Top Tools/Strategies to manage your time in the age of Social Media.

I have been experimenting with a digital detox/minimalism for the past 6 years since 2013 but I became more deliberate with it since February 2018. I have not used the following Apps personally since February 2018 but I still manage some project related social media accounts

Twitter – Deactivated
Facebook- Deactivated
Instagram- Deactivated

I am presently using only two apps sparingly and am always looking for aways to limit my use of these apps and it is a constant battle of will and discipline.

Linkedin – The only app that still has my attention
Whatsapp – I try to install once to thrice a week and delete immediately after using it to make international calls/replies – it seems cheaper.

In my bid to lessen my use of Whatsapp, Linkedin and my Email Accounts. I have found the following Strategies/Tools/Apps to be helpful in getting my precious time back in the age of social media:

1. Delete the Apps from you Mobile Phone

One of the ways have been able to stick to my digital minimalist goal is to delete all social media/non-essential apps from my phone.

I only have the Apple Podcast App, Uber App and City Mapper on my Phone. I am not tempted to check social media apps and endlessly scroll through my phone. I only visit the apps on my laptop as I am more disciplined and can stop at will on my laptop.

2. Screen Time

With Screen Time, you can access real-time reports about how much time you spend on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and set limits for what you want to manage.

Screen Time lets you know how much time you and your kids spend on apps, websites, and more. This way, you can make more informed decisions about how you use your devices, and set limits.

How to turn on Screen Time on your Apple Gadgets

Go to Settings > Screen Time.
Tap Turn On Screen Time.
Tap Continue.
Select This is My [device] or This is My Child’s [device].

Cool Features of the Screen Time:

Downtime – Nap
App Limits – Set daily limit for Apps
Communication Limits – Control who your children can communicate with
Always Allowed – Always use an App such as Navigation App
Content & Privacy Restrictions

More Info on Screen Time:

3. Freedom App

The Freedom App is a computer program designed to keep a computer user away from the Internet for up to eight hours at a time.

Use Freedom to block time-wasting apps and websites so you can be more focused, productive, and engaged with the world around you.

Simply select the apps and websites you want to block, and start a Freedom session. If you try to open a blocked app or website during the session, Freedom prevents it from opening.

Download the Freedom App

If you become a Premium Subscriber you get the following perks: https://freedom.to/perks

4. Rescue Time

RescueTime is a productivity app that keeps track of the time you spend in different applications and websites. It helps knowledge workers understand their time and manage the constant distractions of the modern workplace so that they can do their most important work.

One of my favourite feature of the Rescue Time App is Focus Time – which also shows a very nice quote on time management, procrastination etc. Very cool Tool.

FocusTime is an intelligent distraction blocker that helps you take back control of your focus when you need it by automatically blocking distracting websites and muting other interruptions.

Download Rescue Time

5. Quitter

Quitter is a Mac app that automatically hides or quits apps after periods of inactivity, inspired by my Automatic Social Discipline method. It’s great for minimizing distraction from social apps like Twitter and Slack, news readers, or even your email app.

Quitter is free, with no strings attached: Download now

6. Re-Order your Priorities

It can be very tempting to not be using social media Apps as much as you want to use it but when you come to think of it:

What are you really doing this for?
Would this apps matter in the next 10 years? Remember MySpace, Hi5. 2go, Blackberry Messenger
What are you really missing out on? Fear of Missing Out? Are you really missing out?

Re-ordering your priorities and knowing why you are here, makes a load of difference and finally, remembering you are going to DIE sooner than later helps with re-ordering our priorities. We all come to this realizations differently, especially our mortality (Some of us it takes losing a special friend, a cousin, a parent, a sibling while some of us it takes experiencing a life threatening illness).

When we re-order our priorities and get a different perspective to life and the purpose of our existence here, we begin to have a wider worldview, expanding our vision & Standards. The way we use our time begins to change and we would have less time to caring about Likes, Retweets and social validation amplified by this social media apps.

This apps are very great for a whole load of reasons such as :

Communication But of the 1,000+ friends you have on Facebook or numerous followers on Twitter. How many of your virtual friends can you recognize in person?

Connection But are we really connected to our virtual friends as we want to? Can you call them when the chips are down?

Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning. – John Henry Newman

The time i recover from using less social media and all other low-priority activities have been invested on other activities which I find more fulfilling such as :

Reading 100 Books a year/Listening to Audiobooks/Podcasts
Run Marathons (Have participated in 10+ Marathons in 5 different cities since 2013 – Accra, Lagos, Nairobi,Toronto, Ottawa)
Run my Blog(s).
Exercise More at the Gym/Running
Be more Mindful and Present.

All the Best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.