I went off Instagram for the weekend. I needed a break, time to think about my presence there. Last year I took a week long break, but it had less impact on me than last weekend.
When I went on Instagram this morning to post a reminder about tonight’s live (only in Polish, I’m afraid), I realised how quiet my weekend was. Literally quiet. And that’s when it hit me, spending so much time on Instagram, watching all the stories, is like letting people shout in your face.
The other thing is that I’ve stopped caring about the app this much. I’m not planning to delete my account anytime soon, but I’m not going to put as much energy into it anymore. I’m redirecting the time and energy I was putting into Instagram, to things that are very important to me. My writing, translating and building the life I want to live.
I also realised that Instagram was my procrastination tool. I was “building community” and “creating a platform for my work,” but I wasn’t doing the work itself and had nothing to show to the community I was busy building. Instead of writing, I was playing with my phone, scrolling endlessly and wasting precious creative resources.
Not caring that much might be the best way for me to be on Instagram. Not posting daily, not checking how it’s going every couple of hours. I won’t miss anything and nobody will miss me. Let’s be honest, people don’t even notice when you’re not there for a couple of days.
I’m curious how it will go and how I will feel about it after a while.
Tell me, what’s your relationship with Instagram?
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