What Happened When I Cut Out TV and Social Media for a Month
Let me start by saying, I’m not trying to win any awards for turning off my screen. This isn’t a victory lap. I just want to be honest about what I noticed when I decided to take a break.
For the past month, I cut out all streaming and social media.
Why?
Because TV turned into my escape from real life, not a way to enjoy it. And social media? It was more of a distraction than a tool. I’d tell myself it was for business or inspiration… but deep down, I knew it wasn’t helping.
At the same time, I was doing a challenge on Growdie called the 3-2-1 Challenge:
No food three hours before bed
No liquids two hours before bed
No screens one hour before bed
Together, these habits helped reset more than just my schedule, they reset me.
Here’s what I noticed:
My bedtime became consistent and my sleep average went up.
I finished more priorities this month than any other month this year.
My anxiety and stress were at an all-time low. Seriously, it was wild how noticeable it was.
I spent less money. Fewer ads, fewer impulse buys.
I spent more in-person time with people than I had in the last two quarters. This is actually embarrassing. 😳
And I embraced boredom. Not just tolerated it, but actually enjoyed it.
There was something refreshing about not having something to scroll or binge. I found myself sitting with my thoughts more, without needing to fix them, post about them, or escape them. Just sitting. Thinking. Being.
It reminded me how loud life had gotten... and how little silence I had let in.
There’s a difference between rest and escape. One fills you. The other numbs you.
For a while, I was numbing without even realizing it.
It didn’t happen all at once.
It started with “just one episode” at night… then a scroll in between tasks… then a few minutes checking notifications that turned into thirty.
The habit snuck in quietly, until it was running my day.
It made me ask some harder questions:
Why do I feel the need to fill every moment with noise?
What am I afraid to sit with in silence?
And who am I when I’m not plugged in?
The answers didn’t come all at once. But the space I created helped me see things more clearly.
So if you’re starting to feel like your screen is running the show, or you keep telling yourself you’ll cut back “soon”—maybe try unplugging for a month.
Yes, I know the excuses.
“I need it for work.”
“I find good ideas there.”
“What if I miss something?”
I had them too. But here’s what I learned:
It’ll all still be there when you come back.
But the time you lose? You don’t get that back.
This wasn’t a massive life overhaul. It was a small shift with a big impact.
And if you've been thinking about doing the same… maybe this is your nudge to try it. 💯