Ivy League Study Reveals the Optimal Time You Should Spend Scrolling Social Media
Plus my secret to reducing screen time
The cool part about writing is that it forces you to develop an awareness of where you place your attention.
You know the habits that make you feel creative (reading a good book, a hot cup of coffee, going for a run)
You know the habits that make you anxious (scrolling Instagram like a gremlin).
I learned early on that it’s impossible to write a useful article from a place of anxiety. That’s why my entire writing process is about slowing things down. Reading, journaling, walking, thinking, breathing, clearing, rinsing, and repeating.
Social media is a problem for writers, in the same way it’s a problem for you — it just makes us anxious.
But we can’t just stop, right?
It’s a part of our culture. It’s how we connect to people. And if you’re an entrepreneur, it’s how you develop business.
The question is, does a happy balance exist? Is there a specific amount of time we can spend on social media each day that doesn’t cause anxiety?
Turns out there is.
A study published at UPenn reveals that the sweet spot is 30 minutes per day.
Participants who abided by their “30-minute rule” showed lower signs of anxiety and didn’t have FOMO nearly as much.
Sweet.
Why do we place social media on a pedestal?
The writer Ryan Holiday has a dark line about social media:
“Social media is a set of embedding mechanisms to allow technologies to use humans to communicate with each other, in an orgy of self-organizing. . . . The Matrix had it wrong. You’re not the battery power in a global, human-enslaving AI, you are slightly more valuable. You are part of the switching circuitry.”
He caught some flack for that one, but he’s not way off. Although social media creates a world of new opportunities for budding creatives and entrepreneurs like myself, most of us mistreat the technology.
What do we do instead?
We treat social media like an angry Karen at a Las Vegas slot machine who spends half her paycheck at Gold Rush and can’t figure out why she’s always broke.
Likewise, we spend 4 hours a day checking on our ex’s Instagram and can’t figure out why we’re still single.
So let’s call social media for what it is. A slot machine that preys on our most vulnerable emotions: The need to be validated, the need to be heard, and our curiosity.
The irony is that social media rarely accomplishes any of those things.
Maybe we post a thirst trap that gets’ 100 likes, but most of the time we’re liking and commenting on someone’s bachelorette party, which makes us feel behind because they’re out there doing things, and you’re scrolling social media from a toilet seat.
Notice how nobody posts about bad days — when their car breaks down, the breakups, or when they’re let go from their job.
Long story short. The key to better work and less anxiety is placing your attention on the things you can control.
That is the definition of self-improvement.
Nothing on social media is within your control.
Sorry.
My system for reducing social media to 30 minutes per day
So let’s listen to the scientist and limit our social media usage to 30 minutes per day.
Easier said than done, but I think I’ve come up with a pretty darn excellent system.
1.) Do things that make you feel less lonely.
Social media promised to end loneliness.
Instead, it paints a picture that there’s a big party going on, but you’ll never get invited to it.
If you want to limit social media, it helps to take up activities that make you feel less lonely.
Did you know there’s a government agency in the UK called the Department of Loneliness? And No, this isn’t from Harry Potter. There’s actually a tax-funded bureau dedicated to reducing the mental health effects caused by loneliness.
Their most successful program is called Men’s Shed. A program that funds over 500 public auto garages where men can go and work on projects, drink tea, and shoot the shit with other men.
It’s comical till you read the statistics. 52% percent of Men’s Shed participants gain a new sense of purpose. 24% feel less lonely, and 75% reduce anxiety.
We tend to get in our own heads when we’re alone for too long and social media doesn’t help. That’s why I work hard to do things that make me feel less lonely.
My friends and I play Spikeball every Thursday after work. We get together, play a few rounds, but mostly sit around and talk about dumb stuff that solves nothing. It reminds me so much of Men’s Shed.
The lesson: Do things that make you feel less lonely, and you won’t feel the urge to scroll social media.
2.) Treat social media like it’s gonna give you a hangover
Apps are designed to compare yourself to others, and comparing yourself is like masturbation — It feels good for a few minutes, but it ultimately does nothing.
Here’s an exercise that will help reduce stalking and scrolling: Before I open social media, I ask myself, “How do you want to feel over the next few hours? Do you want to feel like crap, or do you want a clear mind to you can actually get shit done?”
Harsh, but I usually put down my phone after asking myself that question.
3.) Here’s a quick fix. Take advantage of the Freedom app.
Use the Freedom app.
Hands down the best app for social media reduction. Why? They use VPN technology that blocks you from opening social media for a specific time.
It’s like trying to google porn during 6th-grade computer class. Even if you wanted to peep, the app literally won’t let you.
The trick is to figure out when you’re most vulnerable to social media and set the Freedom app to run during those hours.
For example, I check social media the most last at night, around 7 pm, when nothing is going on. I started presetting the freedom app to function from 7 pm to 8 am. That way, I’m not tempted to scroll social media at night or the first thing in the morning.
It’s helped reduce my social media usage by at least 50%. No joke.
Closing thoughts
I’m not like Ryan Holiday when it comes to social media. I believe the good outweighs the bad (or hopefully eventually outweighs the bad as we learn more about how social media affects our lives).
Too much social media makes us feel like shit which pokes at our attention and productivity. Let’s limit social media to 30 minutes a day. If you’re having trouble with that, use one of my techniques.
1) Do things that make you feel less lonely.
2) Treat it like you’re getting a hangover.
3) Fire up the Freedom app.
Like most things in life, social media is neither good nor evil. It all depends on how we use it.