Deborah Siegel gives up the green juice and kicks off a social media cleanse.
It’s a myth that a writer’s cave is dark, quiet, and Internet free. When writers are doing research, for instance, we often find ourselves productively toggling between Internet and Word doc. But most times, let's face it: when we sit down to do our WRITING and instead find ourselves BROWSING, the Intertube is just one big suck.
This week, as I’ve been clearing decks, I’ve been reading about the consequences of technology overload, which has prompted me to inaugurate the Social Media Cleanse Challenge—a 7-day experiment in being more mindful about my social media usage. The goal? Create more white space here in the cave.
Everyone and their sister seem to have a Challenge going on right about now. I’m inspired by Sharon Salzberg's 28-Day Meditation Challenge, and by Kris Karr’s 21-Day Crazy Sexy Adventure Cleanse (which I actually tried; I made it to Day 3, drinking only green juice, as pictured above, til noon; then I caved). I’m inspired by thinkers like Gwen Bell (www.gwenbell.com), who looks for the humanity in technology, and by Jeff Vandermeer, author of Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer, who encourages creative types to adopt a balanced technology diet.
But I really, really hate diets. I hate most of all how it's usually women who are going on diets. Yet it’s an apt word through which to assess our social media consumption. Sometimes social media is Fluffernut, other times it’s protein or Vitamin C. It’s up to us to know the difference. How rarely do we stop to think about it, or contemplate what’s at stake.
What’s at stake, writers? Why, your WRITING. Your CREATIVITY. And that most precious of all commodity, your TIME.
“Balance,” writes Vandermeer, is about “working smarter and more imaginatively for greater creative satisfaction and gain….By simply responding to information that comes to you from conduits, you feel you’re closer to achieving goals. But there’s the nagging sense behind it all that instead all you’re doing is treading water. The goal’s still on the horizon, and you’re expending a lot of useless energy.”
Stop treading water and take this Challenge with me. A quick caveat: I’m hardly one for abstinence, so any “challenge” I design is going to be gentle and filled with compassion (and probably chocolate). Sound like your cup of tea?
Then let’s go. It’s pretty simple.
Just 7 rules. The Challenge will begin on Monday (any Monday, but it you’re reading this now, then Monday February 7, 2011).
Over the next 7 days (beginning Monday):
- I pledge to be mindful about my social media consumption.
- I will set aside some time (even just a few minutes, on the subway or while walking to get coffee) to think about which social media outlets feed me and which feel more like a drain. I will spend less time at social water coolers and more time at nutritious troughs that nourish my writerly soul (like She Writes, doh!).
- I will work on letting go of that feeling that I’m missing something, or missing an opportunity to be responsive, if I’m not checking email at my usual pace. The impulse to check email is rote and reactive. I can do it less. People can wait.
- Since this isn’t an abstinence thing and since I’m still ambitious, I will concentrate on growing my social media presence this next week on one channel alone. (For this next week, for me, that will be Twitter, because I’m finding it the most useful place to dip into the news stream on topics I track– follow me if you like: https://twitter.com/deborahgirlwpen)
- I will cleanse my participation at other channels. (For me that means categorizing my Facebook “friends” by creating a few lists, and adjusting the status update flow so that I’m only seeing updates from the friends and Influencers I really care about following)
- I will get outside as much as I can. The cold, crisp air helps me reset my mind; the stimuli out there are a welcome change from a computer screen. Along those lines, I will be physically active as much as I can. (For me, that means yoga)
- I will forgive myself if I fail at any of the items above. And I will eat as much chocolate as I like. (See? I promised you there’d be chocolate.)
If you’d like to commit to this Challenge with me, “sign” the pledge by simply commenting on this post (just saying “count me in” in a comment counts). There’s something to committing in public. We can hold each other accountable. I’m not going to create a group on the site where we can talk about how we’re doing, because, well, that might be antithetical, for some folks, to the Challenge. But please do feel free to check in here at this post to record your progress, see how others are doing, and shout out some support!
As ever, if you know others you think could benefit, please spread word. Here’s a tweet:
Take the 7-day Social Media Cleanse Challenge w/ @deborahgirlwpen @shewritesdotcom. Intentionality can set you free. bit.ly/eMqJ0J
Feel free to replace my Twitter handle above with your own.
Don’t forget: we start on Monday. Have a good weekend, ya’ll! (Go Bears? Er, oops.)
