This post was last updated on July 1st, 2024 at 02:19 pm
If you want to spend less time on social media, it’s important to identify non-screen activities that can fill the void and win your attention. Cutting down on social media use requires long-term focus and planning.
And I’ll be blunt: One of the best ways to cut back on screen time is to switch to a dumbphone. However, I realize this switch isn’t practical for a lot of people, so I designed this list of five ways to spend less time on social media with smartphone users in mind.
01 Subscribe to a newspaper
It sounds old-fashioned and will cost some money. But if reading a physical newspaper helps you spend less time on social media, the expense could be worthwhile.
The beauty of the physical paper is there’s no “click bait.” It compiles the news and presents it in the order of most importance. Editors show respect for their readers’ time by giving more space to the most important stories and marginalizing the trivial ones. You’re not left to wonder what story deserves your focus. Enjoy reading without having to watch out for rabbit holes, with multiple ads and notifications competing for your attention.
Here’s how Andrew Ferguson of the Atlantic describes his online reading experience: “On my phone or my laptop, I am beckoned incessantly to click on one link or another or still another, boxes of irrelevant video appear and disappear, audio screeches out unbidden, ads scurry across the screen obstructing the paragraphs I’m trying to read.”
In the article, Ferguson explains what it’s like to start reading a physical newspaper for the first time in years. Unlike the endless stream of ads on the internet, his newspaper isn’t nearly as “noisy or presumptuous. It holds still,” he writes.
Plus, when you subscribe to a local newspaper, you’re supporting local journalism. Many residents of smaller towns and cities would have no way of learning what their city councils and county boards were doing if not for their local newspaper.
02 Take a bath
If I could, I would bring a newspaper into the bath. But paper and water are not a great mix. The same is true for electronics and water. So, keep the phone in another room, while you relax and decompress. I’ve never regretted taking a bath. Inevitably, I emerge from a bath feeling more relaxed and wondering why I don’t take them more often. Baths also promote a good night’s sleep, unlike smartphone screens. Sometimes, I’ll add a few drops of an essential oil, such as lavender, to enhance the soothing ambiance.
03 Develop a skill
There’s so much to learn, yet so little time. So why waste it by mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds? I’ve seen a lot of writers equate learning something new to finding a passion. Passions are great because they can fill that boredom void that many people fill with social media. But I don’t think a new skill needs to become a passion. It just has to be something that commands your attention.
When your new skills yield something useful, you’re entering frugalmatic territory. Spinning, knitting, weaving, and sewing are examples of skills/hobbies that yield both pleasure and production. My wife is our crafter, and we all benefit from an ample supply of custom-made scarves and hats.
Other useful hobbies include raising chickens, keeping bees, and gardening. Whether you’re “skilled” at your new skill doesn’t really matter so long as it’s helping you cut down on social media time. (I spend a lot of time honing my jump shot in the driveway. I get nothing accomplished, but it at least helps keep me active.)
Of course, there’s nothing to say a skill must have a practical purpose. (At Frugalmatic, we call any physical activity without a practical purpose an offset.) Only recently, I learned how to juggle, which can be a great way to be physically active without having to run around. Juggle while taking a break from your desk job. Juggle during TV commercials (yes, I do watch TV sometimes!).
On a final note, I want to make a distinction between wasteful online time and productive online time. When you’re using the internet to solve a real-life problem or learn a skill, that’s different than using the internet to fill a boredom void. Watching a screen as part of an effort to consume less social media qualifies as worthwhile screen time, in my opinion.
04 Tackle that to-do list
If you own a home, there’s a near-infinite amount of potential improvements. I learned a hard lesson years ago by buying a house that required a lot of work, and I underestimated just how much work, starting with hundreds of square feet of wallpaper that needed to be removed.
Fortunately, I learned my lesson, and our next house required comparatively little work. That is, until I began to live in the house. My mind filled with all sorts of project ideas, none of which was on my radar at our previous house. I had my hands full with larger concerns—and reams of ugly wallpaper—back then. My point is: No matter how well-kept a home is, there are always improvements to be made.
I keep a running to-do list and peck away at it whenever I get a moment. The idea is to structure your day so you’re not spending those “moments in between” checking in on your smartphone. Instead, you’re doing non-screen activities, big or small.
05 Spend more time outdoors
I have to get outside at least once a day. And if I don’t, I start to get crabby. Ask anyone in our household. There’s nothing like a round of shooting hoops, walking to the store, or just hanging out on the patio to help me reset. Many studies have highlighted the benefits of being outdoors, whether it’s getting your Vitamin D or just fresh air. One study found spending as little as 20 minute outdoors can improve one’s well-being.
If you have a smartphone, consider leaving it in your car while you recreate outside. Or, put it at the bottom of your backpack. Just make sure it can’t interrupt you. After all, sitting on a park bench while scrolling through your news feed would seem to defeat the point of heading outdoors, right? You have the indoors for that.
Don’t give up! Social media is addictive
When working to break social media habits, it’s important to recognize that social media is designed to suck up as much of your time as possible. It wants to monopolize your time, as the Netflix documentary “Social Dilemma” explains. (Watching this film is a good use of screen time, by the way!) Social media companies use artificial intelligence to keep you returning for more and more.
In your quest to spend less time on social media, don’t be surprised if it’s a struggle. You might even “relapse.” But don’t give up! Keep working to fill the void with meaningful non-screen activities (Also, check out my post, 4 books to inspire you to be more physically active). Many people eventually find success.
Also, if you have strategies that work for you, please share. Frugalmatic is always interested in learning how readers spend less time on social media.