What I learned from a 30-day social media detox (2023)

Doing a social media detox for a month really opened my eyes to the feelings and motivations I had when using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. This is what it's like to live without social media for a month.

Most people don't admit how much social media means or has meant to them. For me, social media HAS BEEN a big part of my life since 2008. I have built multiple businesses using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other platforms to get attention, build community and generate income.

Now more than ever, I believe we all need to take control of how we use social media platforms, instead of letting them control us.

I don't know how much you've used social media sites and apps over the years, but for me, after six years of INTENSE social media use(read: nearly every waking hour of every day)it was time for a break.

I was tired of feeling like I could never put my phone down.
I was tired of "creating content" all the time.
I felt myself becoming cynical and even angry at the people I followed.
I wanted my free time AND my sanity back.
Perhaps you are experiencing these same feelings? If yes, then continue reading...

For 30 days, I ditched social media and did a self-imposed detox.

Should you do a social media detox starting today? If you're reading this article, you probably already know the answer to that question. 🇧🇷

Without a doubt, doing my first social media detox (which you'll read about below) changed my life for the better. Let me repeat that:Taking a break from social media changed my life.I want you to experience the same feeling I had.

The following is a journal I kept in my iPhone's Notes app during my 30-day social media detox.

If you want to skip the diary,Click hereto skip to my closing thoughts (and recommended social media detox tools).

First day of life without social media:

*As a warning, this first journal entry is longer than the others.

My morning ritual had changed over the past few months, from waking up and checking all social media and emails to just checking Instagram. But that day, I didn't even touch my cell phone and went straight to make coffee. I was usually in the kitchen, scrolling through feeds and clicking notifications, but today I flipped throughThe Essentials of Calvin and Hobbes(my form of meditation). I felt the childish smile on my own face as I turned the pages of one of my favorite books. From there, it was time to head upstairs to my office and relax.

When I sat down on my giant blue yoga ball and opened my Macbook, I put my coffee on the table and grabbed my iPhone. I opened it, looked at the social media icons scattered across the home screen, and pressed my finger on one of them. Icons started to shake and little "x" bubbles appeared. With confident ferocity, I deleted Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Vine, Pinterest, Google+ (although I never used it), and finally Instagram from my iPhone. None of the apps were open before I deleted them, they were just deleted (so any persistent push notifications I was getting on my phone were also deleted). This would be the first time since 2008 that I didn't have the Twitter and FB apps on my iPhone.

From there I closed my phone and went to my laptop. I moved my mouse to my bookmarks bar in Google Chrome and removed the shortcuts for FB and Twitter (the only social sites on my toolbar). I typed my Facebook URL into the address bar and quickly navigated to my Settings, while opening another tab on Google "How to turn off all Facebook notifications". Ten seconds later, he turned off email notifications. I closed those tabs and switched to Twitter. One click on Settings and another click later, email notifications were also turned off for Twitter.

All notifications have been disabled. All apps have been removed. And I had an immediate sense of freedom living without social media.

It was like I had lifted a 900-pound silver gorilla off my back. I wanted to get on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, especially that day because I had relaunched my personal website the day before (the timing was not only perfect, but planned).

After what felt like a grueling few hours, I spent 30 minutes answering emails. One of my first insights was how much time can be wasted browsing social media without knowing it. I felt like I wanted to check out Facebook, so I decided to get up from my desk and do something.

You'd think getting into a car would be an escape from social media and technology, but most of us don't even realize how much we check things out while driving. I probably looked at my phone 20 times during an eight-minute commute. Then I came to a traffic light. Like an addict looking for his fix, I grabbed my phone from the cup holder and flipped it open. It wasn't until I was staring at an empty home screen with no red notification icons that I realized what I was doing. I closed the phone and put it back in the cup holder. As I moved my gaze from the center console to the front windshield, I noticed how beautiful that day was. Not a single cloud in the sky and the trees on the sides of the road slow down and sway back and forth in the cool Florida breeze. I rolled down my windows and enjoyed the beauty moment, fully understanding how often I take amazing weather and a moment of quiet for granted.

