I quit social media: 5 lessons learned

I was completely fed up with Instagram and Facebook by the end of June this year. Any sniff of promotion resulted in IG restricting my reach, with a grand total of roughly two interactions per post. Facebook is basically dead to me these days, apart from a few kind-hearted family friends (even with a following of 1.2k!).

I know this is common, but it doesn’t do much for the ol’ ego, nor help the bottom line (heck, we are in business – it’s ok to talk about money!). I have a family of six who have a healthy sport obsession and large appetites. In short, they are an expensive bunch. 😅 I don’t have buckets of cash lying around to throw at Meta ads all the time.

I was exhausted, tired of trying to please the algorithm (spoiler alert: I never have), and after seven years of being on the Content Creation Train, my motivation was wearing thin. We were also entering a hugely busy personal season, with client projects layered in and school holidays looming. It all felt quite heavy.

So I quit social media for my business.

I shared a post on Facebook and Instagram announcing my sabbatical, promptly deleted my apps and metaphorically walked away with a huge sigh of relief. I don’t know what I expected to come of it in all honesty, but what happened next was not it.

I felt an immediate sense of freedom. My ability to focus on other things in my life (including client projects and other marketing avenues) was far increased.

That same week, Amy Porterfield published a podcast episode:

#696: How I Quit Social Media & Still Grew My Business 165% with Kate Kordsmeier

And it felt like validation. If you’ve been feeling the same way about marketing your business on social media, I highly recommend listening to it!

Ever since, I’ve been quietly observing my own thoughts and behaviours. I have allowed my brain to decompress and relax into the white space of my mind that social media has been stealing from me these past few years, having quietly settled in and made its home without my knowledge or permission. 

Five lessons learnt from quitting social media for my business

Here are the five biggest lessons I’ve learned from quitting social media for a month:

1. I have more mental clarity

My brain is feeling far less scattered. Without as many inboxes or notifications, perceived pressure to be sharing behind the scenes on stories, edit fancy video reels to feed the algorithm, nor even create posts to promote my podcast, I felt free. I could manage my business obligations and domestic role with much more ease and fulfilment.

2. I have more time up my sleeve

I am by no means glued to social media at the best of times. I honestly don’t love it that much, but have always felt it was a “necessary evil” for marketing my small business.

Don’t get me wrong, I love some aspects of it. By far my favourite part has been the lovely connections I’ve made, and the ongoing relationships I’m able to foster with clients and students. I do love that part. But by removing the pressure I associate with posting, sharing content, filming behind the scenes and stories, I found myself with so much spare time for other creative pursuits and things I would usually struggle to keep up with in my home.

I am left feeling far more organised, my home is more orderly and I’ve genuinely been able to relax. The simple act of spending time with my children without my mind wandering off to a post I’m in the middle of writing has been a huge blessing.

It’s not the time we spend necessarily “doing” the social media things, but rather the thinking time it takes to prepare and share content that we find the most taxing on our mental capacity and focus.

3. Increased creativity and inspiration

I love my business, but I’ve been feeling a shifting tide for a little while now. Whenever this happens, I know change is on the horizon. I’m still not entirely sure what that is (don’t worry – branding + design is here to stay!), but I’ve been able to loosen my grip on some habits I’ve created within my business that may not have been serving me well.

I’m 100% sure this would not have happened if I hadn’t quit social media and podcasting for this period of time. As humans we tend to keep carrying on how we’ve always done things, and if there is no catalyst for change, how will we ever be able to know if there is a better way? 

I’ve been able to focus my creativity not only on client projects, but also the future of marketing for Hopscotch Branding Studio and my digital programs. A huge surprise to me was a personal passion project that surfaced after nine years, all stemmed from one comment I made that I had completely forgotten about.

I’m not sure if I am brave enough to share that one just yet!

4. I like myself better

As an introvert, I genuinely find social media a noisy place to reside. It’s competitive, opinionated and often feels like a “who shouts loudest gets the most attention” kind of vibe. Now, I know that isn’t necessarily true, and I know the value of an authentic brand in attracting the right audience. But still, this is a personal battle I am constantly overcoming.

To have a rest from that was liberating. I listened to another podcast recently featuring Brendon Burchard on the effect of social media on the brain. It conditions us to constantly be in a state of comparison, decision making (“Will I read this”, “Should I like this?”, What does this mean about me?”) and despondence. All this adds up to fatigue, particularly for introverts!

So without having to constantly compare myself (either consciously or subconsciously), I have found that I quite like being me, even if it means I’m just a 40-year old, homebody mum of four who enjoys a cup of tea and loves drawing.

5. I’m less connected, and I love it

I’ve always joked that I’d love to move to a deserted island, grow my own vegetables and live a self-sustaining lifestyle with no tech. Truthfully, I’d last about five minutes, but I do struggle with the pressure to be so connected in the society we live in.

Secret: sometimes I leave my phone at home when I go out just to feel a sense of peace.

This past month has left me feeling less FOMO, and more JOMO. I’m here for it.

Will I quit social media for marketing my small business altogether?

Maybe I’ll quit social media completely in the future if I can figure out how to market my business and cultivate genuine connections some other way, but not right now. I have truly missed interacting with my fellow IG-dwelling business buddies. I felt awful to receive a few messages from clients who have become close friends in my DMs who missed my announcement post, wondering if I was ok.

Without a doubt, I will be revisiting my social media strategy with new motivation and intentionality. I have some ideas about how I will approach my time and energy investment on Instagram and Facebook which I will unveil as they solidify in my mind!

And lovely friend, if you have been feeling disappointed, burnt out or disillusioned by the results you’re receiving on social media lately, I encourage you to step back and look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself what’s most important to you and your business right now? Often a little break will give you the answers to questions you might not even realise you have been subconsciously asking.

I’d love to hear how you’re feeling about social media lately. Would you ever consider quitting social media entirely? Drop me a line here and let me know.