Does the blue background and the white logo emblazoned across the screen excite you?
Is that lower case “f” widget calling to you again and again from a minimized screen on your desktop at work? Do your spouse and kids groan every time you pick up your smartphone?
Yes? Well then, Facebook is probably a bit too important to you.
Here are some ways to start dealing with that.
- Admit it, you love Facebook. You’ve got to tell yourself the truth. Then you can gain some perspective.
- Reality check. Log every FB minute. You may not realize how much time you’re spending, money you’re losing, or relationships you’re undermining. If Facebook is always open, log how much you’re actually popping in. The numbers don’t lie. Try to steadily decrease those minutes over the next few weeks or months.
- Set limits. Allow yourself a set amount of time. You don’t have to quit cold turkey. Simply try putting parameters on your Facebook visits. Allow yourself 20 or 30 minutes as a reward for being productive at work. Or consider a regular 10 minute perusal of updates and posts only during times of the day when you’re waiting for the kids after school or in line at the bank. Just pop in and out, rather than spend all afternoon.
- Rein in constant Facebook reminders. You don’t need those FB alerts, emails, and notifications. They just get in the way. You have better things to do than to be constantly distracted by cat videos, instant messages that can wait until after work, or sexy selfies from people you barely remember from high school. Turn off all the notifications and give your mind a chance to really notice what’s happening around you.
- Mindfulness can help combat the mindlessness. Check in with yourself when the urge to “check in,” “poke,” or peek at a few status posts hits you. Face those thoughts rather than run from them. Try not to waste a lot of energy suppressing them. It gives them too much power. Mindful meditation in which you acknowledge and observe the thought or urge to get on FB, helps you refrain from judging yourself or worrying about the habit. It gives you more freedom to accept the urge and allow it to pass.
- Turn. Off. Your. Screens. You may have forgotten, but those devices can be deactivated. You have the power to walk away. You don’t have to have a screen open all the time.
- Reconnect with the pre-Facebook you. Do remember what you used to do with those minutes now designated for Facebook surfing? Did you used to go out, work out, or just generally find ways to be out there somewhere, living and doing? Not worrying one bit about whether you needed to tell someone about it in a post or take a selfie to show how great your life is? Make a list of the stuff you used to do. Then go do it!
- Seek out more real world people. Ask them to help you stay accountable. Once upon a time, you were a whole person to the people who really were your friends. You may not have had 735 “friends” but they were real. And they cared about what you truly “liked.” And you knew more about their feelings and interests than was revealed by perfect selfies and a miniature blue thumbs up or down. Maybe now you can find some new people too. Maybe they are people you’ve seen around. Maybe they’re in an internet addiction support group. Maybe you need just one professional person to help you curb the FB craving. Any of those people are okay. Just reach out.
Take steps to reclaim your time. Your life is so much bigger than those little screens imply.
