In May 2015, I realized that instead of bringing me excitement, knowledge and happiness, Facebook was bringing me frustration and an insane amount of useless information. Too many times a day I would scroll down my News Feed (it’s addicting!!) and only find gossip articles, stupid videos (sorry but I’m completely immune to cute little cat videos) and not one single piece of relevant content.
After months and months of this I started looking for a solution. What could I do to stop feeling overwhelmed by so much useless information, but at the same time, keep using Facebook to stay in touch with friends, learn about topics that I’m interested in and spread the word about the work I’m doing?
After some research I found the News Feed Eradicator, a chrome extension that replaces my entire news feed with an inspiring quote. This is what I see when I open Facebook:
When I found this extension I started to have second guesses. Should I do it? Is this what I really want? Is this going to have a negative impact in my personal and professional life? Too many doubts, but I decided to give it at try. I could always go back to the News Feed anytime.
To make this even more effective, I decided to delete the Facebook app from my iphone. I still keep the Messenger app, but Facebook is gone. This is my phone’s home screen, that gives you a clear idea of what I value in my day:
So now you may be asking: what’s the result of all this? I honestly feel a BIG improvement in my life. I feel much more excited and in tune with life. I feel that I’m “in control” of the information/content I access everyday and I started focusing my time on having in depth conversation with family and friends both online and offline. I now can easily spend a weekend or more without checking Facebook or even remember it exists and Facebook stopped being the first thing I check when I wake up or get to the office and the last thing I check before falling asleep.
Am I losing something? I know I am. Since May, it happened more than once that I was completely unaware of things that were going on in my world. Is this enough to make me go back to the News Feed? Not a chance!!
My personal advice to you: give it a try. Maybe it won’t work for you or maybe it will change your life as it changed mine. You never know.
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