Instagram Detox Week 2 Update! Biz Numbers Revealed

Hey Friend!

In today’s bonus episode, I am sharing my updates from WEEK 2 of having no Instagram. I share what it’s been like not having the addictive app, what has changed in my heart set and mindset, and more. I go over the pros and cons, specific revelations I’ve had, and share my business numbers with you.

The #1 thing I set out to prove is that you don’t need a public social media presence in order to grow and sustain a thriving organic business (when you set it up the way I teach you!). And so far… find out if I’m right.

Enjoy.

Listen in to the rest of Stefanie’s IG detox!

Deleting Instagram for 30 Days

Week 1

Week 3

Week 4

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION:

0:11
Hello, friends, Happy Friday. Today I am doing an update for you on my social media Instagram, specifically, detox. We are two weeks in to my 30 day commitment. And I’m super pumped to go through with you some cons, some pros so far, some wins. I do have lots of business stats to share with you about how not having a public presence on Instagram, or Facebook has impacted my business. So stay tuned for all these updates.

1:04
So as you guys know, if you’ve been following along on my journey for the last couple of weeks, I decided to delete Instagram completely from my life for 30 full days. And I did that because I was just spiraling with anxiety and with thinking and with wasting hours and hours on that app. Even though I delete the app every weekend, I continuously found myself in the Instagram black hole every week.

1:30
And I just hated how much my phone had to be near me all the time. And it was really something that I decided wasn’t idol, and that if I’m continuously struggling with this and meeting to break up with my phone on a weekly basis, what does it look like to truly get clear and truly lay it down and see if number one, what changes in my head, my heart, my mental health, my life, my presence, my habits, that type of thing.

1:57
And then also what happens to my business. You know, it’s what happens when you don’t have a big social presence. And so I’ve been testing it, we are two weeks in, and I am bringing to you guys some really cool updates today. So the first thing we’ll go through the cons.

2:12
If you remember last week, I was really struggling with still using my phone as much as I was when I was on Instagram. And instead I was going and checking the news. While the news is still going insane as we know, but I have not been checking as much, which is such great news. And that’s really awesome.

2:31
Also, you know, Brooke Jefferson, who’s one of my friends and prior clients had a great recommendation, which was to link my Fitbit watch, to my phone calls and my text messages so that my phone could be in a totally different room. And I could still get alerts for emergencies because my boys are back in the school and I just didn’t want to miss anything. So now I have my watch syncs to my phone.

2:54
And I only get phone calls and texts on my watch my Fitbit. That’s been a game changer because I really don’t care where my phone is. And I’m really feeling so much more separation, which makes my heart so happy. Like, I don’t want to meet my phone, I don’t want to be available 24/7, I just need to know if there’s an emergency.

3:15
So that has been so great. I am still working on intentionally leaving my phone in a specific place, so I’m not carrying it around with me, that’s something I want to break up with, like forever. So I talked about having this phone baskets, one of my office and then one in the living room slash kitchen area, we already have one in the kitchen area, I already have in my office.

3:39
So it’s the habit though, like creating the habit of putting my phone in the basket. That it’s like, out of reach, out of sight, out of mind. So just some phone updates for you. One other con for me is that I’m just missing some updates. You know, I have some friends who I love their stories. I love to follow along when they share stuff. So I am kind of missing some of those updates.

4:06
But the crazy part is those are the friends that text me anyway. So it’s really hasn’t been that bad. I’ve also had a lot of emails or in Facebook Messenger, which still is installed and I check Facebook on my computer a couple times a week about two times intentionally and then I’ll just quickly pop into my Facebook groups like four or five minutes a day to make sure my students are doing well. All their homework is being graded by my team, etc.

4:34
So when I pop over there, I’ve had some messages saying like, oh, man, we missed you on Instagram. So I thought that was interesting as well like, hey, at least they like me, you know? At least I am this. That’s it like that’s all I have for cons you guys. It’s just like, you just see how long my pros listed. So let’s hop over there.

4:53
So what has been going on the positive spectrum, on the positive side because of this detox, this Instagram, social media detox? Well, the first one is I have hit again, all of my habits. So I have this habit tracker, like I mentioned last week, and my goals are mornings with God, an hour with God, three liters of water. I’ve been doing 45 minute workouts, I’m kind of doing a variation of 75 hard and 75 soft.

5:25
I know that’s not a thing. I’ll use 75 hard, people. But like, I just needed a new challenge, a new goal for myself during this time, and so I’m actually just doing one workout a day, it’s 45 minutes, and I’m not doing a gallon of water, I’m doing three liters. If you don’t know what 75 hard is just google it. Anyways, so I’m doing like 75 soft, I’m on day five, and it’s been great. So my other goals are 10 minutes of a book every single day.

5:51
15 minutes of specific focus playtime/kid every day, and then hitting my macro bubbles. They’re not really macro, their goal bubbles that me and my dietician set. I’m just hitting every single goal and hitting every single habit that I set for myself, I am busting through my cue three goals that I have set and I have so much more time. And I’m so much more productive.

