1. Turn Off Your Social Media Notifications

When it comes to stepping back from your phone, Do Not Disturb is your best friend. When you stop notifications from disturbing your normal routine, you might find it easier to concentrate on your daily tasks and not get distracted so easily. Social media notifications are a constant reminder that something is happening in the online world, and you might feel like you're missing out. So to quell your FOMO, turn off your notifications. The bonus is, when you do come around to check your social media, you may have a build-up of more notifications, which will make it more exciting and will make the experience more rewarding.

2. Limit Your Social Media Screen Time

Set a timer on your watch or phone to limit the amount of time you spend on social media. Your iPhone has the capability in the ‘screen time’ settings to set a hard and fast limit, and while you can work around it, it will prompt you to rethink whether you really want to be on Twitter. Choose a limit depending on the severity of your social media dependence — say an hour a day, which equates to seven hours per week — and whenever you check your accounts, start your timer going. When you reach your limit, be strong and don't be tempted to add on extra time. This will be a strong test of your willpower, but it will be worth it in the end.

3. Get A New Hobby Outside of Social Media

What did you do before you had social media? Going outside, roller skating, reading, meeting new people? Think of things that brought you joy before doomscrolling and anxiously refreshing for new notifications, and reintroduce them to your life or pick up a new hobby to fill your spare time. You could learn a new skill or do something you've always wanted to do but never had the time. You'll probably surprise yourself at how much free time you have when you stop mindlessly scrolling through your newsfeed. Plus, your new hobby — whether it’s knitting, playing guitar, or cooking — will keep your mind and hands preoccupied when you're craving social media. That being said, resist the urge to share your progress on Instagram.

4. Check In With Friends And Family – Offline!

You can never really know what’s going on with someone from their Instagram feed. Instead of assuming that you’re all up to date with what your friends or family are up to, why not shoot them a text or give them a call? Even if you can't hang out in person safely, you can stay connected without tapping through Instagram Stories. Need to spice up your Zoom happy hour? Try turning it into a weekly game night. Long phone calls may have fallen out of fashion, but there’s nothing more rewarding than really connecting with someone in more than bite size chunks.

5. Make Social Media A Treat

Look at social media as a treat. You might not buy an artisanal coffee every day or get your nails done every week, but you may reward yourself with these kinds of small treats when you feel like you deserve it. So think of social media in the same way: only allow yourself screen time when you've achieved something, or you've done something productive first. This way, you might change the way you think about social media. Once upon a time, you would log ‘on’ and ‘off’ rather than constantly staying up to date with everything that’s going on — try to return to this mindset.

6. Delete The Social Media Apps You Don't Use

A common chorus among experts in The Social Dilemma and those who make their money writing digital detox guides is to uninstall apps you aren't using often. Haven't checked Twitter in months? Take it off your phone. It'll remove the temptation, the notifications, and the temptation to scroll mindlessly. If you absolutely need to check it, there's always your laptop. In fact, maybe even delete the ones you do use. Having an extra step to go through when you feel the urge to hate-read someone’s Twitter feed will make you think about whether you need to do it.

7. Go Cold Turkey & Quit Social Media

Depending on how bad things have gotten, it might be time to go cold turkey and stay off social media entirely. If you're spending more time on social media than you are interacting with people in real life, give yourself a reality check by having a holiday from social media. Decide how long it's going to be, inform your friends online how long you'll be away and how they can reach you if they need you in person, and delete your apps. If you normally spend a minimum of two hours on social media per day, you will have an extra 14 hours per week which are totally free to do whatever you want with — letting the world be your WiFi-free oyster.