Social media is a great way for me to keep up with friends who aren’t in Gainesville, but I realized that I spend too much time mindlessly scrolling on social media. I’ve tried deleting the apps from my phone or limiting my phone usage, but neither option was a permanent solution.
I fell behind with my assignments, and it felt like I always scrambled to get my work done. In an attempt to make better use of my time, I limited my use of Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter to an hour each day. I used Apple’s screen time feature to keep track of my time. I didn’t consider the time I spend on messaging apps since I use them for group projects and student organizations I’m involved with. Here is my progress on maintaining this goal for a week:
Monday
My use of all four apps added up to 53 minutes. I had two morning math classes and didn’t have too much spare time because a group project took up my afternoon. I checked my social media during lunch and in the evening . Most of my use was confined in those two times. I spent most of the day doing school-related work.
Tuesday
I only have one class in the afternoon, so I spent all morning studying for my math exam on Wednesday. I used the morning wisely and only checked social media after accomplishing a large chunk of work. I continued studying for my exam in the evening. I spent a total of 61 minutes on all four apps, so I was just one minute above my limit. Overall, I felt that I used my time well on Tuesday and had a productive day.
Wednesday
I had two math classes. During the two-hour break between, I studied for my exam. Afterward, I worked on an essay that would be due on Friday. I spent a total of 80 minutes on social media since I got a little carried away after my exam.
Thursday
I don’t have class on Thursdays, so I dedicated most of the day to work on my essay. I also practiced for a group project presentation that I had the next day. Since I spent most of the morning at home, I may have spent too much time on social media (114 minutes to be exact), but all days won’t be perfect and spending more time on social media every now and then won’t hurt.
Friday
I had math classes in the morning and a group project presentation that afternoon. I spent 71 minutes on the four apps that day. I felt tired from the day, so I relaxed in the evening. Even though I was 11 minutes over my limit, I still felt that I spent my time wisely.
Saturday
I spent the morning studying for my exams. I had a meeting at noon for a student organization. I took study breaks and went on social media. Afterward, I went grocery shopping for the following week. I also had a Halloween party that evening. My total time on the four apps was 76 minutes.
Sunday
I spent most of the day at home doing schoolwork. I went on social media while I ate. I studied for my exams for the following week. My total time on social media was exactly 60 minutes.
Monday
I had two morning math classes. I spent my break in between classes studying for an exam on Wednesday. I also studied for another class and worked on assignments due the next week. I spent just 44 minutes on social media.
Tuesday
I spent the morning at home since I didn’t have class until the afternoon. I studied for an exam. I spent 50 minutes on social media, most of which came from mealtimes. I didn’t spend too much time on social media in the evening.
While I wasn’t successful in meeting my goal every day, regulating my time on social media made me realize that I can find time for more important things in my life. All it took was a social media diet! I hope that going forward I’ll do a better job of staying under my limit.
If you feel like you’re always short on time, try limiting social media usage and see if you notice any differences in the amount of work you get done.