This one is tough. I've gotten pretty good at putting 30 minutes/day aside for certain projects now that I've been doing it a while, but going off social media cold turkey, 24 hours/day is a big one, especially for someone who works in online marketing.
I enlisted some help.
My social media use (mostly Twitter, Facebook, and LiveJournal) is, if I'm being brutally honest, compulsive. I don't just check sites and participate – I obsessively re-check them, especially when I'm avoiding starting a new project. It's the online version of channel-surfing (for you old folks).
Some days, I don't even realize that I'm navigating to one of these sites until my finger is coming off the mouse button.
So, just to keep myself honest, I'm using StayFocusd, a browser plug-in that limits your activity on certain sites. I'm using their "nuclear option" (which you have to love just for the name), which blocks sites entirely for a certain number of hours (in my case, 751).
I've behaved myself.
It's tough, but I'm 5 days in without so much as accidentally glancing at a social media site. Following my own rules, I confirmed one friend request on Facebook, but that was it – I closed the site immediately after that.
I have to admit, some days I've gotten pretty twitchy. I've been "connected" most of my life, in some way or another, and I don't do well with silence. Once I get past that initial reaction and take a few deep breaths, though, I find I get a lot more done with my day.
I picked a bad week.
This was not the week to decide to enjoy spring in Chicago. So, I compromised – I'll either get outside or work on my e-book every day. When the weather improves, I'll try to do both. My goal isn't to force myself to go out in freezing rain and be miserable.
The e-book is real.
I'm happy to say that, despite a couple of days of writer's block, I had a couple of real breakthrough days, and this e-book is going to happen. I still don't have a release date, but it will be free, and it will probably be titled The 30 Day Budget. It's a workbook and 30-day challenge designed to make you think differently about money.