hasn’t opened up their phone for a “quick 10 minute Instagram scroll” only to look up and realized an hour (or more) has passed?!
You know how it goes…
Scroll, click, read, click, scroll, click, click, click…and suddenly you’re crying and donating your life savings to a GoFundMe page to get some stranger’s dog a new artificial leg (or is that just me haha?!)
Seriously though – the endless black hole of scroll is REAL. So real it even has a scientific name.
Photo by Breanna Kuhlmann Photography
Behold – the DOPAMINE LOOP. Dopamine is a chemical in our brain that’s released after reward-seeking behaviors – and it causes us to want them all over again. With every photo you scroll through, you are feeding the loop. But here’s the tricky thing about that loop: it is never satisfied! Our brains don’t have a built in stop button.
So, it’s our job to build one ourselves.
Here’s how:
1 – SET screen time limits for yourself. Use your settings to put a timer on your social media apps and you’ll get a notification when you’ve hit the limit. That is your cue to PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND BACK AWAY SLOWLY.
2 – UNFOLLOW a bunch of people. It’s a simple concept: the less people in your feed, the less time you’ll spend.
3 – TURN OFF your notifications. Did you watch the Social Dilemma? If so – you know how pesky those notifications are – and how they are designed to KEEP US SCROLLING! Get rid of all of them. It helps. A LOT.
Photo by Breanna Kuhlmann Photography
4- USE ️ MODE when you’re working. Promise yourself an hour of ACTIVATED WORK MODE before you pick it back up.
5 – USE IT as a reward. Allow yourself a mindless IG story scroll once you accomplish your big tasks for the day – but NOT before.
So what do you say? Will you implement one (or more) of these? Have you already?
DM me on Instagram @kristademcher (ironic I know – only do it after activated work mode, okay?!) and tell me – and if you can relate to my GoFundMe struggle, tell me that too. 😉
Krista Demcher is a Harford County resident, wife and mama of 3, and owner of KD Coaching. With an anthem of “you already have what it takes”, Krista marries her clinical counseling background + business savvy to help small business owners level up their revenue by mastering confidence in themselves, clarity in their messaging and communication skills to bring it all together. She does this through the ACORN Method: a signature 5-step system + entrepreneurial community to turn expertise into earnings. Learn more about Krista and her programs in her slice of the internet :: www.kristademcher.com.
