Having a separate phone to work has been a blessing for me. I used to work at a job where I would get calls anytime of the day or night, even when I wasn’t working to fix issues. Always felt like I couldn’t switch off. Recently have been in a job where I have a separate work phone and it is BLISS. The coming home at the end of the day, sticking it on charge and ignoring it is amazing. I used to feel guilty about not checking it all the time. But now I make sure it’s on silent and it’s an out of sight out of mind thing for me in evenings and weekends.
I haven't personally used this, but I know a lot of people swear by focus modes on the iPhone! You could create a work mode that lets you access Instagram, for example, and a home mode that hides the app (and you can do this with any app). It may not be what you're looking for exactly, but it's certainly cheaper than buying another iphone!
Have to recommend the podcast Off the Grid with Amelia Hruby all about leaving social media without losing clients as well as Alexandra Franzen who has a freebie and a course all about marketing without social media.
wow, i relate to what you said at the top regarding social media companies so hard. it’s an odd one because as someone who has also been creating content online since i was 12/13 (mostly written form, anything from fanfic to blogs, etc.) i’m actually not one of those people who think social media is ALL BAD. i think there’s a tendency with my friends who are not in the industry to think all tech is evil and rotting our brains, but it’s just more complicated than that. social media has allowed some of my friends who were queer teens in places where that wasn’t much accepted to talk to like minded people and find loving and supportive communities. as a writer, it allowed me to find communities and an audience. and i love those things.
at the same time, talking from experience, 3/4 years ago, i started looking at focusing on writing more and maybe doing a career change (love your content on that btw) and i started saving aggressively to be able to take a year or two to focus on that. i also wanted to do a masters in creative writing, which im now in line to start in september. when i got in last february, i realised that i wouldn’t have many actual class hours, and that i could maybe keep working part time at my job. but, the catch was: i worked for google. and honestly, what it came down to in that moment was that i didn’t want to keep working for a company that renamed the gulf of mexico. they’ve done many other things, obviously, but that was the last straw and reason behind me actually resigning.
but then the catch is, obviously, i am still a user of these platforms to create/promote content, etc. and they have a quasi monopoly on the online creator industry. and creators “make them money”. do i struggle with it? yes. but i also think its a balance and a comfort level everyone has to learn to find for themselves. for me, it got to the point where being *employed* by them made me want to throw up (btw, incredibly, i am not being replaced and leaving my team awfully understaffed, but my boss says there is “no budget.” there’s no budget at… google???). but using them as a user/creator is something i can palate better. but again, very much relate to the debate here.
Could you solve the phone dilemma by using Focus Modes? I switch between different Focus Modes for personal, work, workouts, and sleep. You could have your work mode only show work-related and social apps and notifications, and personal could hide all of that. Mine are pretty simple, though you can customize them a ton, and once you take the time to set them up, they're sooo useful.
really specific i know but the wrestling podcast i listen to doesn’t do social media and often mention how their metrics are all going up despite being off social media. they still auto post links to articles and episodes etc, upload clips to youtube etc, but it’s all audio, no video. they go big on patreon content here’s the link, with loads of content to make the subscription worth its while and doing regular free patreon content for things that might be more shareable like written articles. its the patreon sub i dont think i’ll ever cancel, they provide way more value than they charge for
Yes to the soupy feelings, yes to the work phone, and I was looking for art workshops that I can do with my mum and sister, classical drawing and painting, and I didn't even consider looking at social media to find this, I googled things in my cities and found loads. I don't know if these art teachers need their social media but I suspect maybe not. They seemed very succesful, with crazy expensive long courses and like full days of painting fully booked.
Having a work phone for me was a game changer. Just keeping all my photos and social media separate helps keep my head clear but then the added bonus that I can leave it at home when I go out if I want to completely switch off. Also, highly recommend Reboxed for refurbed iPhones! (Not spon, it’s just where I got my work phone and it was good as new, just a model or two behind)
I might know someone who can help! One of the very og internet bloggers that I follow is Alex Franzen - she’s a super successful ghostwriter, still blogs occasionally, is lifestyle-content/writing oriented. She gave up all social media about a decade ago, and ran a program called “marketing without social media”. I think the program doesn’t run anymore but the course does!
She also has some freebies on her personal website here - https://www.alexandrafranzen.com/free-stuff/ - that include “Using technology purposefully”, “Marketing ideas”, “How to say no”, etc.
