I Broke Up with Facebook

Have you ever been in a relationship that you knew was bad for you, but you just couldn't stop thinking about your partner? You check your phone constantly, hoping to hear from them. You think about them when you should be working. You miss great moments with friends and family because you're on the phone with them.

I just got out of a relationship like this - with Facebook. That's right, people! I closed my Facebook account.

Now, I'm not someone that used Facebook obsessively. Or, so I liked to think. But lately, I was noticing an upsetting trend. I'd be writing an article for RE Technology or pushing my daughter on the swing or talking to my husband about his day at work - and at the same time, I'd have my Droid in my hand with the Facebook app open, doing that familiar index finger swipe down the newsfeed. I didn't give a you-know-what about 99% of what I was seeing, but the truth is my attention span had become so excruciatingly short that I had to be doing at least two things at once to feel satisfied. I craved input, and social media is "Input Lite": all the stimulation, zero thought-provoking calories.

It all came to a head when my daughter sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" all the way through for the first time. It was such a beautiful thing, her tiny little voice stumbling over those sweet words, her proud smile when she realized what she'd done. And my first instinct was to post about it in a private parenting group I belong to on Facebook. Ick! I repeat: ICK! When did being "in the moment" stop being enough for me? Do I really need validation from near-strangers to feel satisfied in life?

So, I kissed my gorgeous child and closed my Facebook account. I waited to miss it. I waited to feel deprived. And I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. I actually thought about it less . . . and less . . . and less. The fact is, after a week, I have to be honest about the drawbacks.

1. I connected with some really great people that I met through work. Keeping in touch with them on social media is an easy way to keep those connections with professional acquaintances alive. Quite a few of them will probably forget about me and, if I ever needed something from them professionally, I'd be starting at square one again.
2. I used Facebook as a login for Spotify, MapMyRun, and a few other accounts. It was a hassle to start over.
3. One of my friends doesn't pay for text messaging, so she liked to use Facebook messenger instead. Now I have to call her, and I hate talking on the phone.

You're not missing part of the list. So far, those are the only drawbacks – all whopping three of them.

"Is this girl actually saying I should close my Facebook account?" Nope. I'm not saying you should close your Facebook account, especially if you're using it for business. What I am suggesting is that you look at your social media use carefully. Take a quiet moment and really think about the benefits and drawbacks. Then, get disciplined about your use. Here are a few ideas:

• "Browse" on social media as little as possible. I'm talking about avoiding that listless finger-swipe while you're paying half your attention to something more important.
• Schedule 15 minutes (or however long you realistically need) each day to create a post for your real estate Page. Don't use social media except during this scheduled time.
• Consider delegating social media responsibilities to someone else on your team (if you can; this may not be an option for everyone).
• Use a service that manages social media for you.

Will I ever use Facebook again? Maybe. But for now, I can say without hesitation that my life is better Facebook-free.