On the way home I decided to stop at Starbucks for a cup of coffee. After placing my order at the drive-thru, I looked in the side mirror and noticed the lady behind me. From the moment I turned away from the speaker, I've barely seen her eyes leave the phone once. Not while she was ordering. Not when turning a tight corner. Not even while she waits in line. It was at that moment that I decided to pay for his drink. Selfishly, it wasn't even that I wanted to make her day better, but I did so in hopes that she would look up from her phone and recognize the gesture (or, hell, just one more thing in the world). I paid for the drinks, stopped, watched her get her [free] drink and was shocked. Not once did her demeanor change or her laser view was blocked on her phone. I shrugged and drove home.

The rest of the day was spent answering emails, writing a few articles and making minor corrections to my new website. I usually close my email inbox a few times throughout the day to focus. That day, I found myself checking emails on my phone more often than usual.

The first day of my detox ended with a sense of relief and freedom. I was relieved that I hadn't caved in and secretly checked one of my social accounts. And I felt a sense of freedom from the shackles of notifications and the lairs of links, photos and feeds.

Random fun note: My iPhone's battery was at 52% at the end of the day. Before that day, not even half a day went by without plugging in my phone and charging it.

Day Two:

I woke up in the morning and looked for my phone. Again, my ritual was to scroll through my Instagram account upon waking. I opened my phone only to remember that Instagram was gone. I don't remember how much time passed, but I stared at the splash screen in amazement for quite some time.What else can I do on my phone?I thought to myself. I checked ESPN.com in Safari and took a quick look at my emails. I felt dirty looking at my emails.

I got up and started my day like the last; make coffee and read Calvin and Hobbes. When I finished my coffee, I went to my desk and opened my email (with less guilt now). I got a few emails from people interested in my social media detox. Interestingly, several people sent me the "Can we self-correct humanity?" Video from Youtube:

It took me about 20 seconds to realize that I had gone to YouTube, a site I would be blocked from for a month. Silly things! I felt dirty again.

This sparked a conversation with my wife about YouTube being part of the detox. I decided I would finish watching that video because it was exceptional. But after that, I would abstain from YouTube, mostly due to the time wastage.

As the day progressed, I felt that things had slowed down considerably. It looked like he had a lot more time than usual. This would become a recurring theme of the 30 Days.

Day three:

This day brought the first big learning of my detox:

Many times in my life on social media, I fool myself into thinking that I don't care how many responses I get for something I post. I often write and rewrite a status update or tweet many times, hoping my wit, insight, or humor will get more attention.

we all do. We take a picture of something, look at it, don't like it, and take another one (or 10 more). We want to capture the perfect moment or share the wittiest update. All because we want the most positive response possible. It's just human nature and what social media has done to amplify feelings of acceptance. I could already feel the freedom of worrying about posting something and hoping it would get Likes or Retweets.

Today was the first day I became very aware of the amount of email notifications I get from social media. One of my email inboxes, which normally has 50-100 messages a day, was completely silent. Not a single email reached that inbox. It was shocking when I realized how much of my attention and mental energy was probably sucked every day just by that inbox.

He was also noticeably happier today. It's not that I generally feel unhappy, but I often feel stressed or tense. I could feel happier (if that makes sense).

(Video) what I learned from a 30 day social media detox

Day four:

This day was a Saturday where I spent most of my house cleaning and organizing. Most Saturdays I try to stay away from the internet, but that rarely happens. This day was very busy so my phone and laptop were mostly untouched.

There was a moment at the end of the day when I finally made the decision to get rid of my entire DVD collection (over 350 DVDs). I took a before and after photo of my DVD rack. I wanted to share my big decision to let him go, just to think:Who cares?I mean, I think it might inspire someone else to hold on to something that doesn't hold much value anymore. But instead I saved the photos for my own memories and moved on.

