Stepping Away from Social Media and Finding My Creative Flow

Making digital minimalism work for me

A Simpler Life is where I share my reflections on simple living, seasonal living, creativity, minimalism and things of that nature. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

---

Hello friends,

I hope this post finds you well and you’re having a calm and joyful month.

I often take steps to simplify my social media use, and in recent months, I’ve felt a strong desire to walk away. Social media is busy, noisy and full of advertisements, and as someone who prefers to live a calm, slow and simple life, it’s no longer a place I want to spend my time.

Side note - I've written in more detail about living a simpler, calmer, slower, more sustainable life following my Dad's death in 2019. You’ll find the post here.

Before I continue, I’d like to express my gratitude to the platforms for the opportunities they have given me as a content creator and coach. Not to mention the wonderful people I have met along the way, many of whom I class as my closest friends.

But things have changed, and spring feels like a great time to implement new boundaries, especially as I plan to spend more time outside and in nature. I’d also like to create more space for my writing and video-making. I have ideas I’d like to bring to fruition, so letting go of distractions will be of enormous value to me.

In addition to this, I prefer the calming and reflective quality of long-form content: books, films, inspiring documentaries, silent vlogs on YouTube, blog posts and Substack articles (via the app which reminds me of the early days of blogging!). When I consume content of this nature, I feel happy, uplifted and inspired rather than having my time and attention highjacked by an algorithm.

At first, I considered deleting all my social media accounts, but it's where many people follow my creative work. So, my only option was to change how I use the platforms, making them work for me and my serenity.

I have therefore decided to continue sharing my new posts and videos on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and occasionally Pinterest), but I will avoid scrolling. To achieve this goal, I have:

• Removed all the social media apps from my phone.

• Unfollowed many (and in some cases all) accounts on social media.

• Written this post for my accountability.

• Set up a reward system for my dedication.

• Told anyone who will listen.

This tactic already works for me on Facebook. In 2018, I deleted my personal profile and created a new one to manage my page. When I open Facebook on my computer, I can share my work and continue my day, without falling into the infinite scroll trap. I felt like a social media wizard when I devised this cunning plan, only later to find out that many people use it this way.

My intention is to continue creating calm, slow and soothing silent vlogs for YouTube and write about creativity, simple living, minimalism, nature and the seasons for my blog and Substack. I hope you will join me on this journey, and if you see me lurking on social media, please ask me to get my coat and leave!

Thank you so much for reading. If you’d like to keep in touch, please subscribe to my Substack, blog and YouTube channel.

I’ll leave you with a silent vlog: five ways I simplified my life.

---

If you enjoy my writing, videos or photography, here are three simple ways you can support my creative work:

• Click the heart button below.

• Share my letter with someone who might enjoy it too.

• Buy me a coffee.

With gratitude,
Natasha

---