Changing the way I show up online
It’s time for a change of pace.
For a while I’ve had the niggling thought that I’d like to switch up the way that I show up online.
There’s no doubt that using Instagram for building a new business brings fantastic opportunities but I personally and increasingly have found it to be an anxiety-inducing place to spend my time. I’ve got boundaries in place and I’m very self-aware of when I reach for my phone. But, in simple terms, I don’t believe it’s a platform that’s truly and authentically serving me or the business right now.
So I’m going with my gut and The Slow Down Collective is going to come off Instagram for the rest of 2022…
Why am I making this change?
Firstly, pure curiosity. I want to see what happens when I free up some space and time. How will things look when I slow the pace down even more?
By changing the pace and not being on a platform that moves at a hundred miles an hour, I hope to reclaim my own preferred pace of living and working and bring more thought to my work.
I’m interested to explore new ways of connecting with people - perhaps podcasts, emails, meeting IRL, through blogs, PR etc….. There’s a whole world of opportunities out there beyond the grid and I’m excited about getting my creative juices flowing.
I don’t want to feel like I’m on a content hamster-wheel which is how the very content-hungry social platforms feel, especially with an increasing amount of new features. I want to produce fewer pieces of quality content, not little snippets of content to feed an algorithm. I like long-form content. My background is in PR, I like writing blogs and I’d like to explore where spending more time in these areas takes me.
I want to create content in a space where I have more control and ownership of my content, housing more blogs, long-form writing and resources on the Slow Down website rather than my content being housed in a space owned by a global powerhouse where it could disappear at any moment.
Personally I’ve found Instagram to increasingly be a place of content-overload. It’s loud and noisy at a time when I’m craving space and solitude.
From a business point of view I’ve suffered at the hands of the algorithm - I don’t want to build my business in a way that requires me to have to be visible all the time. I don’t always have the energy and I don’t want to be ‘punished’ by the algorithm when I take a step back when needed.
I LOVE the chats in the DMs and am so grateful for every great conversation I’ve had on Instagram and the people I’ve met. Connecting to new, interesting people is the best bit about the platform. So I’m super excited about making more time for real-life connection and spending more time being human. You know how much I love a walk and am excited to have more walking ‘meetings’ and opportunities to connect with people. Please pop me an email if you fancy joining me for a stroll sometime (sincerely).
What’s changing? Where can I find The Slow Down Collective in 2022?
The business stays exactly as it is, I just won’t be active on Instagram and I’ll be closing the bijou Facebook Group that was created for Slow September.
I’ll be showing up in your inbox more regularly instead of your feed. Make sure you’re signed up to our emails for regular Slow Down digests, ideas and inspiration about living life at a slower pace. I’ll also be sharing my experience of leaving Instagram. Sign up for the Slow Down Edit.
The website is still active and will continue to sell our Slow Moments cards, subscription boxes, fulfilling corporate and wholesale orders and selling a select edit of individual items. I’ll also be exploring Slow Marketing as a concept more and looking at ways that I can help others take a slower and more soulful approach to building and marketing their business.
The website will grow with more resources over the course of the year. I’ve created a new free PDF download ‘Journal your way to a slower pace of life’ that’s available now. You can also find free ’30 Days of Slow’ and ‘Practicing Gratitude Daily’ downloads on the website.
And I’d love for you to drop into my inbox anytime! Truly, I love hearing from you.
Who knows where me and the business will pop up in 2022? I’ll be exploring Slow Marketing avenues, podcast guest opportunities, putting my PR hat back on, getting some SEO in place, sharing thoughts on LinkedIn, writing blogs more often and perhaps even the odd real-life meet-ups and I’d LOVE to explore a Slow Down Retreat at some point. But one thing at a time…
I want to read more about this….
I’ve read a couple of really thought-provoking books recently that have prompted me to consider a different way of spending my time that I would highly recommend:
Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman
How To Do Nothing, Jemmy Odell
I’ve also been inspired by brands Lush and Molly & Tom who took similar decisions during 2021. But most of all I’ve listened to my myself and my gut.
THANK YOU for your support, I’m so grateful for every message, like, comment and share on Instagram. I really hope to see you all in your inboxes or even IRL soon.
With love, gratitude and endless ‘slow down’ vibes,
Helen x