As an aside, the 350 DVDs sold at MovieStop are only worth $490 in store credit or $225 in cash. I chose cash. Also, the process of selling that many DVDs took about four hours, which is about three hours and 58 minutes longer than I would want to be in a MovieStop store with nothing to distract me on my phone.

This was the first day my iPhone felt more like a brick in my pocket than a waste of time. Honestly, I couldn't think of anything else to do on my phone, but I keep updating my email. In hindsight it's kind of silly since I had the entire internet at my fingertips but all I could think about was wasting time on social networking sites.

Fifth day:

Sundays are the days where I sit on the couch 90% of the day. I'm a huge NFL fan, especially NFL RedZone. Normally I would tweet something to show my support for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but on this day I just kept it to myself.

I received an email from a former member of the IWearYourShirt community named Joby. He is a native of Pittsburgh and sent me an emailed tweet that he posted criticizing me (since the Steelers were playing the Jaguars). I loved his commitment to small talk and emailed him some emojis or something silly.

I miss instagram. It's the one social networking site I keep wishing I could check out. I think it's because there's almost no negativity, complaints, or criticism in my photo feed. Instead it's just beautiful scenery, cars, people doing cool things, and random food and art that I love. I will definitely be back on Instagram immediately after this detox is over.

Day Six:

On a Monday, normally my busiest day on social media, it was interesting.

I put together my weekly newsletter for my email list (an explanation of my 30-day social media detox). Usually my email is posted on my blog and I share it via Twitter and Facebook. On this day, my email was posted on my blog and that was it.

I usually get 5-10 responses to my weekly emails. This email received 72 responses. A lot of people had no idea that I was doing a 30-day social media detox. Even though I posted to all of my social accounts the week before, it shows the limited reach of a single update on Twitter or Facebook.

I spent a lot of time answering emails, most of them encouraging. Several people said they would start a detox on their own (although only one person was willing to commit to 30 days).

One thing I noticed doing a lot more than usual that day was checking my website traffic and my MailChimp analytics. To tell you the truth, I rarely reviewed these things. I could feel it becoming the new vanity metrics, replacing likes, comments, favorites, etc. I did my best to find myself refreshing these accounts and directing my attention elsewhere.

Most Mondays end with a feeling of waiting for more. I hope more people have enjoyed my weekly newsletter. Hoping more people would have liked it on Facebook. I expected more people to tweet me about the content. I was actually perfectly happy with the response and enjoyed not caring (as much) what people thought.

Seventh day, one week living without social media:

A week into my detox, an experience on this day would lead me to one of my biggest learnings about my current disdain for social media.

While driving to get coffee, my wife checked her Instagram account and asked if I knew the name of someone who followed her. The name wasn't familiar to me, but upon further investigation it was an internet marketer who had contacted me in the past. Looking at this person's Instagram profile, we noticed that he followed more than 6,000 people, but only had 800 followers. I know it's stupid to be upset, but it really pisses me off when people do this on social media.

However, it didn't stop there; the biography this person wrote was awful. He was a self-proclaimed "social media expert, primary gravity defier..." and some other nonsense. I felt myself getting angry reading his biography and seeing his overly self-promotional and arrogant photo updates.

Then it dawned on me: before the advent of social media, people like that couldn't sneak into our personal space and lives.

Social media has allowed people to push their agendas and get their messages in front of us, with almost no way around it.

This was, without a doubt, one of my biggest issues with social media. I may not come up with projects or ideas that everyone agrees on, but I certainly try my best not to spam others or be too pushy. People who spam, who brag, who are sleazy, can get their messages in front of us whether we like it or not.

Do you like posts like this? Do they want more?

I consider myself a bit like a human guinea pig. I like trying hard challenges (like getting off social media for 30 days). If you want more of my challenges sent straight to your inbox,get my weekly emails here…

day eight:

I woke up with a huge headache. I've never had a headache, and funnily enough, I've never had a fever in my life. I don't know if this has to do with the detox, but the moment was certainly remarkable.