OKAY She Writes. I quit the PTO about 10 minutes ago so I'm gonna stay on this roll and quit FB for a week. I like what you said about replacing the social media check-in with a dose of something writerly.
WOW - this hit a chord. I love the resounding chorus of "I'm in," below! I had a feeling I wasn't the only one :) So many great resources and links in this comment thread -- would be cool to collect them all and post them in one place... (Hey, if someone is feeling ambitious and wants to do that eventually from her SW blog, we'd feature the post of course!)
Meanwhile, I'm happy to report SUCCESS on items 3 and 6 above today. I had a writing/co-working date with the ever-savvy Marci Alboher (author of One Person/Multiple Careers) -- we sat across from each other with our laptops, NOT checking email. Had she not been facing me, I think I would have been much less successful in sticking to my resolve. Let's hear it for the buddy system, jeesh.
And I got outside! Pic from behind the stroller during my morning walk along the tundra -- er, park -- here in Brooklyn:
Anyone who wants to, let us know how Day 1 went for you, too.
Wishing everyone white space,
Deborah
Work has been eating up my writerly time since November. I have a big grant due Friday and this will help me not to collapse into Facebook, daytime TV and pork rinds with sour cream and Tapitio sauce. Maybe I'll see my next chapter emerge from the white space. Bless you. I'm in. Oh, god, I'm going to have to give up Bejeweled Blitz, my favorite mind numbing addition. I'll just have to eat a lot of chocolate.
Absolutely!
I may be a day late and a website short but count me in! Gal, you've been reading my mind and peeking in at my soul.
So I did not do so well today. First I forgot about it then when I remembered I had already overdosed on it. So I should have better luck tomorrow since I will be away from my computer most of the day.
I've already started doing this on my own when I realized I was wasting time on twitter and facebook, responding to people because I felt obligated. I like having a specific plan, like yours.
It's gotten out of hand. Just saw someone I know in the street. She was so concentrated on her screen that I didn't dare interrupt her to say hi.
Too many deadlines this week and can't sign up, but read below!
My best friend from childhood has a new book out about this. It's called Winter of our Disconnect by Susan Maushart. The press is going bonkers about it (http:/
Okay, FINE! *sigh* harumpf
Count me in. This blog post coincides with my commitment to write every morning. I've not only limited social media but e-mail time, as well. Now, I do yoga to get centered, write to channel energy, and watch news to keep up on what goes on in the world. That means, I have only about 15 minutes each morning for social media/e-mail.
I just returned from a brisk walk (that led to some great ideas) and found this challenge. Count me in.
This challenge is very relevant for my computer/internet time. Taking care of my little girl make internet time hard to come by. It is so easy to follow one train of thought into a tunnel and get off track (to really squeeze that metaphor) and find myself having wasted time on nothing. Count me in for the challenge! Esp number five.
I'm in!
Considering that my "real job" is doing social media marketing, I'm neck-deep in the stuff every day, all day. So I'm going to hold myself to simply one hour of personal social media digging every day. Work will still get three or four, but I promise not to get lost in it as a writer (vs. PR grunt).
I need this focus, thank you for the challenge!
Well said - yes, it must feed us, build our connections and our credibility within the industry, and every minute we take in SM land should be an enjoyable minute!
Love this. I'm in.
I'm in. I've been mulling over what a time drain checking and keeping up with the various social media is.
I like it. I have lately been thinking about what I read and why. I don't know exactly what constitutes social media, other than twiiter, Facebook and blogs..... But as I do a lot of my news reading online I need to include that, too. I think a cleanse of some sort is a good idea. I well remember the days BEFORE social media (and the internet). yeah. wow.
Sounds like a fantastic idea! Definitely want in.
What a great idea. And so flexible, too. :) Yes, it is definitely my cup of tea. Actually, now I think I will take a break and have a cup of tea. Thank you!
Count me in! I read Crazy Sexy Diet book last week and amped up my green juicing over the weekend. I can do this challenge...however limiting my internet usage on this __ Droid X is going to be hard! That's how I get to(and enjoy) the SheWrites posts! Lol
Funny, I was just thinking today (when I tore myself away from social media to get on my yoga mat) that I am slipping into that place where the "comparison monsters" are getting to me on social media, convincing me that I'm not as interesting as other people, blah, blah, blah. When I get to that place, I know it's time for an internet sabbatical. Your post was timely. :-)
Count me in.
Also - I just blogged about a similar subject. http:/