Everyone talks about how they’re just about done with Facebook. There are numerous podcasts, blogs, articles and research about how Facebook is one of our greatest ‘distractions’ and yet people still continue to be on there for numerous hours per day.
My experience with Facebook lately is jumping from one bored state into another bored state. For example: I’m waiting in line for something and I’m bored – so I jump onto Facebook and get bored looking at Facebook. (it’s a vicious cycle!)
Today, I use Facebook to connect with customers as well as family and friends, however my aim is not to get absorbed in the newsfeed and scroll for hours.
My rules for Facebook
Fighting the Facebook temptation is a real struggle #firstworldissues. It’s not easy, however it is simple.
Rule #1 Block people and Unfollow pages
Blocking people is a big relief and something you don’t need to feel guilty about. Once you’ve blocked a whole lot of people that are no longer part of your life then you’ll be able to see the people you do want to see in your newsfeed. Don’t just stop at people, also look at all the “Pages” you have followed over the years and unfollow any that you no longer need to keep updated on.
When you block someone they won’t be able to see anything that you post or comment on, they won’t see anything you’re tagged in, they won’t be able to invite you to events or groups, they won’t be able to start a conversation with you in messenger and they won’t be able to add you as a friend.
Rule #2 Cut out anything you don’t want to see and Unfollow people
Okay so now that you’ve blocked the people you don’t want in your cyber life, now it’s time to ‘unfollow’ people. I’ve learnt that this has been a massive help to detox my newsfeed and avoid seeing certain things I know some of my ‘Facebook friends’ like to post about.
So Unfollowing is different from blocking. When you Unfollow someone,they won’t know that you’ve unfollowed them since you’ll still be friends and they’ll still see your post (unless they’ve unfollowed you – hahahaha). The person you’ve unfollowed can still talk to you via messenger, add you to events or groups, see photos you’ve been tagged in etc. The only thing is that you won’t see any of their posts in your newsfeed.
Rule #3 Work with less distractions
The most important reason why I aim to simplify Facebook is to decrease distractions. When working from my desktop computer at home I can access Facebook however I’ve removed the newsfeed. There’s an app you can download for Google chrome called “News Feed Eradictor for Facebook”. The key use of this tool is that I can use Facebook to do any business posts, events, get back to customers etc. however Iwon’t be distracted by the rolling newsfeed. It’s also super cute since it gives you a daily quote instead of your newsfeed (Image posted below)
Here is a link to the app: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicator-for/fjcldmjmjhkklehbacihaiopjklihlgg
Rule #4 Use my mobile less
If you always find yourself picking up your mobile for no reason what so ever, then this is a great rule to apply. I’ve found that by me simply picking up my mobile, it can cause a minimum of a 5 minute distraction and when you’re doing this several times a day, it becomes a massive waste of time. I always imagine when people are at death’s door and they say that “they saw their life flash before their eyes”, I imagine my life to simply be an image of my Iphone! – how sad
There are many more tips out there, however these are the key rules I use to have a healthy relationship with Facey, which I think in this era is a key factor for living a fuller life. Incorporate these rules into your daily routine and see what shifts occur. You’ll soon have more time and less distractions!