Being an athlete, as well as a human being in general, nutrition is a very important thing to keep up with. While running and swimming have helped me stay on the right path for nutrition, being a vegetarian and picky eater, I’ve never been able to keep up with diets, challenges, or cleanses.
I've decided that will change Monday, January 9th, and it won't require altering my food intake at all.
At approximately midnight one night (that’s when I get all of my best ideas), I decided that I was going to follow a “social media cleanse” for a month.
As young person in 2017, social media is all around me. Despite secretly being a super old soul who can't keep a streak or edit a photo (or have any true interest in either), social media consumes me. I use Facebook groups for track, and Twitter to keep up with the latest in politics when I can’t watch TV. As for Instagram and Snapchat, those from what I know of, are for pure distraction and procrastination. Besides seeing what other people in my life are up to, I am yet to find a purpose for them.
It’s time to go.
My big motive for this was remembering each night I'd look up at the time on my phone and realize it was past midnight. So, the thesis for this experiment: Limiting social media will improve schoolwork, motivation, and overall lifestyle.
I’ve set up a few boundaries and rules for myself for each platform, and by publishing them for readers, I am hoping I will feel more pressured to follow them.
1. Facebook
I am keeping Facebook, but only for track/club updates. My track team has a Facebook group where people ask questions and notify us if there is a change in the schedule, so if I delete that I would be clueless. But, I am not permitted to like, comment, post, or update anything, unless it regards track or a club.
2. Snapchat
Gotta go. Snapchat, besides letting me keep in contact with friends far away is really no good. It’s a huge distraction for me and I realized I don’t need to see what other people are up to. There are plenty of times I’ve felt left out after I click to watch someone’s story to see my friends hanging out without me. Without it, I think I will be a much happier person.
3. Twitter
Deleting. If I have something significant to tweet, it will go in my notes for safekeeping.
4. Instagram
By "deleting," I am literally logging out of the accounts on my computer and deleting the apps and posting nothing. During the school week, I'm avoiding screen time as much as possible.
In terms of leeway, I'm allowing myself one limited usage of an app per weekend, should all my work be completed, an "emergency" access to Snapchat, should I need to contact somebody I can snap but can't text if I don't have their number.
Odyssey will automate the only social media posts I plan on doing, as they auto-post my articles onto select platforms. That’s all to expect from me.
By putting this plan out there I am not only getting the word out that I'm doing this so I can't back out, but also to track my progress and hopefully get something out of this.
So will this help me in school, and/or in life?
I’m not sure.
Am I ready for this?
Absolutely.
