Disconnecting from mobile Facebook
I deleted Facebook from my iPhone.
Now, I didn’t give up Facebook. I’ll just be engaging with it on a less frequent and more intentional basis – on my computer. When I had the idea to disconnect mobile, I was surprised when I started paying attention to my usage:
- Taking a peek before I got out of bed – check
- Looking while I waited for my coffee to brew – check
- Reading while on the toilet – check
- Standing in line at the grocery store – check
- Paying attention while in the same room as my wife and daughter – check
- Facebooking while waiting for dentist appointments – check
- Commenting while driving – check
- Escaping the world around me to post in a virtual one – check
- Stopping the action in great moments to post a thought, picture or video – check
As I added all of these up, I realized that I was trading engaging in my own present life for living in everyone else’s life and experiences. No offense. It’s great to engage and see what’s up…but multiple times a day? Nope.
And, as I looked around, I was saddened by everyone’s heads being down in their phone instead of up and into their present life. Looking around, it seems like an epidemic. Take a peek and see for yourself. At the end of the day, I wanted to own my own life. And, in the mindset of ensuring I am a Creator this year, I deleted the app from my phone to align my actions with my values.
A week in and the planets are still in the same order. I’m happier and freer for it. My life; my terms.
For me, I just eliminated the mindless time-wasting it causes by deleting the app from my iPhone. It spurred a conversation between Rachel and me about, “What is a healthy amount of time to spend on Facebook daily?”
I don’t know what that number is and I’m sure it is different for everyone. Rachel and I see this one differently and that’s a-ok. I have so little margin that I need to protect my time more vigilantly. I aspire to be better engaged and wanted to re-allocate that time in creating experiences for Rachel, Brooklyn – my family and friends – and myself.
I still love the idea of Facebook. I love the connections and being able to peek in on friends. I just don’t know about the crack-like addiction and escapism that mobile presents, so (for now) I’ll be off mobile and hanging out less frequently. And, hopefully, my interactions will be more meaningful when I am around. Heck, it may even spur me to pick-up the phone and call my friends to say, “Hello, how are you?”
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