8 Important Lessons From a 30 Day Social Media Pause
Writing a book when you have a business can be a challenge. But with a little planning and some intentional boundaries, it can happen, and it can be fun.
Here's how it goes when you post something on social media, you post it. You check back later to see who liked it and if anyone left a heart or a comment. I’d comment back, and have a mini conversation, and it felt good. It lights up my brain and makes me feel important, so I should keep sharing stuff. Social media is designed to do this. And it's very effective.
For all of November, I paused on all new blog content creation, and importantly on social media so that I could focus on a big round of book edits. On November 1, I had a lot of work to do. I added at least 20,000 words and removed 15,000 words. I worked on my book every single day in November except for one Sunday halfway through the month.
I did two things before I paused:
1) I told my newsletter people.
I sent an email to my newsletter subscribers telling them that I wouldn’t send any new blog content for all of November. I promised to share weekly updates on what I was learning, and some exclusive behind-the-scenes peeks at what working on a big book project is like.
2) I posted out-of-the-office notes on social media.
On October 31, amidst all the posts of kids in Halloween costumes, I put up an out-of-office post on all the social channels I use. I felt a little silly telling people I was going to be away because most people won’t even notice. Really, I would prefer to slip out the back door without telling a soul, but this project was important.
My post said that I’d be offline working on my book. People know where to find me. Sure, I could have automated some posts, but then I’d want to be in there engaging and having conversations. No scheduling, just logging in to check on the Unfussy Writing Community members.
Taking 30 days off social media transformed my relationship with the constant buzz.
I've taken breaks before. And every time I come back different. This lasts for a few days, and then suddenly, I'm right back into old habits.
Here's what those old habits look like:
Drinking my morning coffee and scrolling Instagram
Flipping through Instagram stories on the couch after dinner
Checking Facebook
Checking Twitter in between meetings
Checking LinkedIn before bed
If I'm especially bored or procrastinating, I'll check Pinterest too.
This endless loop is exhausting. Sometimes, almost an hour goes by, and I wonder what I did with that time.
I am no smarter, no better off, and no more inspired or motivated. Sure, I love staying connected with IRL friends and family and my online network, but how much is too much?
Here are the 8 lessons from pausing social media for 30 days:
1. The addiction is real.
Pressing pause on social media took a little bit of getting used to. I didn't necessarily miss it, but I missed the habit. I wondered what some people were up to. Instead, I kept in touch with text messaging, Voxer, and email.
The first few days without all the social media posting, engaging, and checking felt as if I had boots on and one sock had slid off my foot inside my boot. Uncomfortable and antsy.
The pull and worry about missing out on something are real. It took a few days to go away.
2. After a while, I felt free.
I could go through my day without thinking about what to post on Instagram and searching for posts to engage with.
3. I got things done.
My goal was to complete a significant round of book edits, and I got more than done. The book is ready for my editor and some beta readers. I completed all my client work and had more than enough time to spend on my book and run the kids around to all their activities.
4. You don't need to announce a pause.
My intention behind announcing my pause was for marketing. I believe that when we make the time to focus on our important projects, we get them done. This is one of the most important reasons I created the Unfussy Writing Community. In the coming months, I'll be opening up the doors to the community, so leaving a post up served as a free ad. Maybe this makes sense for your business too.
5. Staying in my lane.
When working on a big project like a book, outside influences aren’t helpful. They’re a distraction, and it could lead me to question my work — not useful in getting stuff done. I was able to keep my head down and keep my eyes on my own paper. Being away from social media helps you stay motivated.
6. Social media didn’t affect my bottom line.
If I look at November purely from an income perspective, I made roughly the same amount of money as the month before. I didn't make a difference. And I think that's how I've intentionally built my business, not to have to rely on social media.
7. I was calmer.
I think I was a better human being and felt more mindful. I spent more time reading books that had nothing to do with mine. Having more time and space in my schedule helped me feel more creative and present. I had the opportunity to be more mindful every day. This is enough of a reason for me to logout more often.
8. When it was time to come back, I didn’t.
I didn't jump right back in. I didn't even want to. I didn't post until a few days into December. I wondered, what do you say after you pause for a month? When really, that’s just my ego talking, thinking that people missed me and were waiting for me to come back. They weren’t. Suddenly, scrolling felt like a huge waste of time. I had more creative projects to work on. I had a game of Scrabble waiting with the kids.
I will definitely take a social media pause again.
Having a container of 30 days to focus on NaNoWriMo for my book project and within the Unfussy Writing Community was a lot of fun. Many of the writers inside the community told me that they got a lot more done than they would have if they weren't tracking their word count or without a challenge and a few dozen people cheering you on.
There’s a chapter in my book dedicated to this topic. In it, I quantified how much time I’d spend on social media if I spent an hour a day from the time I created my Facebook account in 2007 until the age of 100 (assuming I live that long). At an hour a day, I would have spent three years (3 YEARS!) scrolling, clicking, flipping, tapping.
That feels like an urgent call to me.
How many books could I write in 3 years?
How many more clients could I serve?
How much more time could I spend serving the Unfussy Writing Community?
How many blog posts could I create? How many ideas would I take action on?
How many meals could I enjoy with the people I love?
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