When it comes to productivity in today's fast evolving world, many of us find ourselves overwhelmed, stressed, overworked, anxious, exhausted and often times low in energy. The day goes by and we wonder where our time has gone, not taking the time to pay attention where we are spending our precious hours. We are constantly consuming productivities number one assasin: Social Media.
When someone mentions fasting, people usually think about food. However, the fact is that fasting was created as a way to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Today, we are living in a world where we are surrounded by technology. Many people believe that they cannot live without all these electronic devices and gadgets. The fact is that modern technology and especially the Internet has changed our lives.
In the recent period the popularity of online social media has reached record high levels and the most popular social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have millions of daily active users. (1) Even though using social media brings some benefits, the truth is that too many people are consumed and obsessed with them. Which means that a social media fast is a an excellent idea, especially to help boost your productivity levels when it comes to accomplishing personal goals. In this article we will highlight 5 benefits of a social media fast and how those benefits will 10X your personal productivity.
Fight the Fear of Missing Out & Gain Mental Freedom and Clarity.
Did you know that there is a psychological disorder known as FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. You might not be suffering from this disorder, but you are probably showing some of the symptoms of this disorder. These symptoms include frequent checking of status updates of your friends and followers and sharing new statuses, which leads to anxiety, stress and other negative things. The fact is that this fear of missing out is making our lives worse and by embracing a social media fast you can avoid this situation. In addition, you will now be able to focus on more important tasks and projects that you may have been procrastinating. Without the outside worldly distractions you will gain greater mental clarity. This allows yourself to hear your own voice and thoughts. Stay focused on the project at hand until completion.
Focus on Self-Love. No need for online validation.
What is interesting is that this social media phenomenon has made many people feel that they need to validate themselves over the Internet and to try to do anything to grab the attention of others. They relate the number of shares, likes, fans, and followers with their self-esteem and self-confidence. Instead of waiting for this virtual validation, you can focus on real life things like health, passion, fitness or even making money. When you take the time to truly focus on self-improvement and development, you will no longer care about others opinions. You will be setting your own individual standard and begin to move to the beat of your own drum. Creating your own beautiful melody. You will make time for your deepest desires and dreams and begin to truly fall in love with yourself. Improving your holistic well-being. Becoming more productive and investing in your greatest asset: YOU!
Improved mood
If you take a closer look at some of your real or virtual friends that have profiles on social media platforms, you’ll notice that some of them have thousands of “friends”. But, the fact is that regardless of the number of online friends you won’t feel happier because of that. There are many people that are consumed by negativity and they are constantly sharing some violent videos, sad stories and sad news. OR you may be constantly comparing yourself to images and it make you feel less than or not enough. If you stay away from them by quitting social media at least for a while, you will feel much better. And again, focus on self-love & care. When you feel better, you think better. You will begin to act better and overall will become better.
More ME-Time.
In case you are thinking about temporarily deactivating your social media account, we will mention one more thing that should convince you that this is the right thing to do. Namely, when you are no longer obsessed with the latest photos, statuses and videos shared by your real and virtual friends online, you will get more me-time. This is something that we all need in order to achieve our personal goals and focus on the important things in our lives. Time is a very valuable asset and we should not waste it in vein.
Enjoying other things even more.
Let’s be honest – when was the last time when you were out with your friends without checking your smartphone for social media updates? According to some surveys, people are spend about 30% of their time on the Internet on social media. (2) Checking social media platforms is distracting and it prevents people to enjoy in simple and small things like watching a movie or hanging out with their partner, family and friends. Limit social media and enjoy more productive quality time with loved ones.
Keep in mind that these are just some of the benefits of a social media fast. This makes a No Social Media Fast a true challenge that is worth the effort!
(1)http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/
(2)http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic