For Lent I gave up soda (Coke Zero) and scrolling. “Scrolling” basically meant “social media apps”—the things that you’re just going check “for a second” and then you realize 45 minutes have somehow gone by.

Scrolling

I’ve tried to reduce social media-ing on my phone in the past by uninstalling the app after each use (i.e., look at Instagram, uninstall the app, reinstall it again next time I want to use it). This sort of worked but eventually, somehow, the apps were just…back on my phone. But that’s probably just because I was looking at them so compulsively that I would uninstall only to reinstall 2 seconds later.

In Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism he suggests that technology itself is not necessarily the problem; passive consumption is. I hate the way I feel when I spend too long on social media apps but realized it wasn’t really the apps per se—it was the scrolling. So I was still allowed to use social media but I had to do it on my desktop.

Deciding “I would like to look at the Instagram” and get on my computer is a way different experience than compulsively looking at my phone. The desktop version of Instagram in particular is really unpleasant to use—probably to drive you to the app—so I dramatically reduced how much I looked at it.

I wish I could say I had some big personal transformation but uhh we bought a Switch so I could play Animal Crossing with the time I would be scrolling. 🙂 It’s possible it didn’t feel very dramatic because I’ve already made attempts to limit my usage.

I do have a feeling of being more mentally settled or consolidated—that’s the only way I can think to describe it—like my attention isn’t as split as it was. I still can’t concentrate on crap because we are just generally underslept (baby life) but it’s less bad than it could be.

10/10, did not rush to install anything at the end of Lent. I’m not quite ready to get off social media completely (where will I post pics of my cocktails?) but I may end up doing so eventually as its hold on me gets weaker and weaker. The FOMO is only bad at first and then you just don’t care anymore.

Soda

I woke up every Sunday excited that I could have soda and I’m so glad I can have it again. I can stop whenever I want to, I just don’t want to. 😉

Giving up soda was also kind of giving up caffeine—I still drank tea in the morning but not in the afternoon, so by the evening the caffeine was out of my system. I will say that I did like that aspect of it! I fall asleep easier and have been remembering more of my dreams. To be fair, the baby is also sleeping more consistently through the night so I could be sleeping deeper just because I can get through a whole cycle uninterrupted. At any rate, I’m going to try to stick to reduced or no caffeine in the afternoons (luckily I have no problem drinking soda in the morning, which some people think is weird for some reason).

0/10 rushed to get a soda after church