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I’ve been disconnecting from most social networks on my ongoing fight against Infromation Overload and I think I’ve finally struck a balance.1

This is the solution that works for me and it might not be the same for you since this topic is very personal. You need to find the balance that is right for you, for what you want to do and spend your time on.

My solution:

  • Delete Facebook
  • Only install on Instragram to post photos during holidays. Delete the app after each holiday.
  • Log on Twitter for 10 minutes a day max. Read the top posts2 and check DMs and replies.
  • Delete Telegram. I was in so many groups that I was getting 10k messages a day and even with notifications off when you opened an app you were overwhelmed with fluff.
  • Change Emails to push every 30 minutes (or even 1 hour). Turn off notifications and only check the email twice a day. I didn’t set specific times for it, but if you see yourself reaching for the inbox when you shouldn’t, set them up.

Problems still to tackle:

  • I still use Reddit a lot. A lot for me is 20 minutes a day on average. The lenght is not consistent though. There might be days when I don’t check it at all and days when I waste a couple hours on it.
  • I still use Youtube a lot. This varies since there are days when I don’t watch anything and days when I spend hours (same as with reddit). What I found as a good compromise is to watch it on Safari (on Mac) with picture in picture while I’m doing something else that is not particularly mentally challenging. I can’t listen to non instrumental music or watch videos while programming or writing, but I can do it while updating my todos or checking emails.
  1. It only took me 6 years… 

  2. This is probably the only use-case where you come to appreciate the ‘maybe you missed’ algorithm. I used to hate it when I was checking Twitter relentlessly and now I sort of like it, I would have missed a lot of interesting posts without it. Maybe it’s just my FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) speaking. 

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Valentino Urbano


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Valentino Urbano

iOS Developer, Swift, Writer, Husband

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