There was a task on my to-do list that had been at the top for months (writing an ebook). I was still scared to do this. Today I sat down and managed to do 2/3 of the task without taking a break. There wasn't a moment where I felt like I needed to stop to check FB or Twitter. I was able to fully focus on this task and get most of it done in one go (which took about two hours to write).

Proud of myself for making progress in this task, I decided not to be left behind and turned off my laptop. One of my goals during this 30-day detox was to read two books a week. I opened my first book since starting detox and started reading Steven Pressfield's book.the war of art.

Interestingly, I realized that I had boughtthe war of arta year ago and hadn't looked at it once. I read about 100 pages and enjoyed Mr. Pressfield on resistance. It felt appropriate and timely with what he was doing. And it was really nice to have overcome my resistance to taking a break from social media. So goal!

Random Thought of the Day: Can I Sell My Facebook Account? Would it be worth anything? This is stupid? Answer: Yes, stupid idea.

day nine:

No more headache. Ufa.

(Video) MY 30-DAY SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX | HOW TO BREAK YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION

Every week I write an article for Inc.com. I think this was the first week I looked at the number of shares the article received. I usually write the article, share it on social media and make my day. Without the social sharing and conversation that follows, I felt a little empty. I think I tried to bridge that gap by seeing how many shares the article got throughout the day.

Today was another day where I looked at my website analytics more times than I care to admit.

With six Skype calls in my schedule, this day went by pretty quickly. It was amusing to be asked repeatedly about detoxing and how I was "making it without social media". It's funny to think that it was a serious question from more than one person.

On a call, someone said:"I don't think I can give up Facebook for even a week."My immediate thought was:"So you have to give up Facebook more than you think!"I actually didn't say that, although I wanted to.

day ten:

I usually write my weekly newsletter for my list on Sunday or Monday. Instead, I felt motivated to write it on this day (Friday). I was also able to write the first draft of the article without distractions, meaning I didn't stop writing to check websites, emails, or even my phone.

Just ten days after my detox, I started to feel my attention span increase and the amount of time I could focus on a task greatly improved.

Random aside:Jacksonville got its first Trader Joe's and I made a trip to check it out. Normally I would have shared a photo on Instagram or Facebook holding some random vegetable or something. I didn't even think to take a picture, even when a UPS guy came through the door with several large Amazon.com boxes (weird?).

slide our:

I spent most of the day dealing with Craigslist buyers. So while I spent a lot of time on the phone, it was almost exclusively answering questions about the random crap I was selling.

At the end of the day, I reflected on my break from social media. At first I was grateful to be able to create the opportunity to do this, but then I wondered a few things:

What the hell do I need to say thank you for taking a break from social media?
Is it stupid to attach so much importance to it?
Will other people care?

I thought about these questions a lot before I realized that social media had taken some control away from me. Not just the algorithm changes, although they are bad, but in this I felt like a slave to them and the conversation or comments that followed. I want to be in control of how I feel wearing something or doing something, not the other way around.

This day ended in a whirlwind of thoughts and questions, if you didn't know.

Day Twelve:

Another Sunday. Another day to lie on the couch to watch football. GO JAGS!

I mentioned this on the third day, but I am absolutely so much happier and less stressed. I didn't get any big deals or launch a successful project. I just cut things out of my daily routine that negatively affected my thoughts and feelings.

Day Thirteen:

Monday's email newsletter went through and I immediately checked the MailChimp report. I probably checked 3-4 more times throughout the day, again, a lot more than usual (most of the time I don't check anything).

A random invitation email from LinkedIn ended up in my inbox. I chuckled to myself upon realizing that LinkedIn wasn't even on my radar as something to take a break from (due to never, ever, ever using it).

Missed a chance to share a comment heard (OH):"He's dressed like a lesbian from the waist down."

