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Hey Friends! I’m so excited about today’s post, I’m linking up again with two bloggers I LOVE, Arin and Navy, for their summer series! Today’s topic is about balancing social media with my family. Make sure to scroll to the bottom to see all 10 bloggers posts on the same topic!
I think this is such a tricky topic, especially since I consider being on social media part of my job description! First of all, safety first. I never share very personal information like our address or where the boys go to school. And while we’re on the topic, I also never share photos of other people outside our family without asking permission first. So like if I’m taking photos of the boys at the park with friends, I would specifically take photos without friends if those photos were going to be shared publicly on my blog or social channels. I chose this public persona, not others! And that’s a-okay!
As the boys are getting older (and getting opinions) I’m starting to let Jude decide more what he wants to be a part of and what he doesn’t. Ezra doesn’t really care either way at this point. ;) I would never force them to take pictures for me, but they also know we get to do a lot of fun things and go cool places when we take pictures. So they are pretty comfortable in front of my camera these days.
Lately I feel as though I need to set “office hours” for social media. Yes I have to set aside time to write and photograph, but posting to social channels and then replying to comments, and engaging with other accounts all also takes time. And then of course I get caught in the endless scrolling. Which is also a time suck! I’ve also found myself taking a few days off from posting, and honestly, I don’t always miss it!
I’m very fortunate that BTR is 100% supportive of this job I’ve chosen and he gives me ton of time to get things done. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s off in the summers! And something most people don’t know, he’s a huge part of this blog in the background. He helps come up with recipe ideas, he’s getting really good with the camera, and he builds me cool stuff!
I recently read in a business group I’m a part of (hey Kelli and Kristen!) that they recommend taking 24 hours off from social media and I couldn’t agree more! Do I currently do that? No, but it’s definitely something I want to make a part of my regular routine.
Another tip from that group that I LOVED was to create and THEN consume. So instead of opening IG and scrolling and comparing, open IG and post a photo!!
Is social media balance a perfect science? Absolutely not. Is it something I’m continually working on? Absolutely yes. I want to have a healthy relationship with social media because I want to set a good example for my boys. Facebook began when I was in college. #Imreallyoldnow I can’t even imagine what school is like these days with FB, IG, Snapchat, and probably 7 other platforms I don’t even know exist.
So while I’m definitely not perfect and I could use some more boundaries, I’d like to think social media has also brought a LOT of good in to my life.
Any other tips or tricks for social media balance in your life? I’d love to hear them!
Check out everyone else’s posts about social media boundaries here:
