The author, a content creator, quit using social media for 30 days to see how it would affect their productivity, focus, and business. To overcome the urge to check their phone, they deleted social media apps, logged out of accounts, and kept their phone away from their workspace. As a result, they reduced their screen time from 98 minutes to 23 minutes per day and found that they were more productive and focused. Despite initial concerns about the impact on their business, they actually saw exponential growth in their YouTube subscribers and Patreon supporters during the 30-day period. The author reflects that social media can be a distraction and a time killer, and that taking a break from it can lead to increased productivity and a sense of clarity. They conclude that they may not want to spend their time on social media in the same way as before and encourages viewers to re-evaluate their own social media use.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. American millennials spend more than three and a half hours on their phones every day.
2. A majority of that time is spent on social media.
3. The author quit social media for 30 days to see the benefits of stepping away from it.
4. The author deleted all social media apps from their phone and logged out of all accounts on their computer.
5. The author kept their phone in the bedroom while working and at home when possible.
6. After a week, the author stopped flinching from their phone and it no longer felt weird to leave home without it.
7. One study showed that many people would prefer a mild electric shock rather than sit alone in a room for 15 minutes.
8. The author's phone use decreased from 98 minutes per day to 23 minutes per day during the 30-day detox.
9. The author's YouTube channel gained over 124,000 subscribers during the 30-day detox.
10. The source of the traffic was a video on the author's YouTube channel called "A Day in the Life of a Minimalist."
11. The video quickly climbed to 3 million views in 10 days.
12. The author saw the largest spike in subscribers on YouTube halfway through the 30-day detox.
13. The author's Patreon account gained the biggest increase in supporters since starting it in August.
14. The author's business did not slow down during the 30-day detox; instead, they saw exponential growth in subscribers.
15. Seth Godin wrote an article called "Social Media is a Symptom, Not a Tactic."