10 Things I Learned From My 90-Day Facebook Hiatus

Today’s topic is an interesting one, one where I wasn’t sure if y’all were interested in or if one I wanted to share.

We’re into the second week of May and my accidental social media experiment is now over.

I’m not sure what happened on February 4th, but I published my last Facebook post for the next 12 weeks on that day. Little did I know, it would be the last one I would put up for the next three months.

After a week of not logging on to Facebook, I had a handful of friends text me and ask if I was okay. I told them I was fine because truthfully, I was fine.

I was just tired of the negativity on my newsfeed that came with the results of the election.

The need to “protect” my positive energy grew very strong.

And that’s when I made my decision to disappear.

I took time off from my consulting business and Facebook to draw close to God, take care of myself, do things for me and overall, take a mental break.

And you know what? I’m SO glad I took a Facebook hiatus.

Here’s what I learned from my Facebook hiatus:

1. Not logging on isn’t as hard as you think. To be honest, after a few days, I wasn’t sure if I could take the break. As someone who sees Facebook as a positive thing, I stayed strong. By day five, it was fairly easy to not even think about Facebook.

2. You’re not missing out. At first, I felt bad. I posted something of value every single weekday for the last four years. From recipes to fun facts, cheesy jokes/puns to health-related posts, motivational quotes and interesting articles, I shared what I thought would help others grow. On top of that, everything I shared was a reminder to myself.

Around week two, I was thinking, “By not posting, you’re not adding value to people’s lives.” I pushed past it and kept going.

YOU FEEL LESS PRESSURED.

Since my business utilizes Facebook a whole ton, I felt guilty at first. Then I realized that sometimes, business owners need to step away, unplug from technology, and take breaks. It’s called vacation. As each day went by, I felt less pressured to work on my business. I was also very aware that stepping away was going to hinder the growth of my business and I was okay with that.

THE THOUGHT OF LOGGING BACK ON MAY REPEL YOU.

I thought I was okay to log on again on the one month mark. “Nah, keep going. Being off Facebook feels great!” I thought. Yep, that’s what I told myself. The best part is, you can go longer without Facebook than you think.

YOU GET A LOT MORE DONE WHILE ON A FACEBOOK HIATUS. 

Until you do this experiment, you don’t realize how much you can get done. Facebook was taking up a lot of my time and I didn’t realize it until I logged off. I’ve been consistently publishing blog posts Monday through Friday for the last three months. I also read more books in a short amount of time than I expected.

My goal this year is to be consistent in everything I do and getting off Facebook helped a lot!

YOU’RE MORE AWARE AND PRESENT IN REAL-LIFE. 

After logging off Facebook, I wasn’t looking at my phone as much when I was with loved ones or when I was by myself. I was more present with those I care about and aware of my emotions.

My Facebook hiatus also bled into Instagram and Snapchat. For someone who posted at most twice a day, I posted way less on my personal Instagram and hardly anything on Snapchat. I will say I posted more frequently on my Instagram, but only because it’s tied to this blog.

TAKING A FACEBOOK HIATUS FEELS LIKE A VACATION IN A WAY. 

It’s true. It feels like you’re vacationing away from everyone’s lives. I’m not sorry for saying it felt good to disconnect from other people’s lives too. Less drama the better, right?

It’s okay to take a break not just from Facebook, but from life in general.

As I started to feel less and less guilty about not being on Facebook, I felt the same about life too. That’s when I stepped away from my consulting business, two more social media channels and even the gym.

You learn how to say no.

If you know me, you know that saying no is hard. However, I feel like if I could say no to one of my favorite social media platforms, I could learn to say no to other things that don’t align with my goals.

You end up more focused and stay in beast mode towards your goals.

I couldn’t believe how hyper-focused I’ve been for the last 90 days. It’s been insane! Over 70 blog posts have been written along with two upcoming brand collaborations in the works (yay!), I made new friends and from those, relationships are growing stronger. One of the best parts? I got a lot more sleep. I wasn’t sleeping consistently so something had to change.

Overall, taking a break from Facebook has done me a world of good. If there were a challenge to stay off Facebook for a year, I think I could totally win, haha! I’m happy to be back today refreshed and ready to add even more value to people’s lives!

What about you? Do you think you could take a Facebook hiatus?

Since summer is coming up, I challenge you to take at least a 7-day Facebook hiatus. It’ll be easier than you think and if you go all summer without logging on Facebook, good for you! It might just be your best (and most productive) summer yet!