There is a qualitative and quantitative difference between a day that begins with a little exercise, a book, meditation, a good meal, a thoughtful walk, and the start of a day that begins with a smartphone in bed.”

I think about this quote almost every day because nearly each one of my days begins with a smartphone in bed. It’s from an essay published by Craig Mod last year on how he got his attention back titled simply, “How I Got My Attention Back.” It’s an amazing piece and really made me think about the way I consume media. The conclusion I’ve come to over time is, well, I’m completely addicted to social media.

IDENTIFY THE GOAL

The goal I am setting is for Project 1 is to turn off social media for 30 days in order to commit myself more deeply to the altMBA, my career, my family, and my own well-being.

LIST THE BENEFITS – WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

My guess is a 30-day cleanse from social will provide me with increased mental clarity and focus. I also think it will open up more time for reading (input) and additional creative production (output). This will have amplified positive effects on my daily work practice and will allow me to more fully embrace the altMBA readings, study groups, projects, comments, and RS exercises instead.

LIST THE OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME:

1. Social media itself. The dopamine-enducing shiny distractions of social media channels and entertainments themselves. I have to come up with strategies to keep myself off them for the next 30-days. 
   
2. Myself. I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to addictions and this one, while mild in its side effects, is no different. I have to find enough discipline and willpower within myself to succeed at my goal.
3. Boredom. I need to find comfort in boredom, emptiness, and tedium. For millennia humanity has found ways to successfully be alone in the empty moments of life, surely I can too.
   
4. Work. My professional duties involve social media. I’ll need to short circuit the desire to see what’s happening on our social channels by requesting  reports from staff on activity and engagement. Who knows, maybe the objectivity of not actually seeing the posts myself will provide new insights.

LIST THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

• The knowledge of the effects of poor media consumption habits 
• Discipline
• Willpower
• Inquiry
• Curiosity
• Vigilance

IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE AND GROUPS TO WORK WITH:

This feels like a struggle I will mostly have to endure on my own but my wife is my also my closest and best adviser. She’ll be an important part of this. My team at work will also be critical to helping ensure I stay off social.

DEVELOP A PLAN OF ACTION:

Step 1. SMASH PHONE WITH HAMMER!

(just kidding! sort of)

The first step is actually to acknowledge publicly that I’m doing a social media fast during the altMBA. You are reading that public acknowledgement. From January 16 until February 14, 2018 I will abstain from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media channels, whether consuming, posting or otherwise engaging.

Step two is to eliminate temptation. I’ve logged out of all social channels on all my machines and devices as of today. I have also removed apps from my iPhone and iPad. This should prevent me from casually consuming social media. SHOULD being the key word.

The third step is to have a relapse-prevention strategy. When I find myself itching to surf social I will instead focus on my work / experience at hand whether that’s day-to-day work or the projects, comments, and RS exercises of altMBA, or spending time with the family, friend, or co-worker I find myself in the company of instead. I will also spend my spare time consuming richer media like books and music instead.

SET A DEADLINE FOR ACHIEVEMENT:

• By February 14, 2018 I will have accomplished the following
  • Successfully concluded a 30-day social media fast
  • Won back a significant amount of my attention from social media and other distractions
  • Enjoyed and discovered many new sources of mental stimulation — books, periodicals, music, cinema, life experiences, human interaction

POST-GOAL EVALUATION

After the 30-day cleanse I will evaluate the need for each social media channel following Cal Newport’s suggestions in Deep Work:

1. Would the last thirty days have been better if I had been able to use social media?
2. Did people care that I wasn’t using this service?

If the answer is a clear no to both it’s time to quit. I suspect the answer may be no for both on most channels*.

*I already miss Instagram so I don’t know about all that.

Reflective Summary:

One of the most important parts of the altMBA process is the RS (reflective summary) when you reflect on the process of the project and reflect upon the comments coaches and other members of the cohort have left on your project.

Looking back on the entire process of Project 1 I have to say I learned a great deal about myself and about the altMBA program. The entire project process and cadence has been invigorating; from the ideation on my personal goals after the prompts, to meeting my cohort and sharing my goals with the study group, to writing the final post. I found myself having to make very rapid decisions and commit to my ideas instinctively by listening to my gut and then executing.  

Reading through the comments my co-learners wrote after I shipped was also so rewarding. I enjoyed the generosity and the tough love. I found great insight in each of your comments.

But cohort Lava coach Kaci gave me THE key insight. Quitting social media isn’t the thing; it’s the thing that gets me to the thing. The real goal:

More time for deeper inspiration and meaningful creative output.

A true “aha” moment. Moving forward I need to work from that place in my practice.