Do I Need a Social Media Break?

If you’re wondering whether or not you need a social media break I have a solution for you. Just answer the questions below.

Are you stressing out about what to post next on your feed?
Are you constantly checking your phone for notification from your social media; & get slightly disappointed when there is none?
Are you constantly thinking about social media? Thinking that you’re missing out if you don’t constantly check your feed?
Are you oversharing every single detail of your life with your followers? ie. Where you’re going, what you’re doing atm, who you are with?
Do you panic when you don’t have anything to post to the point of thinking you are not doing enough if you don’t post; as if you’re doing something wrong if you’re not constantly updating your feed?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions then you probably need a social media break. I suppose your next question is, “How do I take a social media break?” Easy peasy just delete all your social media apps for one week/end or more. You’re probably thinking, “WHAT IF I LOSE ALL MY FOLLOWERS!?” If they unfollow you then they weren’t going to engage with you, talk to you, etc. & if you’re a business account then they probably weren’t going to buy your product or services. If you still don’t think I know what I’m talking about I’ll tell you the about my experience with a social media break.

I decide to take a social media break because one Sunday I getting myself upset because I didn’t not know what I was going to post for the current week. I had a plan of what I should post but I was not prepped or ready in anyway whatsoever. As thoughts of being inadequate plague me, I just decide to remove all my ”problems” in one fell swoop. I deleted all my social media app so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. At first I though of giving a head-ups to all my followers then I was wondering what was the best way to go about it. Then I realized that I was starting to stress again so I didn’t say a word.

Pros: So much time!

I wasn’t constantly looking at my phone for new updates, comments, likes, etc.
I didn’t have to worry about trying to post a picture at the right time so a huge chunk of my followers can see it.
Here are just some of the things I manage to get done during my break
1. I finished testing a pattern
2. I finished another wip
3. I finished editing my website; moving all my blog post over, adding 3 more pages to my blog, adding a contact page, subscription page, an about me page.
4. I cleaned up some things in my etsy shop
5. Wrote up a few blog posts that I’ve been meaning to do but could “never find the time for.”
& the best of this break was the rest! Lots and lots of rest.

If you’re a small business account like me then a break is awesome because it gives you time to gather yourself and rethink your brand and social media feed and to review everything in your business; what work what didn’t. And you aren’t getting distracted by posting, replying, scrolling; basically all the extra stuff. It’s a great way to relax and get stuff done.

Cons: Engagement

Lower traffic; The traffic on Ohmyknit.com and my Etsy shop lowered a great deal.
Not engaging with your tribe; I love reaching out to other makers through my feed and their Instagram stories.
Not getting inspired; I love seeing what other people are working on. It gets me pumped up to knit or crochet a new item or finish a wip.
Social media withdraw; I’m not sure if this is a con or not (probably not) I would find myself reaching for my phone and when I don’t see the social media apps I would end up doing something else, something productive.

To be honest it was hard the first 2-3 days. But then I adjusted to life without social media and it really was a time saver. Not making stories, not posting, not engaging, but simple living my life without being plugged in. (aka reading all of my manga and watching my favorite anime. Working on old projects revamping my website and Etsy shop.) I might have to do this again or maybe just on the weekends I’ll delete my apps; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Because it felt good not to constantly share. That could also be the introvert in me speaking though.

Conclusion: Not being on social media gives and saves you lots of time to get things done whether that be in your personal life or business. The down side is that your traffic and engagement do drop. I suppose that can change if you use a social media scheduler and plan out your content in advance or if you’re a great marketer.

Also big shout out to Kelly from @Knitbrooks for noticing I was gone AND reaching out to me! Everyone needs a Kelly in their life.