Yep! That’s right – we’re going off the grid! Okay, not really, but mostly! Let me explain!

I’m not sure if you’ve been feeling this way, but I have been overwhelmed, struggling with contentment, full of worry, and comparing myself more than normal. While I don’t believe social media to be the root of all of this, I do believe it is playing a huge part in my life. We only have a few months of life left with just the three of us, a busy holiday season ahead, and it just feels right to take a step back.

I’ve been reading the book Digital Minimalism, and it’s really challenging me in how I use social media. It’s hard for me to step away completely – or forever – because social media is what I’m paid to do and one way that I have grown my own businesses. It just can’t disappear in my life – even for a month.

However, I’m stepping WAYYYY back! I heard from several of you that you’re interested too! Yay!! Go for it!! The first thing you should do is order a copy of Digital Minimalism and read that in your new spare social media free time. I’m going to break down what I’m doing this next month and the approach our household is taking.

Hayden is fully stepping away from social media, and I have decided to fully step away from my personal accounts and personal profiles. However, since my job does require it, I will only be on social media during work hours – and for a set limited amount of time (meaning, I’m giving myself 10 minutes to complete a task and get off). If I have to get on to find information for my job (hello, podcast guest stars!) then I will search for a set amount of time on my desktop. Using Instagram on desktop is not a mindless, and I think it will help me get the info I need without being pulled into the black hole.

This might seem a bit dramatic, but I’ll be honest, I’ve tried to “pull back” a time or two and it never works. I know I have to make a very tight plan or I’ll change my mind and go back to my old ways by week 2. Also, this isn’t punishment for me. I’ve realized how much of my mind and headspace is filled with content creation ideas and things I’ve just read about online…I don’t want that anymore. I want to see if I fully step back what I will feel like. I’d encourage you to do the same. The book I mentioned said that it actually takes our body a bit to stop craving social media and we need to detoxify…because it’s an addiction.

Anyways, I have decided I will still be posting to the blog because this is basically a glorified journal. The biggest things I’m going to miss are big life updates from people I love (so I hope they’ll message me with news!!), and I love taking photos and sharing them. September is actually a very full and busy month for us crammed with several fun adventures, but I am excited to be living in the moment and not worrying about editing images and sharing quickly. This might all seem petty, but the truth is it’s something that is taking wayyyy too much of my attention and time.

I so hope you’ll consider joining me! I think you’ll get the most out of it for the entire month – but feel free to join for even a few days, a week, or two weeks! I think you’ll feel a difference.