How I cut down my daily Instagram usage from 5 hours to 20 mins!

How to waste less time on social media like Instagram?

Do you ask yourself these questions? How can I spend less time on social media? What is the best way to spend less time on social media? Why am I always wasting time on Instagram!! I used to ask these to myself all the time. But I could never find an answer.                    

For years, I know I waste too much time on Instagram. Day by day, I spend hours aimlessly scrolling through the Instagram Explore Page. A few weeks ago, I finally accepted that it was a problem. 

I told myself that I will never let myself fall into the Instagram rabbit hole ever again! I tried so many ways to keep myself away from Instagram.

But, I did. Again, and again.

But after months of trying, I finally was able to spend as little time as possible on Instagram. But before I go into how exactly I was able to waste less time on Instagram, it is important to analyse the things that didn’t work for me.

What didn’t work for me

Deleting the Instagram app off my phone didn’t help me reduce my Instagram Usage

1. I can’t delete my app because my friends frequently post on Instagram stories and we share memes via DM regularly. So, I didn’t want to delete Instagram because #FOMO
2. I also run an Instagram account for Highly Basic. Follow @highlybasicblog for bonus content! So, sometimes, I had to post on it or reply to DMs and so I can’t afford to delete Instagram. 
3. Even if I do delete Instagram, my “rebel mindset” kicks in, and I log in to Instagram on safari or go to Instagram to my laptop. Or I will decide to waste time on other social media platforms such as YouTube and the YouTube rabbit hole is a whole other story!

Instagram Time Limit & The Rebel Mindset

I used to set an app limit for 45mins a day for Instagram. On the first day of the app limit, I knew that I have quite some time before I reach my time limit. So, I kept telling myself I will just use up the time limit now and I shall not touch Instagram for the rest of the day.

• However, 45mins is way too long and by then, I am deep into the Instagram rabbit hole.
• When my time limit ends, I get irritated that my browsing activity gets rudely interrupted.
• Or, I just want to finish viewing that one video on Instagram before I exit the app.

So, I automatically dial in the screen time passcode without thinking twice. 

It seems like, after a point, I liked “rebelling” against what I should be doing. My mind did not want to comply with the time limit and it wanted to overcome the restriction. So, it simply resulted in me using Instagram more than I usually do. This was due to the “I shall rebel just because I can” mindset.

I knew it was wrong but it was somewhat “satisfying” to click the “approve for 15mins” button every single time. 

Self-control doesn’t work 

And then, I decided I shall remove all my time limits. I decided that controlling myself with time limits is not cool. I told myself that self-control is the key to success. It was surely the most mature thing to do!

But as you might have guessed, it didn’t work.

My mind came up with a million reasons to assure me that it is ok to continue browsing Instagram. With no reminders or alerts or restrictions, I soon realized self-control is not working for me.

What finally worked for me!

As of now, I am averaging at 20mins per day of Instagram usage. This strategy has proven to be the most effective in reducing the amount of time I spend on Instagram.

Firstly, I told myself that I am addicted to Instagram (which is somewhat true!) Then, I told myself that I can’t trust myself to have self-control anymore. So, I did the following.

1. Turn off Siri Suggestions

2. Move Instagram into a folder

3. Move the folder to a page far away

These three simple steps will give you more time before you instinctively click on Instagram. The additional few seconds will give you time to think about whether you really want to access that app. So, do all you can to make the app as inaccessible as possible. 

Then, I set an app limit for Instagram for 20mins a day. It was set such that the app is blocked when the time is up for the day. Only a screen time passcode can unlock the app. However, this time I made my mum set the time limit. Only she knows the code. 

At first, it was frustrating. For the first 1-2 days, my time limit ended by the first half of the day itself. This means when I actually need to use Instagram to post a post or follow someone I found on another website, I will need to go to my mum to convince her to key in the screen time passcode.

I hated having to go to my mum each time to extend my time! So, I told myself I will delegate my time better so that I will be able to use Instagram for important things.

After a few days of my time limit ending every day, I soon found myself treating my time spent on Instagram as a limited resource. I consciously decided to get off Instagram several times so that I have time until the end of the day to use it for important things. 

After a week or two, I found amazing results!

Instagram used to be my go-to app for literally everything. Whether I am bored, sad, or happy I go on Instagram. Even when I pick up my phone to do something important on some other app, my finger automatically clicks Instagram (although I had absolutely no intention in using Instagram!) I also found the content to be really engaging.

