I hope to have this newsletter scheduled at the right time...because this is an accomplishment in itself. If you were to ask me if I could block & avoid the distraction of posting and creating on multiple apps for 200 hours, I'd laugh you right out of the room. However, I just completed this accomplishment, & I must say that it feels good. This is one of the few times I haven't given up on me. This one has been a rocky yet enjoyable challenge. I had very minimal access to the big social platforms (TikTok, IG, and Facebook to name a few), & I was posting things on Twitter (or X) where possible, & being real, I was very off the grid with Threads.

I will be real in saying that this process was far from easy. Many people were trying to send me videos & posts. Some of them I was pulled into. For others, I created distance from them & avoided engaging in posts where I didn't feel the urge. It may go longer than the allotted time, but I'm happy to say that I was able to finish in what I would consider flying colors. There were some huge lessons & takeaways.

Since removing social media & removing a lot of these apps, I have been forced to learn how to make time for other things. One of those things is myself. I have been very neglectful of Bryan before doing this. I have been trying to pour and pour from this supposed empty cup, which isn't very healthy or helpful whatsoever. Now, I have been able to learn that I have other things to put my heart & soul into. Trust me, it hasn't been that easy, but I have been able to make it through the whole thing.

Many of my friends haven't even known, because I didn't even make any announcements. I just decided to break away from the apps that were taking over most of my life.

In the two images above...wherever you see an hourglass beside the name of the app & it's greyed out, I had no access to those apps. As you can see, I have a lot of apps that are waiting to be downloaded (that I honestly haven't needed). I did have a huge reduction in retail therapy (online shopping), & that was a change within itself. When I went out to different places, it forced me to just interact with the world. Most of all, I found myself opening my notebooks and writing more frequently than I usually do. However, those times of journaling, writing, and unplugging were essential. I know that there are some personal/minor improvements that I have to handle, but the main thing is that I know that I will work on accomplishing those the next time I do one of these.

I want to be very clear with what I'm about to say...I didn't do this in any way, shape, or form to try to set a world record or anything, because there are some people who have bricked their phones for over 300 hours, & I think that it's very possible. The funny thing is that based on my scheduling and the amount of time it would take, I could reach it by just putting my priorities where they're intended to lie.

UPDATE: I was closing in on 300 hours, & I was truly planning to be off the grid for that amount (and then some). However, there were a few applications and programs that I had to go into, which forced me to open what I needed in order to get to what I needed. This then brought me back into the other echelon that I wanted to avoid.

I must admit that I really saw & learned a lot. I've had two comments that were related to just learning how to write. The more that I'm writing and not sharing publicly, the better that I'm able to give myself the opportunity to feel and press through all that's been going on in my life. That's the basis of what I've started to understand.

I hope that everyone enjoys their week & apologize that this newsletter is a bit lengthier than the previous ones. I hope that you enjoy it.