I Uninstalled Instagram and Gained Something More Valuable Than Time
A few days ago, I made a simple decision: I uninstalled Instagram from my phone. It wasn’t dramatic. No farewell post. No announcement. I didn’t deactivate my account or make a statement. I just removed the app. What I didn’t expect was how deeply that small action would change my day-to-day life. Within days, my perception of time shifted. The day doesn’t actually have more hours, of course—but it feels longer. Wider. More breathable. My phone’s battery now lasts all day, and while grayscale mode helps, the real change happened somewhere else: in my attention. Before, I could be watching a movie while endlessly scrolling on my phone. By the end, I hadn’t truly enjoyed either. Two sources of stimulation at the same time, zero real presence. Now, when I watch a movie, I actually watch it. When I read, I read. When I work, I work. And when I’m with my family, I’m fully there. That last part matters the most. I have daughters, and I realized—without guilt, but with clarity—that c...
