I know I get it! You have been around everything and now you just want to find a hack on how to stop using social media and stop wasting time scrolling social media platforms and spending hours on end - just by doing nothing productive.

But as much as you want to quit, you don't want to cut all ties and feel left out. For that, luckily we have created BeTimeful with you in mind. By installing BeTimeful on your Android or iPhone, you can continue to stay connected without getting distracted by the Newsfeed. 

The mission of this app is to help you use technology instead of it using you - and it is done by removing newsfeeds, recommendation videos, or anything that’s designed to get you addicted. 

BeTimeful makes sure you don't get hooked into scrolling for hours. With BeTimeful, you don't need to delete social media apps or use any blockers. Here is how it works:

✅ BeTimeful hides all your distracting social media apps from your iPhone or Android 🔒

✅ You can have timed access to the distracting apps (scroll for 1 minute, 5, 10, or more on your favorite App) 🕝

✅ Have unlimited access to feedless Instagram and YouTube!  

✅ Access DM's without getting distracted 

✅ Message your friends, prospects, and clients without clicking on that funny meme and getting distracted.

✅ Post videos, Reels, and all your content, again without being distracted. 

 You can finally stay connected, productive, and NOT distracted with BeTimeful!

However, if you're determined to remove those annoying social networking applications from your phone once and for all, the greatest internet studies with scientific backing and secrets are listed below (summarized for your convenience).

1. Start Limiting Social Media by using BeTimeful for free.

Listen, you don't need to go big, just to go home. Here, you've to go small to make sure you get home. So the first step is to download a Free App called BeTimeful available on Android or iPhone to Limit Yourself to timed breaks. 

It’s not always about starving yourself from good proteins!

Use this free app and set timed breaks for yourself- you can use your social profiles freely in those times and once your break is up, you're automatically out as well. our mind realizes it's time to drop scrolling and get on winning.

After these breaks, you can still use these apps but smartly.  You can search for things that will help you with your work instead of getting distracted by your news feed and recommended posts and videos. 

The people who say social media is bad for you are either wrong or just Boomer! The truth is that no, according to studies only excessive ‘social comparison’ is bad for you. This social-psychological trait of human beings probably evolved through survival instincts so don’t take this personally. Even if we’re not aware of it, our brains are engaging in social comparison (which often occurs while scrolling the news feed since its algorithm is designed to show you a highlight reel) is the cause for the prolonged and excessive negative emotions. It gives you the hit of Dopamine which makes it hard to break that scroll-cycle.

The demographic that is most damaged by this is the ages between 12 and 17. Physical hormonal fluctuations along with fluid self-esteem are a recipe for disaster. Especially since teens are spending 4, 5, 6, and sometimes 12 hours a day … scrolling on social media …. Which is dangerous to even start with.

Another important definition is what is Social Media. Does Netflix count as social media? Does texting count? No, those do not count as social media because social media refers to any online publication where you share media with friends, family, and the public. Most social media have a ‘Feed’ that keeps people hooked just like running an automated SEO software company.

2. Don't Quit, Make Social Media Less Addictive with BeTimeful

Getting rid of social media cold turkey right off the bat might not be the best solution despite the initial reaction. An interesting study by Best et al. they 527 participants aged 14-16 and the results showed that 48 percent used social networking sites to seek help (1). An interesting finding in this study was that young men & women who reported messaging online friends about personal problems showed statistically significantly higher levels of mental well-being.

This is another reason we suggest adding BeTimeful to your browser or downloading the BeTimeful App so you can stay connected and not be distracted when the newsfeed is gone.

Suddenly making tough decisions and quitting social media can lead to withdrawal symptoms similar to quitting drugs or smoking such as anxiety, stress, and boredom. Otherwise, if you want to completely shut it down, check out how to deactivate Instagram

3. Turn Problems into Opportunities - Staying off Social Media

The next step is to reframe this situation not as a problem but as an opportunity.

The first step is to envision what you could achieve if you give up the bad habit of spending hours on social media. To do that, let’s take a look at the amount of time you spend on social media and let’s do some basic math:

Daily Amount of hours on social media: Times x365 to get the year. If you continue at this rate for the next 60 year years. Here is what you could have accomplished:

If we take an average of 2 hours per day times 365 then times 60 we get 43,800 hours which is 260 weeks or ⅔ of a year.

In that time you could have finished a Ph.D., saved enough money to buy a car, or invested in a house.

Take note of all the things you could have accomplished and then ask yourself whether you’d be proud of yourself at the end of your life to look back and see what you could have accomplished if you had been able to get less distracted even if you were doing SEO for Wedding photographers as your job or hiring a virtual assistant SEO.

4. The Change of Habits - Getting off Social Media

Now that we have defined our challenge and what we can achieve if we overcome our bad habits, it’s time to use this energy to build new habits!

Building new habits requires a couple of critical ingredients:

The first is productivity. Working on accomplishing a goal will give you the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. The goal is to replace as much of your dopamine hits from social media with the satisfaction of achieving goals. If you need help with productivity, we have the top productivity hacks to stay focused and the top productivity coaches blogs.

Next, since achieving your goals is like being challenging, you want to make sure you can stay motivated. We have written our ultimate guide to staying motivated for your benefit. Motivation is like holding water in your hand, squeezing it doesn’t work. You need to learn to recover and give yourself time to replenish your energy levels.

Lastly, replacing the habit of scrolling social media is a great time management skill! We highly recommend managing your time by blocking extended periods of deep work. Another idea is to learn how to block Instagram on your phone.