Yes! Get a work phone! I used to work jobs where I would need to get Slack and email on my personal phone, and one of the criteria for my current job was that I needed a separate phone so that I could literally shut everything down and walk away at the end of the week. It's been 3 years of having a work phone and I am never going back.
I also got rid of most of my social media? As a user, I didn't feel like I was getting the value for the amount I was paying (with my time, attention -- the current currency we use). The people I want to connect with I know IRL and I'm tired of being fed ads all the time. Maybe I'll go back? Right now, though, I doubt it.
I've also been really struggling with social media recently. I feel it is a disheartening time sink but, on the other hand, a huge motivator to be creative. I also wouldn't be able to follow some great creators without it. I miss the internet of the 2000s and 2010s. It was so weird and fun. Now it's just bits and pieces and most feels lifeless and artificial.
Separate phone from the work phone is a great idea! (But it doesn't have to be an iPhone, lol, what's the point, just a decent phone for the few apps you do need everyday). Also, so happy to find you on substack. My husband is very anti-social media for the most part, but loves sharing his knowledge online of his interests, so he's really gotten into using substack for his niche (France based finance, 🤣, I promise he's not a finance bro, lol)
I miss my work phone (from my previous work). It made things easier. I'd say, about social media, I started to feel very anxious while being on Instagram. I decided to not delete it, but take it away from my home screen. I've seen so much of a difference in me!!! I still go into Instagram but I decided to unfollow a lot of accounts and keep only what brings me joy and not necessarily news (which sometimes are everywhere anyways, but they're less and now I read newsletters and newspapers more). Regarding podcasts without social media... I follow several that I think are successful and don't do much social media: Disaster Area, What Went Wrong, Canadian True Crime. They all have social media, and they do announce a new episode, but only that... Does that count as no social media? Maybe not, but I think you can do podcasts, be successful, and treat social media as a way of announcing things (maybe?).
If you do get a work phone, I highly recommend getting second hand on giffgaff, back market etc rather than brand new on apple. Way better for your wallet and the planet!! 😌
Having a separate phone to work has been a blessing for me. I used to work at a job where I would get calls anytime of the day or night, even when I wasn’t working to fix issues. Always felt like I couldn’t switch off. Recently have been in a job where I have a separate work phone and it is BLISS. The coming home at the end of the day, sticking it on charge and ignoring it is amazing. I used to feel guilty about not checking it all the time. But now I make sure it’s on silent and it’s an out of sight out of mind thing for me in evenings and weekends.
I haven't personally used this, but I know a lot of people swear by focus modes on the iPhone! You could create a work mode that lets you access Instagram, for example, and a home mode that hides the app (and you can do this with any app). It may not be what you're looking for exactly, but it's certainly cheaper than buying another iphone!
oooh I've heard of this! will look into it
Have to recommend the podcast Off the Grid with Amelia Hruby all about leaving social media without losing clients as well as Alexandra Franzen who has a freebie and a course all about marketing without social media.
wow, i relate to what you said at the top regarding social media companies so hard. it’s an odd one because as someone who has also been creating content online since i was 12/13 (mostly written form, anything from fanfic to blogs, etc.) i’m actually not one of those people who think social media is ALL BAD. i think there’s a tendency with my friends who are not in the industry to think all tech is evil and rotting our brains, but it’s just more complicated than that. social media has allowed some of my friends who were queer teens in places where that wasn’t much accepted to talk to like minded people and find loving and supportive communities. as a writer, it allowed me to find communities and an audience. and i love those things.
at the same time, talking from experience, 3/4 years ago, i started looking at focusing on writing more and maybe doing a career change (love your content on that btw) and i started saving aggressively to be able to take a year or two to focus on that. i also wanted to do a masters in creative writing, which im now in line to start in september. when i got in last february, i realised that i wouldn’t have many actual class hours, and that i could maybe keep working part time at my job. but, the catch was: i worked for google. and honestly, what it came down to in that moment was that i didn’t want to keep working for a company that renamed the gulf of mexico. they’ve done many other things, obviously, but that was the last straw and reason behind me actually resigning.
but then the catch is, obviously, i am still a user of these platforms to create/promote content, etc. and they have a quasi monopoly on the online creator industry. and creators “make them money”. do i struggle with it? yes. but i also think its a balance and a comfort level everyone has to learn to find for themselves. for me, it got to the point where being *employed* by them made me want to throw up (btw, incredibly, i am not being replaced and leaving my team awfully understaffed, but my boss says there is “no budget.” there’s no budget at… google???). but using them as a user/creator is something i can palate better. but again, very much relate to the debate here.
but yes, get a work phone! it’s great!
