To preface this entire post, if you don’t have any issues managing your time with various forms of social media then you may not find this specific form of fasting very beneficial. That said, you might find another part of your life that could be improved by using intermittent fasting in this way.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule

A sixteen hour fast followed by an eight hour eating window is a common intermittent fasting schedule and it’s the one that I personally use. The idea is to provide a clear start and end time for your eating. There are many benefits of intermittent fasting in this way but that’s not the topic of this post.

Intermittent Fasting for Social Media

After watching Dr. Alok Kanojia’s video on intermittent fasting for technology I thought it might be worth trying. However, since I work on my computer, I can’t fast from technology for any reasonable length of time. Instead I decided I would fast from social media.

I settled on using a sixteen hour social media fast. I’ve found that fasting upon waking up makes it easier to sustain the fast since I haven’t interacted with social media yet. If you sleep for eight hours then you would only need to fast eight hours in the morning.

During my fast I only use technology with intent. Every time I go to use a device I require myself to define a clear goal, if I don’t have a clear goal then I’m not allowed to use it. What makes this easier is having a list of tasks to complete during your social media fast.

I prefer to create my list of tasks the night before to make sure it gets completed. If I wait until the morning to make my list then there is a chance it’ll get pushed to the side for more important work. This typically leads to a day of unclear priorities and tasks.

Another tip is to have a notepad, or a note application, open to write down any distracting thoughts or ideas while you’re working on a task. This has helped me to stay on track and focus on one thing at a time.

Conclusion

Since starting “intermittent social media fasting” I have found it much easier to focus on work and personal projects. It has also helped me to be more mindful of how I interact with technology which has drastically improved my relationship with social media. If you ever find yourself unintentionally scrolling through social media for extended periods of time then I would recommend giving this a try. You might even find that you have more time and energy for more important things in life.