But after this week of strict restriction, I found that

1. I am not even attracted to using the app much. There were a few days I don’t even hit the 20min of using Instagram.
2. I finally felt like I was released from the clutches of Instagram!
3. I felt like I was more intentional in how I used my phone and how I chose to spend my time.
4. Overall, my productivity surely increased too and I felt liberated.

Benefits of using less social media

What may work for you

What worked for me may not work for everyone. Maybe you don’t have that much of a “rebel” mindset. Maybe you are someone who might be better off with Instagram completely off your phone! Either way, here are a few things you can try to reduce your time spent on Instagram. 

1. Have “rules” to help you reduce the amount of time you spend on social media

For example, you can have a “Don’t check Instagram” rule when you wake up or before you go to bed. Or a “No using Instagram before 12 PM rule”.

Share it with your family and friends if you decide to follow such a rule. This is so that they can help to remind you in case you break your rule!

2. Exit Instagram when you see an Ad.

Every few Instagram stories, you get an advertisement. Take that as your cue to click away from the continually running series of Instagram Stories.

Or if you are mindlessly scrolling through you feed and you come across a sponsored post, that will be your cue to leave the app.

3. Turn off Instagram notifications

Whether it is a “DM” or a comment/like for your post, you can check them all at once when you intentionally open Instagram. 

4. Turn on Greyscale

The lack of colours means using your phone will become a dull, mundane experience. I have actually tried this before but it kinda became irritating to use my phone overall as the greyscale applies to all pages and apps. 

Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations > Colour Filters > Greyscale 

5. Try third-party apps to help you control the time you spend on social media

These apps/extensions can help you stay focused and not get distracted by wasting time on Instagram.

6. Put Instagram together with another app.

There are several reasons why you might want to go on Instagram. So, if you restrict yourself from using Instagram, you might still be left feeling tempted to use it.

That is why you can put another app right next to Instagram. For example, your to-do list or journaling app or any learning or productive apps. This will give you something, in turn, to do instead of Instagram.

I personally, love this trick. However, I am currently not using it as I prefer to put all my “useful & productive” apps on my front page. Instagram is in a folder, residing in the 5th page. However, I can see myself using this trick in the future.

7. Create downtimes.

It is super effective to allocate specific time blocks every day to not use social media at all.

For example, you can create downtime for 9 am-12 pm every day where you can’t use Instagram (or your phone) during that time block. This will help you if you are going to have a “No Instagram before 12” rule.

Or you can have shorter time blocks that are customized for each day. If you know you have a homework assignment to do, you can allocate 3-4 pm after your school to do it. To help you not get distracted during that hour, you can set a downtime. 

Recommended Read: How To Be Productive At Home After School

8. Come up with an alternative to Instagram

Another reason I go on Instagram is when I am sad or upset. I find Instagram to be my go-to app to just mindlessly waste time every time I am feeling angry or sad. I lose my motivation to be productive and immediately go for my phone to scroll while lying on the bed.

If you find yourself doing this, come up with an alternative thing to do when you are not feeling happy.

What else can you do when you are sad?

How else can you handle stress or sadness?

For example, if journaling helps you with handling negative emotions, you can put your journal app beside your Instagram app. This way you can remind yourself to journal about your feelings instead of pointlessly scrolling on Instagram.

Recommended Read: The Importance of Daily Reflection

If you would rather go down for a walk to feel better, have that in your mind and consciously decide to do that instead of resorting to Instagram.

Tell yourself Instagram is not going to help you feel better. Do not let your negative feelings affect your productivity! If it is, do something that will help you feel better. Instagram will most likely not help you feel better!

Anyways, those are my TOP tips on how to waste less time on social media like Instagram.

If you have not tried to reduce your social media usage before, you should surely try one of the methods above.

If you have tried but failed before, don’t give up because you just need to experiment and figure out what works best for you.

Give it a week or two before you give up. It takes time for you to adapt. It will surely be difficult for you to change. The first few days are surely going to be difficult.

But trust me, it’s going to be so worth it when you can spend less time on social media. Developing this self-control will be so helpful for you. You will have more time for more important things. 

Recommended Read: 8 important life lessons from a 18-year-old

How to waste less time on social media (such as Instagram)

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