I wrote a "social media contract" for myself that specifies when and how I am allowed to use social media (HN once a day; YouTube only on weekends; Twitter only

I wrote a "social media contract" for myself that specifies when and how I am allowed to use social media (HN once a day; YouTube only on weekends; Twitter only to post — never to browse, etc.). I have a simple spreadsheet where I track my daily compliance. My reward for fulfilling my contract is a green check mark in the spreadsheet. This technique has worked surprisingly well. For myself, the key has been to flip the goal from a negative ("don't check Instagram") to a positive ("get that green check mark"). I'm now off Reddit and Facebook completely. (The fact that I still checked Facebook is baffling, it really was just a reflex to type the URL in the browser.) YouTube and Instagram have been more challenging, but I've made a lot of progress there (went a whole month without checking Instagram). Twitter has been the hardest. Oh, and definitely don't have any of the apps on your phone.