One Small Change That Transformed My Saturday

Tanner MacIvor
Mar 15, 2024
3 min read

Welcome to the Anturas newsletter, where I share my thoughts, learnings, and failures to help you think, learn, and grow. If you enjoy it, please feel free to forward along to friends.

Quote I Loved:

“It takes discipline not to let social media steal your time.” — Alexis Ohanian

Things I Am Thinking About:

Last Saturday, Kel and I had a lazy day at home without social media, T.V. or alcohol, and it got me thinking…

Would my life be better without social media? It sure felt that way on Saturday. The day started with some wholesome fun. We walked Hucky and her friend, Andy. We made coffee, watched them play in the backyard and had a delicious breakfast. Then we needed lunch so I went out for groceries, while Kel cleaned the house. Since we don't have a Whole Foods type store, grocery shopping usually involves multiple trips (e.g., fish market, butcher, grocery store). Most days this frustrates me but for some reason on Saturday it didn't. I wasn't in a rush. I was really happy. I was actually enjoying "errands." Not only was I happy, but it seemed like because I was upbeat and smiling, everyone else was too. I even made an extra stop. (It was for homemade pie, so maybe I would have done that anyway)

When I got home, I shared my lovely errand experience with Kel. My first thought, how can I replicate this? I would love to enjoy errands, and I would love to help my clients enjoy those little things as well. As I began to dissect the morning the biggest difference I noticed was I didn't touch my phone or go on any social media.

While I can't always avoid my phone (thanks work and responsibilities), I can control my social media time. I've been focused on being intentional with social media for the last couple of years, but recently it's been starting to slip. I use my phone to meditate and stretch in the morning, so checking notifications after that is an easy follow. What I've noticed is that when I take that extra click to a social media app, my day is different.

I have two thoughts as to why:

It forces me to rush. When I "waste" time on social media, it leaves less room for the other activities I want to do which makes me rushed and stressed
It brings me away from the present moment and all that I have to be grateful for. When I see a perfectly curated travel photo on my feed, there's a small thought in my head saying, "I wish I was on vacation." It seems like a harmless thought, but it's taking away from the present moment, from what I have, and what I should be grateful for. When I see the next photo of a really cool new product that someone is showing off, another thought pops in, "ohh I want that!" Alone these thoughts are fleeting, but when they stack on top of each other, they lead me to longing, comparison and unrealistic expectations.

For the rest of the day we tested what would happen if we didn’t go on social media or watch T.V. No surprise, we had an incredible day filled with fun conversations, good food, and games.

Questions I'm Asking Myself:

How is social media affecting my days, moods, expectations, etc. Are the benefits of social media worth the costs?

Favorite Photo From the Week: