Yesterday, I wrote a post sharing my observations on the effects that social media can have. Today, I want to give you some tips and tricks that have assisted me in mastering social media.

1) Turn those notifications off!

Let’s be real, few things are more distracting than your phone. Well, actually, nothing is more distracting than those bothersome notifications. What I’ve learned is the phone itself isn’t as a distraction. The distraction comes from the steady stream of vibrations and sounds. In an attempt to combat this, early last year I turned off almost all of my notifications. What I was left with was a tiny sliver including texts, calls, and facetime. What I discerned is that your phone is a lot less interesting when it isn’t blowing up all the time.

2) Move your social media apps off the front page of your phone.

I know I’m not alone in hating that little badge app icon. It’s become our Pavlov’s Dog. The little number pops up and we have to check it. After I had turned all my pop-up notifications off, I learned a vital lesson. The badge app icon has so much power. Without notifications, I wasn’t sure what could be happening inside that little app. What started as an attempt to control my connection with social media only made it worse. Until I took the time to rearrange my phone. When I moved all my social media apps off my typical screen and onto a second screen it seemed I had finally gained the control I was seeking. They were out of sight and out of mind.

3) Set firm boundaries.

When I first decided to detox myself from social media, I knew I would need heavy accountability. I made the decision to bring in a friend, so we did it together. For us, this looked like no social media until after 7 PM. After a few weeks, we underwent a habitual change. We had so much more control. Since this detox, I am more adept to handle a dynamic relationship with social media because I don’t crave it for survival.

Overall, I believe that social media is such a great platform to share life. But we all know the phrase, “too much of a good thing is never a good thing.” I propose that we reclaim how we consume social media. Making this an attempt to reclaim our own thought process.