You know you need a break from social media when even your digital device is yawning.
You honestly don’t know how some people do it.
- They post constantly
- You see them everywhere
- They live and breathe social media
Reminds you of The Stepford Wives – a bit too perfect to be real.
Are you on the road from social media fatigue to comatose?
A Long and Winding Road to Social Media Fatigue
How did you get here?
It’s not difficult. You need only 3 easy steps.
- You post constantly
- You’re seen everywhere
- You live and breathe social media
And then there’s the rest of us. Okay, maybe it’s just me.
I was on the road to toes-up on social media almost immediately.
- I couldn’t keep up with all the platforms
- My three times a week blogging fried my circuits
- And then comments and postings got nasty
Perhaps this is a generational thing. Or it could be my middle child of seven syndrome. I’ve never liked following the crowd.
And I really hate to be told what to do. You know – all those “rules” about what you must do to succeed online.
So, how can you start breathing on your own again?
Pull the Plug
I know, it’s frightening – a day without social media.
Start small. Recapture your weekend. Do you remember when weekends were considered personal time? There I go dating myself again. But, try it.
- No tweets, posts, likes or +1
- No Googling, web-surfing or email
- Shut off your phone *Gasp*
Take a Detour
- Try nature instead – Drastic? Maybe. But, you may surprise yourself how energized you feel.
- Have an actual conversation – Not one about work. Visit family. Call a friend. Get personal.
- Read a book – I prefer the paper book kind. Ebooks feel too much like work (for me). But, whatever works for you, as long as you keep it to reading the book.
Self-examination
Social media can suck the life out of you. Stepping away can help you enjoy being social again without a plug or wi-fi.
Inspiration is everywhere. Even beyond the online world. You may find your work benefits from the break.
Do some social media self-examination and ask yourself these questions.
- Am I sighing a lot more than I used to?
- What is the cause of my exhaustion? My frustration?
- Is it trying to keep up with what’s new? Over and over again?
- Is it the inane chatter? If so, who’s doing it? Is it you?
You know you are on the road to recovery when you don’t have a need to share every thought.
Therapy for a Cure
You know the diagnosis. You know the cause. Now it’s time for a cure.
Remove irritants
- That may be followers, entire platforms, subscriptions – whatever
- Become a lean and healthier being (mentally and physically)
- Clean up the clutter so you can breathe again
Rethink strategy
- Keep the personal personal and the business strategic
- Develop a unique approach for each of your surviving platforms
- Make an outside life a priority
You are what makes social media unique. And no one can tell you what that is, but you.
Avoid social media fatigue.
- Occasionally pull the plug.
- Take a detour offline.
- Use self-examination to reignite.
How do you keep breathing?
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Note: This is an update to a post that originally published on February 13, 2012. If you’re like me, you may need periodic reminders it’s okay to unplug.
One of the changes I made was in response to the comment below from Roy. The original post listed being an early adopter as one of the steps moving you toward social media fatigue.
As Roy accurately pointed out, being an early adopter doesn’t mean you’re addicted to social media. My intent was more about giving yourself a break when you need it – even early adopters. 🙂
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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours.
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OK, I’ve got to ask, Cathy, what are you getting rid of? I’ve had this experience too and I’ve solved it by stepping back and reassessing.
Maybe we ought to band together to opt out… three powerful women. I’ve put fb on automatic, barely pay attention to google+ but I’ve heard it plays into seo, love twitter cause I like short writing and linkedIN is semi-interesting to me… I don’t want new ones!
Still a work in progress, Sharon, but so far, I think I am going to take a similar route to you on FB. I’ve never fully invested in it from a work standpoint, but I do belong to a blogging tribe there. While I’ve had some good interactions there, it doesn’t really bring me business so it ends up being more social than business.
So, I will probably reserve FB for family/friend interaction and move to Google+ for business. I rejected Quora, Pinterest, and although I love it, I may forgo Scoopit, too.
LinkedIn has always worked well for me, but i have not been as active because of all the other stuff I’ve been up to. I want to use my time more effectively between LI, Twitter and Google+.
Like I said, still very much a work in progress. What steps did you take, Sharon?
Anne-I’m with you there. Sometimes I want to shout like Susan Powter (remember her)? Stop the insanity. 🙂
I think there is a vast difference between being an early adopter and being ubiquitous- and being addicted to social media. I have been an early adopter before the term existed- and certainly long before social media was even a dream (one that never made it for him either) for Steve Case.
But, yes, there are many folks who seem to forget that real life friends and communication are not only useful, but often preferable to social media interactions.
Fair point, Roy about early adopters. It wasn’t my intent to make that correlation – humor gone south perhaps. 🙂 Although there was a report (Gartner, I think) that came out last year saying survey respondents categorized as early adopters were suffering from social media fatigue in many cases.
I know I can depend on you to keep me on the straight and narrow, Roy. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your thoughtful perspective.
I just had a forced social media hiatus while traveling and it was kind of nice. I had more time to think and it helped me be more inspired about a new series of blog posts on expressing gratitude. It was good to take a quick break and realize that the blog continued to exist without me for a while.
It is nice, isn’t it, Kristen? I took one in November where I had guest posts and it was indeed a nice break. Thanks for stopping by, and welcome back to the blogosphere. 🙂
Taking a social media break is a great idea. It’s so easy to get caught up in Twitter and Facebook updates that we forget to live in the moment and spend time with those around us. A few weeks ago I unsubscribed from several newsletters and updates that I never read. My inbox is much smaller. Thanks for the great reminder.
Hi Cathy,
Power tips here!
I pull back a lot during the day. Exercise, meditation, whatever. I am also working tons less now because I am moving into effective acts, with both my social media campaign and my SEO, so there’s no need to work too much.
Effective acts count most. Act smart, then exit stage left.
Thanks for sharing Cathy!
Ryan
Hi Lisa: I need to do the same thing to my Inbox. The most frustrating ones are the ones you didn’t ask for. Thanks for reminding me to do some early spring cleaning. 🙂
Exercise works great, Ryan. Most days I take a 5-6 mile walk. Being out in nature always heals.
I need to get in more effective acts, Ryan. Thanks for sharing what works for you. Good to see you. 🙂