Day fourteen, a huge productivity boost starts with my social media detox:

This day was probably one of the most productive days I've had in an incredibly long time. The things I got:

I edited two 30-minute videos (about 90 minutes each)
I edited four 5 minute videos (about 15 minutes each)
Fixed issues for a SaaS product I'm developing (including 10+ detailed answers)
I finished writing the ebook I mentioned on day eight.
I wrote the first draft of my weekly Inc.com article (a day earlier than usual)
I only opened my email inbox three times a day (usually it's 10-15)
Outlined an idea for a new project (500 word document)
Played in a YMCA league basketball game
Made dinner with my wife and watched The Voice (yes #TeamAdam)

It's safe to say that I had more willpower and motivation that day than any day I can remember in a long time. Not once throughout the day did I feel stressed or like I had too many things to do. Everything clicked into place and that was it.

fifteen days:

I had noticed this a few times before, but that day I realized that since I removed the FB app from my phone and it was attached to my contacts, it removed a lot of contacts from my list. Some of which were on my phone before the FB app was installed (like my mom, girlfriend, and a few other friends I text frequently). Not only did this suck because it felt like a weird security flaw, but I also had to say "sorry this # isn't on my phone, who is?" on some occasions.(I found out later that this was an iOS 8 setting in the Contact Group settings.)

Also today I went to someone's personal website and they had not one, not two, not three, but four separate pop up boxes on their website trying to get me to sign up for their email list. Seriously, I get it, email marketing is important, but if you have to ask 4 times (abrasively), I'm not interested in emails you're going to spam me with. Ugh, sorry I had to complain about this somewhere.

This brings up an interesting thought about having no way to complain or share frustrations when you're not using social media. Maybe I should start a diary? Or just keep writing things down in my notes app on my iPhone?

sixteenth day:

It had to happen:I had to join FB today.

But wait! It was for business reasons, not my own desires...

I needed to give someone access to my FB Ads account and I didn't feel comfortable just giving them my login information. With the stealth of a leopard stalking its prey in the wild, I joined FB via the ad URL. In seconds and just a few clicks, my task was completed. Unfortunately, the red notification numbers caught my attention. I didn't click on them, but I felt like I'd been tricked.

Also, I wanted to vote on something about Product Hunt and I realized I couldn't do that without logging into Twitter (or having the Twitter app installed on my phone). Having felt like a "cheater" today, I decided not to log in and the upvote would not happen that day.

From my email on Monday, one of the responses was someone who started doing their own 30-day social media detox. I liked this line from your email:

“The biggest benefit was the removal of negativity and unnecessary information. Some people who were, how do I put it nicely…annoying, still occupied my mind long after I was off social media. One thing I know I'll have to do when I get back is filter my newsfeed and timeline."

(Video) The 30 Day Social Media Detox

I noticed this on social media and negativity about a year ago and wroteThis articleyThis articleabout this

I was happy to see another person positively impacted by taking a break from social media. Then I thought about how happy I was that they were happy. So much happiness!

Seventeenth:

My attention span has noticeably increased and I don't feel like I have to check other things while I work. In fact, I didn't remember to add an entry about that day to my notes until the morning after the seventeenth day. It showed how focused he was on getting the job done and being there for other things he was doing.

Eighteen and nineteen days:

Lots of football and fun on the weekend. Jaguars finally got a win! Peyton Manning broke the NFL TD record. I would have shared them both on social media but instead I enjoyed them happening and moved on with my life.

I wrote an update post about this social media detox for my newsletter and blog.

Also, I downloaded the Angry Birds Transformers app. That was a bad idea as it was super addictive ha. After a few hours of non-stop playing, I deleted the app.

Day Twentieth:

I decided to have a relaxing Monday. Mondays are often busy and exhausting. I finished my weekly email, published it as a blog post, responded to a handful of emails, and spent the other parts of the day readingthe circleby Dave Eggers (a book my friend DJ sent me).

actually i started to readthe circleover the weekend, but read almost 200 pages on Monday. Surprisingly timely reading, but also because DJ knew he was in this detox. I really enjoyed it a lot and couldn't stop reading which never happens to me.

