Early last week, I was challenged to a whole new kind of challenge… Go one day (a whole 24 hours) without your mobile phone, say what! I know, I know you are probably all wondering ‘Jamie how the heck do you plan on doing that? You are literally addicted to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook’. Well let me tell you guys- it wasn’t easy. In fact it was much, much harder than I had anticipated by a super long shot. Inspired by the new awesome and YES it is a totally awesome ABC show titled SELFIE that debuts this Tuesday September 30 at 8pm/7pm Central. Here is a bit of the backstory, SELFIE explores the life of Eliza Dooley who is seriously social media obsessed just like many of us are *cough*- as my hand raises over here. She is all about gaining ‘likes’ and being loved across social media with massive amounts of followers, that she forgets how to function and be liked in the real world. During this transition, Eliza is about to learn one major thing- It is time to ENJOY LIFE by stepping out from behind the phone and living each moment that life has to offer to the fullest!
For me, daily life consists of business meetings and project updates at work in Corporate America, but it also means racing around at times with my head cut off due to lack of sleep, too much coffee and wayyyyyyy to much work to get done. Deadlines people! All while trying to maintain time with my friends, my family and help heal my puppy in her after surgery period- basically my life right now, is crazy busy. But busy is always good right? Anyhow, when given this challenge I accepted with open arms thinking-sweet, a day off from life. Time to get away from the phone, jump into physical reality and get everything needed accomplished NOW! Here without further ado- is my introduction to ONE DAY without social media, can you believe it? #SelfieSocialCleanse…
*****
6:00 a.m. Time to get up. Let’s start this day! Whooohoooo, but first its time to check Instagram- oh wait I am on that #SelfieSocialCleanse oh well I guess I will just get up and go for a run instead.
6:30 a.m. Dang that morning run sure was beautiful. Too bad I am on the #SelfieSocialCleanse or else I would have Instagrammed the crap out of the amazing sunrise- OMG- morning sunrises are gorgeous.
6:45 a.m. In the shower I go. So far I have been up almost an hour, and not once have I checked my email, twitter feed, Instagram or blog comments from the day before. Thank goodness I took a full day off from posting anything… I think it may be a record, NOT wake up and check Instagram- just saying…
7:30 a.m. Out of the door, time to head to work. Ring Ring… My sister just called to make sure that I remembered dinner tonight. NOTE to self- Turn phone on vibrate so I won’t be tempted to get on social media.
7:45 a.m. Ooooohhh the morning radio is hilarious. Between skipping back and forth from Ryan’s Roses on KIIS FM to Carson Daly on AMP Radio, the morning drive is flying by- Traffic? What traffic? Oooohhh Carson is talking about some hilarious video on YouTube- dang it… I can’t check it just yet. C’mon Jamie get it together, you have only been on #SelfieSocialCleanse for maybe 6 hours (including the time you were asleep) so just deal with it.
8:00 a.m. In to work I go. Good Morning Co-workers! Luckily I only have 1 meeting today and a butt load of work to finish. The next 8 hours will be easy, right? Time to start the day- you totally got this Jamie.
9:00 a.m Nope, false… You definitely do NOT have this. Phone anxiety is starting to slowly kick in. Ring,ring (ok more like vibrate buzzing)… Boss calling- ‘make sure report is completed today and give a status update when possible. Oh and BTW- did you see my Instagram photo from the Kick Off meeting? Oh wait, you are on #SelfieSocialCleanse, it was a cool photo’. I hang up- DO NOT CHECK PHONE Jamie, it is only one day!
10:15 a.m. I hear my phone buzzing next to me on my desk and lighting up with each social media site notification….Talk about nerve wracking. LOCK IT AWAY Jamie! Into the purse it goes, no more wondering what everyone is social media world is doing, no more curiosity to check Facebook status updates and Instagram likes. Seriously this is HARD!
11:30 a.m. Lunch time… Holy crap what am I going to do. My lunch buddy bailed, and I totally don’t want to sit and eat by myself. Well I mean I always can, but it usually is easier when cruising TMZ, checking emails or re-tweeting and responding to blog items. Crap… this is going to be a super long lunch for sure… what am I supposed to do?
