Before I begin, I want to say that I am so grateful for the internet.
It allowed me to start practising yoga over 15 years ago on a laptop in my bedroom.
It has allowed me to collaborate with colleagues near and far, some of whom I have never actually met in the flesh (I always wonder what kind of trousers they might wear in real life!)
I wouldn’t be writing this newsletter now (which I really enjoy) if it weren’t for the internet.
And whilst these activities feel nourishing, allow me to do my job and be productive, there are also times when using the internet feels like its stealing my time, attention and well…quality of life. I come away from it feeling bleurgh rather than connected, energised and inspired.
Last year I vowed to listen to my own advice more and be more present in my actual real world life. I started doing more things that I loved. I read more books, went to see more musical theatre, wrote more and even tried line dancing!
It felt great. But I started this year thinking that I could go further with this.
And whilst enhancing mindfulness away from screens is a great start, perhaps we can approach the time that we are online more mindfully too.
Have you ever found yourself setting out your intentions for the day and then noticing you’ve been distracted, forgotten what it was that you were doing and it’s lunchtime and you don’t know where the morning has gone? Me too.
To the question can we be mindful online? I’m not entirely sure yet.
Algorithms, dopamine spikes and an innate human desire for social connection and validation are a heady mix of factors that can lead to compulsive use of the internet. And no-one is immune.
Nonetheless, I still want to try to be more mindful whilst using screens so I can feel a bit calmer, and get more done more efficiently so I can get on with enjoying extra time in the real world.
If you feel the same then here are some of the things I have tried/am aiming to try to be more mindful with my screen time in the coming year. And if you have any thoughts or ideas of your own please let us know in the comments.
Approaching the internet mindfully, some thoughts:
Intentionality. Make a list of what you need to achieve online and which platforms or apps you need to open in order to achieve those tasks. Only open the platform or app that you need for that particular task.
Declutter. Following on from the above, close down all other tabs when using your desktop. If you want to get ready for a Zoom meeting you don’t want to be reminded of those boots you were browsing or that article you haven’t finished reading at the same time.
Delete apps on your phone when not in use. When I’ve done what I want to do on Instagram, I delete the app. I might reinstall it again later that day but not having it on my home screen stops me from “just having a quick look” after I’ve read an email or message on my phone.
I’ve also heard good things about Brick, a little gadget that temporarily blocks certain apps on your phone. To regain access to these apps you need to tap your phone on the brick to “unbrick” it. For me the thought of having to buy something else and install another app to stop myself from looking at apps on my phone feels like my phone has gained too much power. But if you have lots of social media apps and you use your phone frequently for work then I can see how this could be very useful.
Following on from this, I would ask - do we need ALL of the apps? When was the last time you used Linkedin? Do we need the newest app that everyone is talking about? Do we have the time to add another one to our online life? Perhaps delete one or two and see if you miss them after a couple of days.
Turn off notifications. For everything. This is one of the first things I implemented and it made such a positive difference. I used to feel like I was being chased for everything all of the time. Then I realised I had a choice about when I addressed emails and messages. You go to your phone when you are ready.
Don’t forget about Whatsapp. A lot of people think a messaging app like WhatsApp is completely benign as it is a free way to communicate with our nearest and dearest. But when you add in numerous groups for family, mates, holidays, hen dos, baby showers etc. your phone could be pinging all day long. It’s like a room full of people tapping you on the shoulder all day whilst you’re trying to focus. You’re not going to miss out, just mute and choose a time when you want to enter that room full of people and join in the conversation then.
Have a physical book and/or notepad with you at all times. So if you are waiting or have 5 minutes to spare you have something physical to reach for rather than your phone.
Create more than you consume. What is it that you want to use the internet for? What do you want to put out into the world? There are times when one might see something really original and inspirational online, though if we’re being honest, a lot of what we consume is based on trends being regurgitated over and over. I want to make sure that I am approaching the online world knowing what I want to achieve first rather than it influencing what I do next.
Be mindful of adding to the noise. I think we all know what can get you noticed on social media by now and we know that churning out content frequently is rewarded. When I’m feeling overwhelmed on social media I feel deeply that I don’t want to create that feeling in other people as well. I understand that a lot of people need to be prominent on social media to make a living, but perhaps its worth pausing first and asking ourselves the following questions: what do we want to be remembered for?; how do we want people to feel?; how do we want to feel about what we put out? Last year, Emma Gannon asked in her thriving Substack newsletter “Is 2025 the year of the ‘social media ick’?” The article advocates for building our material over “a platform”. For we actually have no say over the future of these platforms remember.
We can always walk away. People may say you need to grow an online audience to make it in business, or you will miss out on so much if you’re not always plugged in. But is this really true? I don’t think it is. If we want to concentrate our time and efforts offline then we can. All roads lead to Rome as they say.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any strategies you use to be more intentional online? How do you avoid mindless scrolling?
Thank you so much for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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