So you gave up Facebook for Lent, now what? You’re about to have a ton of time freed up, so why not utilize it as best as possible. Worried you might have a setback halfway through? Here’s a tip: have a close friend change your password for you. It’s still possible for you to reset the password on your own, but the extra hassle just might keep your temptations at bay.
1. Spend more physical time with your friends. You know, the ones you usually only associate with by commenting and liking statuses. Schedule lunch dates and movie nights to catch up on your friends’ lives to stay in the loop.
2. Volunteer at the local food bank or fish fry. Spend some of your time giving back to the community. You’ll have the opportunity to meet and socialize with some pretty amazing people and it’ll get you away from a tempting computer.
3. Join a gym. If you spend half as much time in the gym as you typically spent creeping on Facebook, you’d have abs and buns of steel. Dedicate yourself to working out at least 3-4 times a week. If you can’t commit an hour each day, surf the web for a free 8-minute abs workout routine. That way, you’re at least doing something.
4. Start a blog. WordPress and Blogger are just two companies that offer free online writing services. You can spend your time writing about a specific topic or just replace your typical status updated with daily reflections.
5. Read a book or subscribe to a new magazine. The average user spends around 8 hours per month on Facebook. I’m sure the average college student spends at least double that when they’re trying to write papers or do homework. Even a slow reader could finish a book in 8 hours. Replace your hour per night on Facebook with an hour each night for reading.
6. Take up a new hobby. Whether you decide to join a recreational softball league or discover a love for gardening or knitting, use that your new-found free time to master a new skill. Take up skiing or cooking. In many cases, you could combine this task with blogging. Write about your new experiences, reflecting on how your life has changed thanks to your new hobby.
7. Find a social media replacement. Although Twitter and Pinterest can be equally addictive, they have less data and are often less time consuming when you’re “trying” to procrastinate. If you’re going to use Twitter and Pinterest, why not use it to check out a new potential hobby or to promote your blog?
8. Attend some community and local events. Attend local concerts, open mic nights or sporting events. Not interested in spending money? Many events are free, especially junior leagues of sporting events and local outdoor contests. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city with a less successful sports team, such as the Pittsburgh Pirates, you can still look forward to professional games for a nominal fee.
Remember, there is life outside of Facebook. By spending hours upon hours creeping and browsing through friends’ photos and statuses, you’re wasting precious opportunities to experience life around you. If you haven’t already, take the challenge-give up Facebook for Lent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu or atheist-you can still take this opportunity to defeat this blight.