At the beginning of 2025, I made the decision to take a step back from social media. I was falling behind on personal projects—like updating my website—and needed the time and headspace to focus. What started as a short seven-day break quickly turned into 14, then 30. Before I knew it, I had quit social media for a month.
I say “quit” because I didn’t delete my accounts. I still log in occasionally to schedule posts for clients, but for the most part, I stopped using social media in my personal life.
This post is about my experience being 99% off social media—and what kind of impact it’s had on me.
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What Does It Look Like to Quit Social Media?
For me, quitting meant signing out of all my accounts and deleting the apps from my phone. Notifications had already been disabled, but even that wasn’t enough to break the habit. I needed the apps gone to stop mindlessly reaching for them whenever I had a free moment.
Instagram was the hardest to let go. As a creative, it had always been a major source of inspiration. I followed talented designers and photographers, and it was a quick way to catch up on trends or grab a few tips from a reel. But “a few” always turned into 30 minutes or more of doom scrolling. So I signed out. I even signed out in my browser and made it a hassle to log in. That friction alone stopped me from using it nearly altogether.
Now, I check in briefly once a day to schedule posts or skim for important DMs. Otherwise, I’m out.
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Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
I’m not going to lie—at first, there was some anxiety. I kept wondering, What if that dream client DMs me? What if I miss a huge opportunity?
But realistically? Almost none of my projects come from social media. If people want to work with you, they call, email, or go through your website—especially larger companies and more professional clients.
I also thought I’d miss my creative friends—the people I swap ideas and memes with. But we’ve stayed connected through calls, texts, Slack, and email. I still see them. We still talk. Nothing really changed.
Once the first couple of weeks passed, I barely missed it at all.
Now, when I pick up my phone, there’s really not much to look at. No rabbit holes. No reels. I usually just set it back down and move on.
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My Productivity Skyrocketed
I won’t pretend I suddenly became the most productive person on Earth, but cutting out social media gave me back at least an hour a day. That alone made a big difference.
I’m a morning person—up by 6 a.m. most days. I used to spend those early moments scrolling. Now, I spend that time reading my Bible, digging into a book, planning my day, or jumping into a project. By the time everyone else in the house is awake and out the door, I’m already in work mode.
Speaking of books, I used to love reading but had fallen out of the habit. I made a new goal to read one book per month as a replacement for social media. So far? I’ve read 18 books in four months.
Design, leadership, marketing—it’s all fair game. And reading has given me more ideas and more momentum in my creative work than Instagram ever did.
Side note, if you have not ready StoryBrand by Donald Miller, GO DO IT NOW. I bought this book in 2021 and waited till 2025 to read it and I kick myself everyday for not reading it sooner.
That momentum spilled over into personal projects too. This blog. A short story I’m working on. All of it happened because I wasn’t spending every spare moment glued to a screen. When you quit social media you will be surprised at how much time you gain.
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I’m Happier
All of the above is great, but the biggest change is this: I’m just happier.
Social media is full of highlight reels, and it’s easy to fall into comparison traps. I’d see someone else’s win and forget about the ten failures they didn’t post. I’d start to question my own progress, my talent, even my life.
And don’t get me started on Facebook—arguments, misinformation, politics, and people turning every opinion into a fight. I stopped engaging with it long ago, but just reading those kinds of posts made me feel tense. Eventually, I realized I didn’t need that in my life anymore.
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Wrapping Up
I’m not anti-social media. I work with clients who rely on it, and I believe it can still be a valuable tool for marketing and building community.
But I’m 99% off—and I feel 100% better.
Will I quit entirely? Probably not. Will I go back to using it regularly? Maybe.
But I think we can all agree that social media was better when it didn’t dominate our lives. I remember when Facebook actually ran out of content to show you. I was there when Instagram was iPhone-only and didn’t even support video.
So if you’re overwhelmed, burned out, or just stuck—log out for a while. (Mostly) quit social media You might be surprised how little you miss it.
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