Fun fact: this is the first fiction book I've read since James and the Giant Peach when I was a kid (no kidding).

Day 21, I decide to remove social media apps from my phone for good:

He recorded an interview with Dave Delaney for his podcast. We talked about my book, but more specifically, my social media detox. A great question that came up and that many people asked via email:What am I going to do on social media after the detox is over?

I don't want to get sucked into society's expectations and notification addiction again.

Yesterday's email update talked about my big problem with social media (which I mentioned in my update on day seven). The first clear thought I had of what to do was a weekly update on FB. Maybe it's Friday morning and it references my week and something I want to highlight or share? This isn't going to work for Twitter, so I'm still undecided. I will return to Instagram (as mentioned several times).

As of now, I am 98% sure I will never put FB or Twitter apps on my phone ever again. I don't want to feel trapped by them or fall back into old habits.

Fun aside: I received a new Kindle in the mail today. While I love reading paperbacks, I also try to be more minimalist. My first Kindle book?Creativity, Inc.por Ed Catmull.

Twenty-second day:

I had a brainstorm!

I was thinking about the second season of the podcast that I co-host(update: this podcast has been removed)and how we could generate more income from it. The goal (and we did that in Season 1) is to get episode sponsors. While that's all very well and good, it's not a big or passive income. In a matter of hours, I sketched out my idea in a Google Doc, modeled it in Photoshop, and shared it with my co-host Paul Jarvis. We are both very excited about the idea.

I didn't even think about social media. I was focused on work and my big idea.

It's amazing to think that it only took me 21 days to get rid of something I couldn't imagine living without. I felt a whole new perspective on my digital life.

I thinkclear jameswould be proud of me. This thought and realization came after reading the weekly email he sends out (usually about habit formation).

Update: The idea I mentioned here ended up generating over $41,000 in revenue!

day twenty-three:

I've thought about this many times, but today it became clearer: I was (and many of us are) addicted to social media in the same way that people are addicted to alcohol, drugs and other addictions.

It may seem silly to compare social media abuse to drug or alcohol abuse, but I strongly believe they are very similar in this regard. Some recent emails and conversations I had with people about doing their own social media detox often said things like this:

I could take a break from social media whenever I want, I just don't need a break
I only use social media to waste time.
I'm not addicted to social media because I only check them a few times a day.
I do all my work so I don't need a break from social media.
It doesn't hurt to be on Facebook all day.

These are actual responses from several people I've emailed or spoken to over the past month. It's a little scary how much these same statements reflect the telltale signs of people with addictions to other things (which we have years of experience dealing with).

Addiction is a scary thing. It's definitely not something any of us want to admit. Taking this break from social media more than proved to me that I was addicted to Facebook and Twitter. Was it a sick addiction? I feel happier, clearer thoughts and less stressed. So yeah, I would say it wasn't healthy.

Twenty-fourth day:

I had coffee with a friend. Facetime with my brother from another mother, Ben. I spent the night having dinner with friends.

I felt very grateful for all these interactions. They seemed more meaningful to me. None of them needed to be shared on a social network or documented outside of these notes. These were just moments in life that I really enjoyed.

Day twenty-five and twenty-six:

I finished the bookthe circle🇧🇷 Wow. What a great book. And for me to finish a 500-page book in less than a week? This is almost a miracle.

(Video) 30 Days Without Social Media | My Transformation

I have a lot of thoughts about Dave Eggers' book. I don't think they necessarily fit here, but does it raise the issue of privacy and how connected are we in life? For me, I'm not too concerned about my digital privacy. But I'm not sure I want to be more connected than I already am.

I was excited to be able to use Instagram again in less than a week.

day twenty-seven:

I sent my weekly newsletter. It ended up with some odds and ends.

I noticed that two full days had passed since I plugged my iPhone in to charge it. This is unheard of for me. I don't remember going an entire day without plugging my phone in to charge it.