6:18
I think that’s the coolest thing that I’m realizing about this. It’s almost like this fog has been lifted from my life and from my eyes and from my work like there’s nothing ever tugging at you. That is why I believe that we are not super productive. And the time that we do have to focus on our business is because there’s something else constantly tugging at our attention, which is social media, period, end of the story done like any notification popping up on your phone is pulling from your focus, you know, it’s pulling from your productivity.

6:54
Anytime we post something on social, we want to go see if it’s working, if we messaged someone, did they message me back like there’s just so much distraction that’s tugging at you that how can we truly get things done with focused attention effectively and efficiently. And that is what I’m really noticing is like, I can bust things out in like, three quarters of the time that I was before.

7:23
It’s just amazing the amount of things I’ve been able to get done, which feels great because I want to get the things done so that I can leave work down by four o’clock every day and like really be present with my family. And I’ve been able to do that. And then the great part is like when we lay down to watch a family movie, or we go outside to play baseball, or go on a family bike ride, or we were playing Yahtzee the other night, you know, like I don’t remember the last time we played Yahtzee as a family, it was so fun.

7:51
I don’t even care about my phone, I’m not looking for it, I’m not looking at it like, whatever, you know, I could care less about it. And it’s really created this amazing separation. Next pro, and then we’re going to get to the business numbers. I’ve had some really cool revelations. It’s crazy to think that three to four short weeks ago, I was in a complete spiral about if we should move, because I was worried about the safety of my city.

8:19
I was worried about the political agendas of my state, I was worried about all of these things happening with enforced this and enforce that. I was just in this black hole of worry and fear. And I know that worry and fears are not from God, I know that. Y’all, I teach that, I talked about it. But yet we constantly find ourselves you know, tricked I guess by the world and by Satan’s boring tricks. And here we are, again, like believing them.

8:52
So we went to Tennessee with the intention of checking it out to move there. And it was amazing. There are so many pros about Tennessee is awesome. But like, it just didn’t really feel right. And I still was worried, I was still spiraling and all of these things. And so one of my intentions through this social media detox was like, Lord, I’m just looking for answers.

9:14
You know, I’m looking for revelation, like, Where do you want us? Do you want me here? And if you want to hear like, things have to change, you know, change in my city in my state. And I need to hear from you. You know, do you want us to move? Do you want like, whatever.

9:28
So I had all of these questions for God and I laid them at his feet. I was like, I’m doing this the social fast. Like I will have time, I’ll have space. I’m committed to being with you every day, Lord, like please give this girl some revelation because I am driving myself and my husband.

9:46
Real crazy. He’s like you are on another level. Anyways, so what’s so cool is like this week, you know, God’s just really brought me so many answers. He’s brought it through friends. through mentors, He brought it through my church this week, He brought it through a book, oh my goodness, I’m gonna share a little, a little snippet with you of this book I’m reading as well.

10:10
And all of these specific answers from God, where I’m calling you to stay, I’m calling you to be the light, and I’m calling you to fight, I’m telling you, you are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, and that you have a part to play in the revival of this place in the cleansing of this city and in the changing of heart and the salvation of people. And if I know one thing is that, if I’m called to the hands and feet of Jesus, I am called to run.

10:39
And that’s exactly what I was trying to do. And it’s so easy to do. But you know what, I am stronger. I am braver than that. I have the holy spirit within me who will fight these battles for me and with me, and I don’t have to be afraid. And like that just really hit me this week, which brought so much peace because I just wanted to know, you know, what He wanted for our lives?

11:03
And I got that answer, which I truly believe when we lay something down, that is the idol in our life. That is something that we’re putting above God, any addiction, you’re putting above God, let’s just get that straight right now. And you lay that down, you let it go, God will replace that with something better. There is fruit in our obedience. There is fever when we decide to listen to the tug to the feelings, that we’re having.

11:31
And oh my goodness, like it’s week two, and I’m already getting gifts from God like answers and peacefulness. It’s just so cool. So that is super fun. And I just want to read you guys a little part of this book that really, I don’t know that I’ll read it. But I’m gonna recap just a little bit of this year. One part of this revelation for me with 75 soft in quotes that I’m doing, I’m reading Christine Caine’s book, How did I get here?

11:59
I had this book for a while, to be honest. I was like, you know, it’s not like, changing my life. I mean, it’s good. It’s good. Don’t get me wrong, but I was like, I don’t know, well, I’ll just read this, you know, to never finished reading it. But what is so crazy, is I’m like asking God for that these answers as far as moving. And I get to this section of the book, it’s around page 163. ish. It’s talking about the Christian bubble.

12:25
All right, hey, you’ve been hanging out in the Christian church for a while, or you had the Christian religion, you know what I mean? And what we really do we start to do as Christians is, like, hang out with other Christians. And we start to point fingers at the world. Oh, I can’t, I can’t be part of that, you know, that’s the world and, and that’s evil and dark, I’m going to stay over here and like my really safe, happy corner.

