Logging Off: Reclaiming my time and attention
Thanks to a clear call to action by Sebene Selassie back in September, and shortly thereafter watching The Social Dilemma, I'm reclaiming my attention.
To get me started on this journey to reclamation, I’m planning for a pause - a social media sabbatical to match my work sabbatical. I’m even considering giving up my smart phone for a while!
As tempted as I am to hastily log off and throw my phone into the river (imagine how cathartic that would feel, though?), my plan is a little more intentional than that. Because I've been emphasizing slowing things down in my life, I've decided to approach this transition with care. I’m hoping my decision not to do this cold turkey will keep me from returning before I’m ready. I’d like to make the most of my time turning inward.
Below are a few things I've put in place over the last couple of weeks to help me along, and I'm loving it so far!
I allow myself to pick up the phone just as much as when I was incessantly checking IG, but instead, I'm opening up apps that contribute to my learning. Two of those apps include Lucid (an interactive, animated guide to select books) and Tagalog by Nemo.
I've started up bullet journaling (aka BUJO) as a way to keep my eyes and hands busy in down times. When I'm lacking inspo or am mindlessly reaching for my phone, I'll open up Pinterest for some BUJO inspiration (I know, I know, Pinterest can be a slippery slope for some, but for me, given that the images that pop up are of no-one I know, I don't get drawn in as intensely as I do on IG).
I'll soon be implementing "block out" times with my phone - three 3 hour periods a day where I'll give my phone a rest, as well as one 24-hour period each week.
I’ve also been drawing inspiration from some of the brave ones who have already taken the plunge! Alexandra Franzen and Jane Clapp both broke their social media use down into measurable units of time and calculated how many days or years of their lives that would add up to. And while I haven’t done the math on my own life, their numbers struck a powerful chord.
Jane Clapp’s farewell message on Instagram read:
I am saying goodbye to this platform, a space I’ve likely spent approximately 600-700 hours per year for the last 6 years = 4200 hours = approximately 175 days of my life. While I understand it’s a necessary space for so many of us to generate income, find clients, be heard and experience connection, and while I respect others’ need to use this space to survive, I’m stepping off this train that feels like it’s going off the rails. I will need to evolve to a new way of finding clients and connecting with people interested in what I will have to offer in the future. I trust you will find me if you want to stay connected. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, you can do that at janeclapp.com to stay up to date with what I’m offering. I joined Instagram prior to Facebook purchasing it, before algorithms were designed to colonize our psyches and go beyond influencing how we spend out time and money and into designing how we think and behave towards one another. The degree that I am anxious to shut down my account affirms the importance of my decision to delete it. My dependency on Instagram and my addiction to is has illuminated a spiritual drought in me. I want to reclaim the two hours a day that this app has zapped. I want to honour my work and my inner experience more than sharing it publicly with people who aren’t certain to hold it with mutual humanity. I am so thankful for everyone I connected with because of this app. I’m also a huge believer in listening to my soul. I’ve become deeply allergic to this space. I might be back with a smaller focus on day after going into retreat and contemplation. I trust that when we ignore our deep wisdom and not engage in course corrections, the external world (objective psyche) will conspire to get us on the path of waking up.
To echo the sentiments of both women mentioned above, I don’t think social media or technology are evil. In fact, I think they’re really amazing when used as tools for connection! I recognize how crucial they can be for many entrepreneurs and small business owners. I acknowledge the important role they play in freedom of expression and organizing in the context of movements for social justice and awareness raising. I also think sometimes social media is just really fun! But like Jane said, my resistance to leaving it feels like a good enough reason to make this journey. My hope is that by removing myself and tuning into my own undistracted thoughts, I’ll be able to renegotiate a relationship to technology that feels right for me.
If you’ve been considering a social media break for yourself, here are some other things that have been *incredibly* helpful in affirming my decision to log off for 3-6 months:
Reading the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Looking for inspo from others who are logging off, deactivating or deleting their accounts, like Jane Clapp's post (above), Marlee Grace, and Alexandra Franzen.
Tuning into the ways I enjoy (or used to enjoy before tech took over) spending my time, and doing them - what an enriching homecoming!
Reminding myself that INSTAGRAM IS NOT A BUSINESS PLAN (à la Marlee Grace). It might help, but it's not the only way!
Creating other ways to be in touch and planning to let people know how to find me (stay tuned).
Filling out this spreadsheet created by Marlee Grace to facilitate staying connected with the folks and profiles that nourish me.
Taking part in this social media reboot offered by the makers of the movie The Social Dilemma.
My intention with my social media and work sabbatical is to get so “bored” that creativity has no choice but to spring forth. Hopefully I’ll discover new as well as familiar and nourishing ways of being. It’s another step towards decolonizing and re-Indigenizing this heart and mind.
This year’s Spring Equinox (Saturday March 20) feels like the perfect time to log off for a few months. I’ll continue to update my Instagram and Facebook for the next several days with links to ways we can maintain connection beyond my deactivation, and I will drop those links into this blogpost as I go.
Do you have any intentions for the new season? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