Tomorrow begins a two-week vacation with my wife and dog Plaxico.

Day Twenty Eight:

I drove up to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. The weather could not have been more perfect for the trip. The trees along the road had beautiful shades of yellow, orange, red and green. I don't remember an 8+ hour trip feeling so short.

I had a conversation with my wife that was important. I don't want people to feel like I'm judging them for using social media. I also don't want people to think that I think social media is bad.

Like anything else, I think social media is great in moderation. It helped me to do amazing things and meet amazing people. But I hope people reflect on their use of social media and consider taking a break, if only to see what it's like.

We arrived at our beautiful cabin in the woods at sunset. I wrote these notes realizing that I had not taken a single photo of the trip or of the place where we were staying. Previously, I probably would have taken 20 or more.

Day Twenty-Nine:

I spent most of the day writing, readingCreativity, Inc.and wondering what my decision would be to go back to social media and my hours of use. The more I think about getting back on social media, the less I want to think about it. Makes sense? I have no idea.

I wrote over 5,000 words this day. They were given away in my weekly Inc article, my upcoming newsletter, and a random paid article. At no point did I feel distracted or want to stop writing to check emails, my phone, etc.

I also made some white bean chili in a slow cooker. I tried to make it "healthy" by not adding too many ingredients. It tasted like dog food. You are welcome to this additional information.

Day Thirty:

It's amazing how clearly I'm thinking. Along with a bunch of writings and emails, I sketched out an entirely new business idea and sent it to a developer friend for feedback.

It's been a while since I had so much clarity and focus in my thoughts. The only thing I can compare it to would be "getting in the zone" in sports.

Every time I sit down to write, I can do it without feeling distracted or procrastinated. Whenever I respond to emails, I can read them without interruption. Even during phone and Skype calls, I don't feel like doing other things (even during less exciting calls).

I am again thinking about what I will do when the detox is over. I don't want to go back to old addictive habits.

Thirty-first day of life without social networks (last day):

Still on vacation, I started working on this very post. The more I thought about writing it, the more I thought about the response I would get on social media. How would that affect me? Would you be able to fight the urge to constantly check replies, likes, comments, etc.?

I decided to stop writing this post for a week. I didn't want to force myself to write and share it just because I thought that's what everyone would like. Instead, I worked here and there, finishing at my own pace.

I really value being in control of my time.

Hi this is my wife Caroline and I enjoying a free social media experience at the beach.

Final thoughts on taking a break from social media and living without them...

Not being on social media for a month has really opened my eyes to the feelings and motivations I get from using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.Immediately after my first 30-day social media detox, I felt a sense of freedom.For me, that's a big lesson. I literally felt like the shackles were being ripped off my mind and body.

Since the initial writing of this article, I have quit Facebook entirely, am on the verge of quitting Twitter, and will probably quit Instagram as well. I just feel like a happier, more productive person without social media dictating my life.

I'm tired of people popping up on my feeds, completely disrupting my life. I bet you're tired of it too.

Even with social media filtering, muting, and blocking, you can't avoid the modern day telemarketer (or crazy family member who can't stop reading and sharing conspiracy theories). If you have a profile on any network, people are very likely to send their messages to your face. I know that I want less of these situations to happen in my life.

We all care what people think of us.
We all want to feel accepted.
We all want to feel loved.
But social media is corrupting our minds and we need to take back control.

Social networks multiply these thoughts and feelings without us noticing. It's not healthy to always be under the knife of criticism. In a digital world, we need to stop having our lives judged and talked about (often by complete strangers we don't align with).

My productivity, attention span, and clarity of thought increased tremendously from living without social media for a month.

I felt like I broke bad habits (updating feeds and checking notifications) in a very short amount of time. If all this can be done in just 30 days? Shouldn't you at least try this week or weekend?

I'm not suggesting that you also have to ditch social media altogether.But I hope that if you're reading this, you'll consider taking a break from social media to see how you feel.Start with a weekend or a week, but aim for 30 days.