11:45 a.m. Oh well I guess eating lunch at the park in the car at the park is not such a bad idea. It is totally nice out, the weather is perfect and sitting back to enjoy the nice weather and the scenery around me actually is helping calm my nerves from anxiety. Okay so maybe this #SelfieSocialCleanse isn’t too bad. I mean I got to see a great sunrise this morning, and right now I am at beautiful park for lunch time, and the best part I am actually enjoying my meal. Versus inhaling it and checking my phone and responding to emails.
12:30 p.m. Man is it already time to head back into work? Dang it, I was totally loving this quiet, sunny afternoon at the park. Seriously I wish an enjoyable lunch outside was a mandatory work requirement… maybe in my dreams it will become a requirement...
1:30 p.m. I hear my phone buzzing in my purse. Thankfully I have a ton of work to do, so I will not stop to check it. The sound of my neighbor’s keyboard typing is drowning it out finally. I wish I had brought my ipod today, at least then I could listen to music on it. Anxiety level is still running on high, and I am thinking to myself “why am I so obsessed with my phone”. Seriously- why?
3:00 p.m. Time for an afternoon pick me up. Head over to the local snack stand in the building and grab myself an extra large water and a red bull. May as well be wired and work since I can’t check my phone.
3:05 p.m. Calendar invite pops up on my screen reminding me of the #RoundRobin Giveaway I have planned to participate in tomorrow. Crap- I have to break down and succumb to this moment, and check my email. This is important…
3:06 p.m. Whew… That was fast. Ange emailed all the information and the rules. I replied back, of course she replies with YOU ARE ON A #SELFIESOCIALCLEANSE DO NOT CHECK EMAIL ANYMORE! Ha ha ha ha…. I have got to love that I have great blogger friends who always will keep me in check. Shout out to Ange!
3:45 p.m. Time to shut down the computer, take a quick bathroom break and get ready to sit in traffic all the way home. Whooopiii… can you sense my excitement?
3:48 p.m. Of course my computer hates me today. Why oh why does it always seem to have some sort of shut down update. Geeezeeee…. Here we go 15 minutes wasted…
4:03 p.m. Finally out of the door and ready to brace myself for the traffic on the way home. On the plus side, the car has music, so at least I won’t be tempted to check my phone while driving.
4:45 p.m. Home sweet home. Time to change clothes, play with Khloe for a bit and give her a bit of therapy before dinner and our evening walk. Seriously this little pup melts my heart. She is getting so big, I swear I missed when she decided to get big… ooops… is that me admitting I pay more attention to my phone… eeeeekk– I think it just might be!
6:30 p.m. I finish my dinner, head to my room, throw some tunes on and pull out my laptop. Have to schedule some social media posts for tomorrow and put a few finishing touches on the post before it goes live tomorrow. Jamie keep the self-control and do NOT check your email or anything. Just pre-schedule some posts and shut the computer lid.
7:30 p.m Whew… mission accomplished. Social media is scheduled. It’s time to get Khloe ready for our evening 3 mile walk and some night-time therapy. Hopefully tonight we won’t see any bunnies that she wants to chase around so bad…. fingers crossed!
9:00 p.m. Therapy and walk are completed. Time to chill in the shower, unwind a bit and get ready for bed. Yep, you heard it- I am a grandma when it comes to staying up late now. I blame it on getting old and that my night time skincare routine takes FOREVER! You can never be too careful when it comes to skincare. Wow, did I just channel my mom-yep, sure did!
10:00 p.m. Headed under the covers, grab a notepad and jot down a few things I need to complete tomorrow. Dang this list is starting to grow a bit too fast. Pick up dry cleaning, make vet appointment, make doctor’s appointment for yearly physical, schedule bill pay, car wash… at the rate this list is growing I may need to take another day off of life. Geeeze!
10:45 p.m. Time to turn the ringer back on my cell phone. Stare at the growing email and endless social media notifications. I feel anxiety creeping up a bit, and yet a sign of accomplishment! I can totally live a whole day without social media! Looks like you are A LOT stronger then you thought Jamie! Good job!
11:00 p.m. Off the lights go. Tomorrow is a new day! Although I start thinking to myself- ‘let’s try something new Jamie; don’t jump at every ring, ding or notification anymore. Try to enjoy the moments of the day- Life is too short to miss them’
11:05 p.m. Time to start dreaming of vacation…. Nighty night!
