One of my goals in 2026 — to solely focus on my own life. To do that, I need to remove the distractions around me, and the biggest one is social media. You see, in the 80s and 90s, social media didn’t exist. We had other types of media like tv, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Those are still around, but I believe they aren’t as powerful as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
I want to embrace simplicity so I can focus on my work. It is so important to remove these distractions. While there are benefits to social media, there are also many disadvantages—especially the negative influence it can have.
If you’re a business owner, you tend to look at others and start comparing your success to theirs, or your life to theirs. Honestly, that is a bad habit to fall into. In the past, we didn’t have this. You might have watched people you liked on TV or heard them on the radio once in a while, but it wasn’t blasted in your face 24/7.
The “Pay to Play” Reality
Social media these days is brutal. You post something hoping it will go viral or be seen by your fans and subscribers, but chances are that won’t happen. These companies change their algorithms because they decide what they want to show. If you didn’t know yet, you often have to “pay to play,” meaning you have to pay just to show your posts to your own followers.
We are still in the new year, but I’ve been doing this for a few weeks now: I decided not to focus on social media. Instead, I am focusing on my own things, my own life, and my own business.
Some people might call this “living a boring life,” but if you think about it, there’s nothing boring about it. We only think life is “exciting” when we turn on the phone, but that connection isn’t always real. Those celebrities or influencers don’t know us personally.
Practical Steps to Disconnect
I want to get off this social media train for a while to focus on my own things. When you focus too much on social media, you can become addicted; you feel you need to check who liked your post or messaged you every single day.
When you decide to “quit” for a bit, you actually feel withdrawal symptoms. So I just sign out of my accounts completely. That way it’s much harder to just jump back in. I have to keep reminding myself that my work and my mission are so important. If I am distracted, how can I serve the people I am meant to help?
Finding Joy in the “Doing”
Now, what to do instead? Besides focusing on my business and my art, painting the World’s National Flowers, I do what I love. For instance, I’ve gone back to baking bread, taking the time to cook delicious meal for my family, and reading good books. Because I don’t want to rely on social media, I’ve started blogging again with purpose. I am intentionally blogging to inform and connect, hoping people find me that way instead.
Another thing to watch for is when the people you contact haven’t responded for weeks or months. If you’re a “people person,” this can be very frustrating, but it’s actually a sign that you need to get off social media and focus on your own life.
Embracing Your Beautiful Life
Your life is beautiful. You do a disservice to yourself if you don’t give attention to yourself, your day-to-day tasks, your job, your business, your family and your duties as a parent, spouse, or son/daughter. Embrace the work you are doing. Get off your phone and stop the mindless scrolling.
If you need to, set a limit for yourself—15 or 30 minutes-—and then log out and live your life. We are only given one life; we don’t want to spend it all in front of a screen. That’s what I am personally doing, and if you find it beneficial, I hope you apply it to your life too.
If you want to learn more about my work, project, and products, go to Siti Nuriati Studio and my Shop.
Also, feel free to download this workbook, “A Guide to Unlocking Your Untold Story”. This 4-Step Guide will help you craft your immigrant story step-by-step.
I hope you enjoyed this chat. Talk soon.
Stay kreatif,
Siti
