Five Tips For Ditching Social Media Addiction When You Own an iPhone

If we're being honest, we have to admit it's easy to get addicted to social media. We like to check how many "friends" or "followers" we have, we like to gauge real-time reaction to our (hopefully) original thoughts. We just like the attention. As highly social beings, it's a powerful instinct that can be difficult to curb. But when that urge goes from "instinct" to "addiction," it's time to move away from the online social world.

When you own an iPhone, sites like Twitter and Facebook are so easy to use that it's easy to get lulled back into the social media craze. But if you follow the tips in this article, you'll find that breaking that addiction doesn't have to be as hard as you thought it would be.

Tip #1: Shut off the iPhone at the end of the day.

Are you one of many who goes to bed using the iPhone as an alarm clock? It may be a great feature, but don't do it: keep the iPhone off after a certain time each day. This one tip may be enough to rescue your nocturnal life while doing minimal damage to your social media life. It's also a great tip to maintain better productivity overall. Keeping the iPhone on all day will make it easier for you to quickly "check" the iPhone, even as you're rolling into bed! You don't want that distraction. Some functions are best left to the original machines: buy an alarm clock with no features except a clock and an alarm. You can thank me later. (You'll also note that Helios Designs offers similar advice: learning to shut off the iPhone at other select times during the day. It's best to use both tips.)

Tip #2: Stick to one or two social media accounts at most.

What? No LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter? What kind of cruel, cruel article is this? It's an article that understands there's simply no way you can ever have "enough" social media accounts until you feel satisfied. So it's better just to pick an arbitrary line and stick to it. In this case, stick two two social media accounts at most. Yes, we know you can manage different social media accounts from one location, but that still leaves you room to check each account individually. Pick two. If you find LinkedIn so valuable that you need to keep it, then keep it, and decide whether or not Twitter or Facebook is better for you. Be relentless in your pursuit of retaining your own free time.

Tip #3: Do social media stuff after your work is over.

Don't let social media become a distraction at work: if you're at the office, don't use your breaks to check your iPhone for Twitter updates. Instead, keep all of that stuff for after work: you'll find that "batching" your time in this way can really help you to focus on one specific task at a time. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. You may feel like it will help you get less done, but you'll find you'll have greater energy for each task when you just pick one to focus on. You'll also have less guilt when you check social media accounts after your day's work is done.

Tip #4: Avoid social media on the iPhone at all times.

You might consider this an optional tip, but it's food for thought: if you really get so much out of your Twitter and Facebook time, you might want to wait until you can sit at a desktop or laptop computer to update your accounts. If you can disconnect your iPhone from the world of social media and stick to using it for basic communications, business, phone calls, and the occasional guilty pleasure game, you'll have gotten over your iPhone social media addiction.

Tip #5: Find something alternative to do.

Since you'll be spending less time on your social media accounts, you'll want to find an alternative activity to fill the time: something that will invigorate and entertain you. Do something outdoors. Take a bike ride. Find a new hobby like snowboarding. Whatever it is, make sure you have something else ready to go so that you're not tempted to return to the dark world of social media addiction!