From Facebook to Creation: Redirecting Time and Digital Habits

Wasting Time on the Toilet

Before diving into my journey to redirect my time from social media to creation, I would find myself mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter while on the toilet. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable way to pass the time, but in reality, it was a waste of valuable minutes that could have been better spent engaging in productive activities. Like most people, social media took up more time than I cared to admit. Once I realized just how much time I was actually spending on these platforms, I made a conscious decision to curb my usage.

Redirecting my Focus

The initial thought of starting afresh felt daunting. I started a blog on Tumblr as a way to curate content from others and share it with my followers. This was my first venture into curation, a task that allowed me to engage with digital content but not necessarily create my own. However, I quickly grew tired of merely sharing the work of others and sought a new path.

My next step was to create a newsletter. In my mind, this was a step closer to sharing my own thoughts. After three months, I realized that while I was putting in the effort, I was also putting in more than I was getting out. This led me to take the final step and write my first post on Medium, a platform designed for deep, thoughtful content.

By shifting my focus from passively consuming to actively creating, I noticed a significant positive change. I began to spend less time on social media and more time on my own thoughts and ideas. Along with this came numerous benefits, such as connecting with people from all over the world and building an audience around my ideas.

Transforming Habits

Writing became so important to me that it felt unsettling when I wasn’t doing it. Each morning, I started with a 15-minute writing session that allowed me to share one post on Medium. Over time, I increased this to a 30-minute reading session before writing, which helped me create a daily routine and a continuous feedback loop for my writing.

Now, my daily routine looks like this:

Read 30 minutes Journaling Check news and emails Do a crossword puzzle Write short form posts 30 minutes Meditate 10 minutes Write long form projects 30-60 minutes

While I’m not writing 10,000 words each morning or reading an entire book every week, consistency is the key. The extra time I have now goes towards a series of small actions that will add up to big progress and eventually bigger goals.

The most important part of this routine is finding ways to be realistic and flexible. Sometimes I don’t wake up early enough to write first thing in the morning, but I can always read and write after work when I catch up. It’s not about when you set aside time, but about making time to create.

Conclusion

Good things happen when you consume less and create more. Redirecting time from social media to creation can lead to a more fulfilling and productive life. By building micro-habits and maintaining a daily routine, you can create a sustainable and impactful routine that benefits you in both the short and long term.