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 competing with an algorithm designed to capture infinite attention is a losing battle. They deserve more than my fragmented focus. They deserve presence.

I don’t use any other social networks. I only keep WhatsApp and Pinterest. And surprisingly, I don’t feel disconnected. I feel more connected than before, but to the things that actually matter.

Something else happened too: my mind became quieter.
The constant urge to check my phone “just in case” faded. There’s no anxiety. No urgency. Just focus. And when focus returns, everything changes.

As a software developer, I already spend most of my day in front of screens. Living in a state of constant stimulation isn’t sustainable. Removing a source of instant dopamine didn’t make me less productive—it made me more intentional. 

I now have time to read. To think. To do one thing at a time.
And doing one thing well has become a rare luxury.

This isn’t a universal prescription, nor is it an attack on social media. Everyone has a different relationship with technology.
But it is a reminder:

- Attention is a finite resource.
- What you don’t choose consciously will be chosen by an algorithm.

In my case, reclaiming my attention meant reclaiming presence.
And that is worth far more than any infinite feed.

--
Atte.
Victor Hugo Saavedra
http://vhspiceros.blogspot.com