12:50
And we all do it. And I totally get it. I’m guilty of it. Obviously, we were going to move, you know, like, that’s how much we want to avoid being uncomfortable. That’s how much we want to avoid things of the world. But what’s so interesting is in this book, it talks about the fact that we all go into this bubble, okay. And we decide that we should hide in our little bubble, and it’s much easier, and we’re just going to hang out in our bubble.

13:19
And that’s okay, you know, great. I’m going to go over here and I’m going to hang out with all Christian people move to a Christian city, we’re going to go to a Christian school, I’m gonna read Christian books never gonna hang out with anybody who is not already, you know, a Christian, like the world is terrifying, and it’s scary and it’s dark.

13:36
And we want to run from that. So we get in our bubble. And that’s where we live. And after we say, and we’re just really punched me in the dang face. I mean, punch me, you guys. In this book, it talks about you know, Jesus, and Jesus says last words, as he’s hanging on the cross, he pauses and says, Go therefore, and make disciples.

14:05
And if we were to fulfill our purpose, then we are to go where we can make disciples. And that will never be at arm’s length. Oh, my goodness, we’ll have to break out of our bubbles. And go, Jesus wants us to go into the world where he sent us, anchored to Him to help other people become anchored in Him. Oh, my God, y’all like this just totally popped my bubble. Like for real.

14:34
I’m over here living in a bubble wanting to move to an even bigger bubble, you know, like wanting to protect. And I’m forgetting that like, I am called to be the salt in the light. One of my favorite verses is Matthew 514. You are the light of the world and if I am the light of the world, I have got to be the change maker. I cannot hide.

14:52
I have to fight, I have to rise up, right? And I am given strength and power and authority because I am safe. If I have a daughter of the king, I think that I have enough authority to fight, you know, and there are battles going on. It’s in the spiritual realms all around us. Whether you believe that or not, the Bible says, and I know that to be true, because we experienced them on a daily basis.

15:17
So why this was such a revelation for me it was, you were called to be where you are, you are not called to run, you were called to fight and rise. I read this book. And then the very next day, we go to a really awesome meeting at my church, which are personally invited to and we’re going to be doing some really cool stuff with them as more of a leadership team and getting more involved with some of their really cool initiatives.

15:37
And giving to some awesome things in our city that are literally bringing kids to Christ, literally, changing hearts, literally planting churches in a 48 hour period of time, guys, and I was like, God, I hear you. So just so cool. So much revelation. Huge fan. So yes to all of this. You know, I’m soaked up. So all that being said, cool, like, this sounds so amazing, Stef, like is it hurting your business? Let’s just quickly, we’ll end this episode with my business updates.

16:12
It’s been two weeks of this full-out Instagram detox, I have not gotten on Instagram, at all, not one time, nothing. If you’ve seen anything happen there it’s my team, which I’ve also told them not to get on there. So hopefully, you’ve literally seen nothing happening. I have gotten into Facebook, but only to check my groups. And that’s been five minutes a day. Seriously, like, I’m not there. I never post on Facebook anyway, I don’t care about Facebook. So without me doing any type of organic publicity.

16:43
I’m not sharing the stories, right? I’m not pushing out any type of organic content. Okay, my podcast has grown. And I’m also not doing anything differently than I was doing the two weeks prior. So what I’m looking at is, prior to starting this Instagram detox, any type of marketing that I was doing, I was already doing it. Okay. I was already doing it four weeks ago, so nothing has changed. We are truly comparing apples to apples.

17:10
The two weeks prior to my social detox versus right now two weeks in my social detox, these are the numbers I’m gonna share with you. The podcast is up 12% in the past two weeks, that means that my show has grown, it has grown but the same, you know, marketing, the same amount of Pinterest shares, it’s grown 12%. My revenue, these two weeks versus the two weeks prior is up a 40%.

17:42
It’s hilarious. Now granted, like, you know, my business goes up and it goes down. Like I don’t have revenue all come in each week. It’s not the same. So that one, take it with a grain of salt. But I think that’s pretty cool. My email list held, it held it was 10 people difference from the two weeks prior to this two weeks where I’m in the detox, which is pretty amazing.

18:05
And yeah, so overall, there’s been growth, there’s an exponential growth in my revenue without any change in marketing, same marketing the two weeks before, same marketing this week, there’s been growth in my podcast. Amazing. And the list held. So far, the answer is, you don’t need social media to continue to increase your business Instagram specifically, which is so freeing. It is so freeing.

18:35
That’s all I got for you. I hope you have a great weekend. I will meet you back here next week with more episodes. I would love to hear from you. What do you want me to teach on next? Where are you stuck? Do you need specific things you guys are looking for? You know, I would love it even more. If you would go to stefaniegass.com. Scroll all the way down and leave me a speakpipe message.

18:55
Tell me what your question is. I will air your question and answer it on my podcast. Leave a testimony. I would love to feature you and your testimony right here on the show. So get on over to stefaniegass.com and leave me a speakpipe voice memo. It’s all the way at the bottom of the homepage. And if you guys are ready to take the leap with me cCome on over and check out the courses that I offer and what it looks like to coach with me at stefaniegass.com. God bless. I’ll see you next week.