One approach is to get inspired by the best books on focus such as Atomic Habits (here are some Atomic Habits quotes) or you can read any of Cal Newport's books, such as Deep Work by Cal Newport.

5. Set time limits

If you’re taking a break to go on Social media, take note of the time and set an alarm or time for a maximum of 20 minutes. Not to keep tooting our own horn but BeTimeful helps you set limits so your phone has no social media until you need a timed break.

6. Play with Notification - Turn Them Off

7. Detox with a friend

A dopamine detox is another good way to get a handle on your social media consumption. You can learn more about what a dopamine detox is here. A great idea is to do a dopamine detox challenge. This will help you control the habitual need to get your dopamine hit from social media. Extra support makes quitting easier. Tagging along with a friend or buddy to accomplish this activity will make you more accountable and smoothen the process. One is more likely to stick to the goals with a buddy to lean on. Check out the Top 7 Productivity Tools and Apps for Students (2022) for helpful tips.

8. Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness not only helps with stress management but also helps with being more conscious and mindful about what we do and where we invest our time. Many videos can help you relax and calm down. Check out Top 18 time management tools for more information on organizing your schedule.

9. Assign Physical Reminders

Combat the urge to dive into the digital deluge with simple, yet effective physical cues. Wrapping a rubber band around your phone can act as a tactile reminder of your commitment to limit social media use. This method, akin to the concept of a string around the finger, is a tried-and-true technique to prompt mindfulness. Moreover, embellishing your device with stickers or setting a motivational quote on your lock screen can serve as a visual nudge towards your goal of reducing social media distraction. If the habitual impulse to scroll is what you're battling, these small changes can create a big impact in checking your impulses and supporting your journey to understand what causes social media addiction.

10. Get a Real Alarm Clock

In our always-connected world, it's tempting to start and end our day in the same way: with screens. By reverting to a real alarm clock, you sidestep the siren call of notifications that lead to unintentional mornings spent on social media. This change is more than nostalgic—it's strategic. It places boundaries on your digital time and is a significant step towards embracing life with the benefits of no social media. Waking up with an alarm clock instead of your phone can greatly minimize the urge to engage in social media distraction and is a practical approach to beginning your social media detox.

11. Embrace Self-Care

Elevate self-care to the forefront of your priorities. By dedicating time to personal reflection, you can explore and develop your interests and hobbies. Whether it's fulfilling your reading list, commencing a fitness regimen, or engaging in volunteer work, these activities enrich your life beyond the screen. They're not just pastimes—they're investments in your well-being. Engaging in these acts of self-care can be a cornerstone in overcoming instagram addiction and is a testament to the joys of a digital detox. Take pride in the moments you reclaim for yourself; these are the steps that foster resilience against the lure of social media addiction and encourage a healthy, balanced life.

12. Tackle one Social Media Platform at a time

Tackling social media addiction and distraction is not an easy task. We recommend tackling one platform at a time. If you want to know how to stop watching youtube or you are addicted to YouTube, this guide is for you. If Twitter is an issue for you, learn how to block Twitter on iPhone. We recommend downloading BeTimeful to remove YouTube's Shorts or recommended videos. 

Instagram: Instagram addiction can be notoriously hard to handle - however, with BeTimeful you can remove the newsfeed so you slowly reduce the habit of getting the dopamine hit from opening Instagram. If you got your Instagram account blocked, learn how to get Instagram unblocked.

The benefits of breaking free from social media addiction will help you realize how much more is there to achieve and you will start embracing your life. Check out Break Social Media Addiction with a free browser extension! If you are thinking of starting your digital detox journey. Or, try out BeTimeful to experience the phenomenal shift in your browsing activity. If BeTimeful's News Feed Blocker is not enough reduce your screen time consider reading this review of Atomic Habits by James Clear or this summary of Deep Work by Cal Newport.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

How do I stop using social media?

The only way to stop social media, or better to say, being too consumed by social media is to have a healthy relationship with it - and the best way to do that is to have time off. Practicing self-restraint, and deliberately keeping yourself from checking social media for a few days is a good way to start it. 

During your break, you will have more time for other activities, such as hobbies, exercise, or spending time with loved ones. This can lead to a greater sense of fulfillment and well-being.

You can also try the BeTimeful app for FREE to minimize social media usage. This app lets you use these platforms for searching things up and keeping you informed. The best part of this app is it keeps you away from the draining cycle of never-ending scrolling. 

Is it good if I quit social media?

While quitting might seem the best option for you at the time, if you think you will get back to it ever more crazier than beofre then no, quitting social media is not good. You need to learn the triggers, what makes you spend the most time on social media? are those intagram reels, or travel pictures? Exercising dicispline and time management skills can really help minimize the usage of social media without having you go all cold turkey on it. 

Remmeber, the more peaceful the transission is, the firmer your grip gets on not revevrting back to your old back habits. 

How do I stop looking at social media?

You can start by defining your goals and boundries in social media usage. This includes limiting the amount social media screentime or designating certain times of day for checking your accounts.

With BeTimeful you could put this into practice and begin to understand your own use of social media. Its News Feed Eradicator functionality blocks newsfeeds from social media apps leading you to concentrate better on your tasks and cut down your time on them. Integrating BeTimeful into your daily life will help you control the use of your social media usage and be more mindful about it.

Are people happier without social media?

Using social media can give you a dopamine boost which can leave you feeling happy or reward, it's important to consider the long-term effects on mental health and well-being. 

Sources:

• Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. J. (2014). Social work and social Media: Online Help-seeking and the mental well-being of adolescent males. British Journal of Social Work, 46(1), 257-276. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcu130