The Break I Didn’t Know I Needed

Every year for the past four-ish years, I’ve proudly participated in No Shave November.
I love it.
Shannon tolerates it.

To be clear—she doesn’t mind how the beard looks. She minds how the beard feels when she kisses me. And because I enjoy being kissed (highly recommend it), sacrificing a month of marital smoochiness feels… unwise.

So this year, I swapped the beard for something even more unruly: my social media habits.

Admitting the Addiction (Hi, My Name Is Dino…)

Here’s the truth: I am absolutely, undeniably, no-excuses addicted to social media.

Red light? Scroll.
Line at Costco? Scroll.
Waiting for water to boil? Scroll.
A moment of boredom lasting longer than three seconds? Scroll.

And yes, my feeds are full of “productive” things—business insights, positive mindsets, AI trends. I had myself convinced that it wasn’t that bad because at least it was “educational.” But the reality?

It was still my crutch.

Little by little, I noticed something alarming:
I wasn’t as creative.
I wasn’t as focused.
I wasn’t as productive.

I was outsourcing my inspiration to a screen instead of generating it myself.

The Moment I Knew Something Had to Change

The idea of taking a full month off social media actually first popped into my head over a month ago, but it still took me four full weeks to muster up the courage to tell Shannon. Because saying it out loud made it real. And posting it publicly (which I knew I’d eventually do) made it permanent.

But on November 2, I finally stopped overthinking and took action:
I deleted every social media app from my phone.

I officially declared this month No Social November.

(And yes, spoiler: if you see me posting this month, it’s not me—it’s my team. They’re amazing and also enjoy having full access to my digital voice, apparently.)

What I’ve Noticed So Far

It’s been just one week, and here’s what’s already changed:

I keep reaching for my phone… and then remembering there’s nothing to scroll.
I’ve gone full toddler and “lost” my phone multiple times because it’s no longer glued to my hand.
I spent five straight hours on a project I’ve been “meaning to start” for months.
I’m more present. More focused. A little calmer. A lot more productive.
And yes… so far, no withdrawal sweats. Week Two might be the real test.

Your Challenge, Should You Choose to Accept It

You don’t have to go full “Dino-level drastic.”
Try a day.
Try a weekend.
Try a week.

But if you really want to see what happens when you interrupt the autopilot scrolling, delete those apps for the month and join me in No Social November.

Who knows—you might find your creativity waiting for you, right where you left it.

Proactive, Productive, and Profitable,
Dino