So how did the first challenge go for you guys?! Were you able to unsubscribe to the crap? I sure hope so! :) I know its been a relief for me!

Honing in on challenge #2… which was another HUGE sigh of relief for me…

Instagram notifications.

If you have your notifications turned on, you’re probably guilty of sitting there after you post a picture and just watching the ‘likes’ and comments roll in. Maybe sometimes you automatically reply to each comment as fast as they come in or even worse, feel like you have to. Count me out! I wasted enough time in 2015 on ‘hovering’ over social media and I refuse to do it again next year!

Turn them off.

I turned my notifications off the same day I unsubscribed to all of those emails (on Facebook as well). It felt amazing. Now, instead of seeing everything as it rolls in and feeling like I have to reply right away or staying glued to my phone, I just go into Instagram/Facebook a couple times a day when I know I have the time and when I know I’m not ignoring something else just to sit on social media. And guess what? It feels so much better to see everything at once! I’ll reply to comments from friends, scroll a bit to see what others are up to, and then I’m done. I’m no longer chained to social media. Now I pick and choose the times of day I want to look through it. I thought this one would be hard but it was surprisingly easy from the very second I turned everything off!

The mindless scroll.

We’re all guilty of this. Tapping the icon to Instagram or Facebook for what you think will be a quick scroll turns into 30 minutes of mindlessly scrolling and possibly even comparing. It’s not healthy, you guys. I admit I mindlessly scroll a lot… when I can’t sleep at nights, its my go-to. I’ve started making myself say “mindless scroll” out loud now when I tap the icon to go into any social media. I’ve found that if I say it out loud FIRST, before I even begin looking at anything, I won’t scroll as long. It reminds me NOT to mindlessly scroll and to use social media as a platform (mainly for my business mixed with personal) and not as a tool to sabotage my free time (which is very little, by the way) or to compare my life or success to someone else’s. Again, not healthy. Count me out. Now I’ll have more time for snuggles with Aubree, more time to edit, more time to spend loving on my family, because I won’t be mindlessly scrolling social media anymore! That’s a win for 2016 in my book!

Unfollow.

In the same mindset of turning notifications off and quitting the mindless scroll, I have also decided to go in and unfollow every account that either a) doesn’t inspire me, or b) could possibly tempt me into buying more crap. I unfollowed all of the little boutiques, all of the kids clothing and bows IG shops, and anyone that doesn’t truly inspire me or add some type of value to my life. Now when I do scroll Instagram, my few minutes of doing so will be filled with things that make me happy and make me feel inspired. That’s a HUGE win!

So I challenge you…

To take that step with me if you feel overwhelmed by social media. Turn the notifications off. Unfollow accounts that don’t make you feel inspired or happy. Start saying “mindless scroll” out loud before tapping the Instagram or Facebook icons. If you accept this challenge, comment below letting me know you accept and how you think this will help you to have a more joyful 2016! Don’t be afraid to be real and honest!

Cheers to a joyful 2016! Another tip + challenge is coming tomorrow, xo!