Shout out to Hannah for including voiceovers for her posts including her free posts! Thank you, the extra work does not go unnoticed :)
Really enjoyed today's topic and would love to hear/read more in this area
Could you solve the phone dilemma by using Focus Modes? I switch between different Focus Modes for personal, work, workouts, and sleep. You could have your work mode only show work-related and social apps and notifications, and personal could hide all of that. Mine are pretty simple, though you can customize them a ton, and once you take the time to set them up, they're sooo useful.
Have you seen this piece about leaving Instagram? It could be interesting for you!
https://open.substack.com/pub/kristendroz/p/reports-from-an-artist-who-left-instagram?
really specific i know but the wrestling podcast i listen to doesn’t do social media and often mention how their metrics are all going up despite being off social media. they still auto post links to articles and episodes etc, upload clips to youtube etc, but it’s all audio, no video. they go big on patreon content here’s the link, with loads of content to make the subscription worth its while and doing regular free patreon content for things that might be more shareable like written articles. its the patreon sub i dont think i’ll ever cancel, they provide way more value than they charge for
https://www.patreon.com/voicesofwrestling
Yes to the soupy feelings, yes to the work phone, and I was looking for art workshops that I can do with my mum and sister, classical drawing and painting, and I didn't even consider looking at social media to find this, I googled things in my cities and found loads. I don't know if these art teachers need their social media but I suspect maybe not. They seemed very succesful, with crazy expensive long courses and like full days of painting fully booked.
Having a work phone for me was a game changer. Just keeping all my photos and social media separate helps keep my head clear but then the added bonus that I can leave it at home when I go out if I want to completely switch off. Also, highly recommend Reboxed for refurbed iPhones! (Not spon, it’s just where I got my work phone and it was good as new, just a model or two behind)
I might know someone who can help! One of the very og internet bloggers that I follow is Alex Franzen - she’s a super successful ghostwriter, still blogs occasionally, is lifestyle-content/writing oriented. She gave up all social media about a decade ago, and ran a program called “marketing without social media”. I think the program doesn’t run anymore but the course does!
https://www.marketingwithoutsocialmedia.com/
She also has some freebies on her personal website here - https://www.alexandrafranzen.com/free-stuff/ - that include “Using technology purposefully”, “Marketing ideas”, “How to say no”, etc.
Yes! Get a work phone! I used to work jobs where I would need to get Slack and email on my personal phone, and one of the criteria for my current job was that I needed a separate phone so that I could literally shut everything down and walk away at the end of the week. It's been 3 years of having a work phone and I am never going back.
I also got rid of most of my social media? As a user, I didn't feel like I was getting the value for the amount I was paying (with my time, attention -- the current currency we use). The people I want to connect with I know IRL and I'm tired of being fed ads all the time. Maybe I'll go back? Right now, though, I doubt it.
I've also been really struggling with social media recently. I feel it is a disheartening time sink but, on the other hand, a huge motivator to be creative. I also wouldn't be able to follow some great creators without it. I miss the internet of the 2000s and 2010s. It was so weird and fun. Now it's just bits and pieces and most feels lifeless and artificial.
Separate phone from the work phone is a great idea! (But it doesn't have to be an iPhone, lol, what's the point, just a decent phone for the few apps you do need everyday). Also, so happy to find you on substack. My husband is very anti-social media for the most part, but loves sharing his knowledge online of his interests, so he's really gotten into using substack for his niche (France based finance, 🤣, I promise he's not a finance bro, lol)
I miss my work phone (from my previous work). It made things easier. I'd say, about social media, I started to feel very anxious while being on Instagram. I decided to not delete it, but take it away from my home screen. I've seen so much of a difference in me!!! I still go into Instagram but I decided to unfollow a lot of accounts and keep only what brings me joy and not necessarily news (which sometimes are everywhere anyways, but they're less and now I read newsletters and newspapers more). Regarding podcasts without social media... I follow several that I think are successful and don't do much social media: Disaster Area, What Went Wrong, Canadian True Crime. They all have social media, and they do announce a new episode, but only that... Does that count as no social media? Maybe not, but I think you can do podcasts, be successful, and treat social media as a way of announcing things (maybe?).
If you do get a work phone, I highly recommend getting second hand on giffgaff, back market etc rather than brand new on apple. Way better for your wallet and the planet!! 😌