I was addicted to Facebook sometime back, but now I hover
less on it and keep myself busy with working out, work and travels. I am living
more in the real world and less in the virtual. All of it seemed to be almost
impossible for me, considering I am a content writer and a social media expert.
Yes, initially it was extremely complicated for me, which needed a change and I
had to do it because I was not living full.
You must be wondering, how I did it? I didn’t give up my
Facebook account, nor did I give up going online over Facebook. All I did was
to limit myself from using it less frequently and only to communicate with
someone, who would be online or check his/her Facebook inbox. The idea is very
similar to TV, you watch only those programs that interest you and save
precious time for productivity. Or else you just watch anything and everything
that’s being aired. Just so you know, I don’t have a TV in my room, which keeps
me away from the idiot box and whatever I need is always available on the web.
My family thinks that this is abnormal behavior, but I am the most happy person
and creative for that very lack of apparatus.
Though, there is
something that you must know, Facebook has to be handled in a certain manner
that it becomes less invasive. It is indeed a very proficient tool for letting
you keep in touch with your family as well as friends who live offshore. But
you certainly don’t need to be hung on the Facebook all the time.
Here I am enlisting some suggestions for the Facebook Addicts
to get over this fever and start living the way I did.
- FriendsOnly keep the people in the friend list of Facebook, who you personally know or
who are your business connections in the real life. Rest are mostly spammers,
who will like your posts or share them at the most, but they won’t be there for
a meaningful conversation. I had more than 4,000 people on my Facebook friend
list and I ruthlessly deleted most of them. Today I am happy with a little more
than 1,000 friends, who respond to my messages and comments. So start deleting,
who you don’t know or who don’t respond.
- Pages and GroupsSeverely put a limit on how many Facebook Pages you tend to like and how many
Facebook Groups you join. Most of the stuff, which isn’t relevant to you will
fill up the news feed on your Facebook wall and make you feel that a lot is
going on. That’s just a mirage and junk, which you don’t require on any given
day.
- Time for Log in and Log outFix a time for log in and them log out within a fixed time frame. I log into
Facebook thrice a day for 10 minutes, considering I work full time on the
internet; this is still a lot of time that I spend on Facebook in an entire
day. If I am having a conversation with my friend or uploading photos, then the
time may extend, but that happens once in a blue moon.
- Traditional Modes of CommunicationI have started to make phone calls, leaving voice messages on WhatsApp, while
texting has become very limited. The best that I do is to call and go see my
friends in person. Face to face conversation is more fruitful and it
strengthens the bond between two people.
- Stop Posting Every MinutePosting every thought and emotion over Facebook isn’t good at all. Limit your
posts to as minimum as possible, so you don’t get too many notifications and
people appreciate any important news that you share.
- Stop Playing Games!!!This is the most necessary and significant thing that you must do at once.
Playing Facebook games are the most time wasting activity that one can indulge
into. Though, it will please you with the achievements, but it will eat your
productive time.
In a
nutshell, be absolutely strict with yourself on what you use Facebook for. If
it’s just fun and frolic then set a time limit, if it’s for communication then
again set the rules.
And yes, if
you can manage to stay away from Facebook for a week at a stretch; you won’t
miss it the same way; I don’t miss the TV in my room.
~Raghu Raj Murmu