So, my Facebook friend list was full of people I had no concern with, remote acquaintances from the many MUNs I had attended and school juniors who I never knew while I was in school, and I was annoyed by the sheer amount of nonsense in my news feed every day. I knew I wasn’t remotely interested in getting to know which restaurant they ate in, reading random T-shirt quotes as status updates and knowing how the love lives of 14 year olds were so dramatic, I also realized that exams weren’t far away and it was time I started preparing. So, with a little more than a month from my exams, I deactivated my Facebook account, promising myself to come back and skim my friend list thoroughly.
And all of a sudden, I had all the time in the world. Not that I would spend all that time studying for exams which were still a month away, I got a whole lot of time to myself which I spent sleeping, chilling and yeah studying a little!
Now, since there are a lot of people who are struggling to get over Facebook, here are 8 ways which can help you spend lesser time on social networks:
1. Remove Facebook apps from your phone: Okay so who are we kidding, it is imperative to check our Facebook account obsessively once we’ve updated our profile picture or posted a new status update. Try removing all the Facebook mobile apps from your cell phone; also remove FB from your browser’s homepage. You’ll rid yourself of the incessant checking every time you post an update.
2. Detox: Deactivate your account for a couple of weeks, you might find it a bit weird for the initial few days, but eventually you’ll find yourself much more relaxed and with ample time for things that really matter. And once you’re back, you wouldn’t have a very strong urge to log in.
3. Skim your friend list: Skimming your friend list makes spending little time on social networks worthwhile, and you spare yourself all those annoying updates. If you think that unfriending those 300 people would be rude, then you can always use the ‘Facebook Lists’ feature which allows you to categorize and sort your friends as Close Friends, Acquaintances, Family etc. It is one of the few very useful features that Facebook provides.
4. Join Twitter: If news and the need of being updated is what’s got you hooked up to Facebook, then Twitter is a much better option. Almost all the newspapers, magazines and organizations have a twitter handle, even communities like Troll Files and 9GAG have a pretty active follower base. You can keep yourself updated with all what’s happening around the world, without the trouble of people watching over you and it isn’t very addictive either.
5. Hang out: Instead of sitting in front of your laptop throughout the weekend, which increases your chances of staying perpetually online; step out for a brunch with your old gang? You’ll find it far more enjoyable, and you can connect much more with a personal conversation than what you would with a wall post. Just make sure that you don’t check in!
6. Watch a sitcom or a movie: If you’re the kind who stays back home to relax, then what better option than watching a new season of your favourite sitcom! Try Californication, Game of Thrones or watch the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. series again, you know you can never get enough of Central Perk!
7. Read: If it has been really long since you last got your hands on the top bestsellers due to your busy work hours, why not get a new book and engross yourself in your favourite pastime. After all, books are our best friends. Try The Shiva Trilogy and check out amazing offers and discounts on web portals.
8. Turn off the text/e-mail notifications: You really don’t need those immediate notifications buzzing on your phone, turn off the text or e-mail notifications and soon you’d start caring less about what is happening in the social networking arena.