*****
All in all, the whole day without social media wasn’t too bad. I am not going to lie, because it was quite hard in the beginning, and my anxiety was pretty much sky high. But in all honesty I never really realized how much I depend on my phone. I mean I depend on it, like it is oxygen. Eeeekkkkk….talk about life changing! NOTE to self- JAMIE STOP depending on your phone like ASAP! Anyhow after all is said and done, I can honestly say that this experience was a HUGE awakening. I seriously forgot how to enjoy the moments that literally happen in front of you- from admiring beautiful sunrises to watching a gorgeous sunset or taking a breath of fresh air outside on a evening stroll with my puppy love. I admit I am guilty- I for one, forgot how nice life actually is without being glued to a phone 24/7. And in all honesty life is way too short to NOT notice the moments that happen in front of the phone, right?
So I now challenge YOU to a #SelfieSocialCleanse, how do you think you would do? Are you addicted like me? Or can you just breeze through the day and enjoy every moment life has to offer, without thinking about your phone or status updates not one time? I would love to know how you complete a day without your phone. Don’t forget to tune into ABC this Tuesday September 30, 2014 at 8 pm/ 7 pm Central Time to the new show SELFIE and see how Eliza handles her #SelfieSocialCleanse, will she step out from behind the phone and learn to enjoy life? Or will the quest for likes and followers take over? You have to watch and see what happens, I know I will be tuning in…
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by ABC. While I was compensated to write a post about ABC SELFIE, all opinions as always are my own.
[ReviewDisclaimer]
Jessica W says
Loved this post so much Jamie! <3
jamie @makeuplifelove says
Awwww thanks Jessica. I am happy you enjoyed it. <3
Destany says
hahah I couldn’t go without my phone. not for social media – just for work and my volunteering stuff!
Amber says
This is a great post! I freely admit I am far too dependent on my phone!
Cosmetics Aficionado says
If I HAD TO I could go a day, but I don’t WANT to lol.
loveforlacquer says
whoaaaaaa I applaud you! I don’t know if I could do it!
Phyrra says
Khloe is adorable
erikatheicyone says
*wags finger* You aren’t supposed to be checking your phone while driving, young lady. Don’t make me come over there!
beautybymissl says
Sounds like a great challenge for social media addicts :D I think I could do just fine one day without my phone :P
Honeygirlk says
Oh my gosh girl… I don’t think I could go without my phone… even if I don’t touch it all day… my brain will still have those lingering thoughts and needs. lmao Good for you girl – you did it. Love your selfies.
Norah Salazar says
I can’t. I admit it, my phone has to be nearby and I just can’t help it :)
Nidia Doherty says
LOL. How fun. And your puppy is so cute! I’m old school. I can go days without my phone. I do, however, check Facebook every day, several times a day… I do think phone addiction is a problem, though – I teach a college class that is one hour, and I have a no cell phone rule. Some students break it every class – they just can’t stand it. They are missing out not only on the class they’re paying for, but on so much else that they just can’t pay attention to.
Kimmi @ The Plastic Diaries says
I’m not sure if we are getting this show in Australia but I saw ads for it while i was in the USA.
cindyprimebeauty says
It would be REALLY hard for me to go a full 24 hrs without my phone but I have done it before when I lost it.
Justina says
This was so funny! I couldn’t do it.
Allison @neversaydiebeauty says
Hysterical! And so creative, as always. I couldn’t do it, Jamie. I even cheated today and checked my email & twitter in the synagogue during services, bad girl.
Cosmetic Sanctuary says
Love this post! But omg this would be so hard to do!
Laura says
LOOOOOOOOVE THIS! I love this song too! HAHA I can’t do it though.
Mina Slater says
This is awesome & yay for making it through! I’ve done this and while it seemed weird at first, by the end of the day I was so relaxed and really had a great day! It made me realize that when people are so busy posting everything on social media they aren’t even fully experiencing whatever they’re doing. I set limits now because I don’t just want to share what’s going on in my life, I want to enjoy it!
Miranda | Slashed Beauty says
My mom told me that Selfie was a funny show… I like the play it’s based off of (Pygmalion) so I think I’ll give it a go!
Sheila Arkee says
I want to see this show! I can’t imagine going social media-less a whole day, but sometimes it is nice to take some time of from it and go off the grid for a few hours.
BTBAshley says
I cannot wait for this show to start. It looks hilarious!!
Betzy Carmona says
I deff want to see this show