What If You Used Social Media Less?

The Seed That Started It All

I think it was The 40-Day Social Media Fast: Exchange Your Online Distractions for Real-Life Devotion by Wendy Speake that first planted the seed for me. I didn’t take an actual fast at the time, but the book made me pause and ask myself: What role does social media really play in my life?

I convinced myself that I wasn’t on social media that much, so I didn’t worry too much about my feed. But if that were really true, why did I feel irritated every time I scrolled? Why did I feel drained instead of uplifted?

The First Steps Toward Change

I started small. I began curating my feed, unfollowing accounts that weren’t adding value, and setting time limits on my apps. These changes helped, but I didn’t realize just how much I could benefit from real boundaries—not just with social media, but with online scrolling in general.

(Am I the only person who can shop online for hours for something I’ve decided I need, all in the name of saving myself a trip to the store? That’s the problem, isn’t it? We intend to check in for just a minute… and 30 minutes later, we’re still there.)

For me, decision fatigue is real. And social media was just another way I was wearing myself out, using up my decision-making energy on things that didn’t really matter. Instead of making meaningful choices, I found myself constantly deciding:

• This group or that group?
• Try this item or don’t try this item?
• Watch now or watch later?
• Follow this person or don’t?

As I started making small changes, I felt immediate relief. Huh. Isn’t that interesting?

The Conversation That Changed Everything

I didn’t think much about it again—until another conversation planted a new seed.

A friend shared that she had removed social media apps from her phone during the week.

I was instantly jealous of her bravery.

It was such a simple, brilliant idea. But my first thought? I could never do that.

I told myself social media was necessary. I had:

• Two classes that required a Facebook group.
• A couple of paid memberships that met there.
• A growing life coaching business—surely, I needed to be on social media.

Even as I made these justifications, I could feel discomfort in my body.

That conversation was like a little seed planted in the soil of who I wanted to be.

Even though I had curated my feed to be more positive, I noticed something—I was now getting even more advertisements. And truthfully? My “better” feed wasn’t really making me feel better.

That was the first crack in my belief that I had to be on social media all the time.

Then I read Undistracted by Bob Goff, and it made me even more curious: What else in my life might be pulling my attention away from the things that really matter?

And wouldn’t you know it? I ended up back at social media.

Around the same time, one of my groups moved to a different platform. Suddenly, I got to experience learning and connection without all the fluff.

And it was amazing.

I got the content without the distraction. The experience became so much more meaningful.

That was the day I removed social media from my phone and made the decision to check it only on my iPad. Since my phone was always with me—but my iPad wasn’t—it was a game changer.

More time. More clarity. More peace.

Small Experiments That Made a Big Difference

At first, I didn’t delete anything. That felt too drastic. Instead, I tried small shifts, just to experiment and see how they felt.

• I unfollowed accounts and groups that no longer served me. I started small, removing just a few. It felt good, so I kept going.
• I set time limits on my social media apps. I made them unavailable for most of the day, which immediately reduced my time spent scrolling.
• I noticed something frustrating: the number of ads increased. Without as many people in my feed, I was left scrolling through advertisements—which made me want to be on the app even less.
• I removed the apps from my phone. At this point, social media was more annoying than enjoyable, so deleting the apps felt natural rather than extreme.
• One of my groups moved to a different platform. Another reason to keep Facebook on my phone disappeared.

None of these changes felt huge on their own, but together, they created space for something better.

What I Gained When I Let Go

For years, I told myself that limiting social media would mean missing out. But instead, I gained so much more:

• I read (and listened to) more books. I always said I didn’t have time to read. Turns out, I did—I just needed to reclaim it.
• I listened to more music. I'm not sure why, but it's what happened for me. 
• I watched less TV.  Less scrolling translated into less TV. 
• I did more knitting. My hands were usually busy holding my phone. When I swapped scrolling for something creative, I realized how much I had missed it.
• I wrote more. Without constant online noise, my thoughts flowed more freely.
• I spent less money. I reduced my impulse purchases.
• I slept better. No more late-night scrolling meant I actually went to sleep instead of telling myself “just one more post.”
• I just felt better. My mind was quieter. My mood was lighter. I was more present in my own life instead of watching everyone else’s.

Curious About Experimenting with Less? Try One of These:

If you’re curious about what life might feel like with less social media, here are a few experiments to try:

• Mute, Unfollow, Delete. Take a few minutes to clean up your feed. Follow accounts that make you feel inspired, encouraged, or genuinely happy—and don’t be afraid to let go of the rest.
• Set Time Limits. Most phones have built-in screen time settings that let you limit app usage. Try setting a cap on how much time you spend each day.
• Remove Apps from Your Phone (Just for a Weekend!). If deleting social media completely feels too extreme, try removing it for a weekend and see how you feel. You can always check in from a computer if needed.
• Leave Groups That No Longer Serve You. If you’re in Facebook groups or online communities that you never engage with, it might be time to hit "leave group" and free up some mental space.
• Create a Social Media Routine. Instead of mindlessly checking in throughout the day, decide when you actually want to be on social media—and stick to it.
• Replace Scrolling with Something More Fulfilling. What’s one thing you wish you had more time for? Reading, writing, crafting, walking, praying? Try swapping out some screen time for something that fills you up.

Books to Read if You’re Curious About Unplugging

• Undistracted by Bob Goff
• The 40-Day Social Media Fast by Wendy Speake
• Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

What’s One Small Shift You Could Try?

What could your experiment look like? What’s one small change you could make this week? Could you remove an app? Set a time limit? Try a weekend detox?

What could change for you?

Whatever experiment you choose, I’ll be cheering you on!