How I use social media mindfully as an author

Back in 2023, I wrote a post about quitting social media as an author. My usage of social media had been at an all-time high – and I was feeling very anxious and unhappy. After a visit to a quiet part of the countryside with my social apps removed from my phone, I knew something had to change.

I deleted lots of my accounts after that: YouTube shorts, my public author Pinterest profile, my Facebook author page, Twitter/X. I put one account “to sleep” in order to keep my username (TikTok – if you look me up, you will see a note saying I’m no longer active, and I don’t post there anymore, nor do I have the app).

Now, in 2025, I only have one social media platform left that I actively use: Instagram. And it’s still a struggle to be on there as an author most of the time!

But I’ve found some ways of using social media more mindfully, so I thought I’d share how I approach it now, with my one remaining platform.

Why I left most social media platforms

The problem with most social media now is it’s so easy to get sucked in. Especially by short-form content like reels, and the endlessly scrolling feed. These platforms can be so addictive (they’re designed to be!), which is part of my issue with them.

I don’t want to waste so much of my time looking at meaningless content that doesn’t enrich my life – and, worse, that actually harms my attention span and reduces my ability to focus.

It’s also incredibly easy for drama and toxicity to spread on social media (a major reason why I deleted Twitter/X). Social media is actually making us all angrier and authors who are heavily online can be easily exposed to this.

I don’t think that’s good for society and I fully believe it’s negatively impacting our world, which is why I’m trying to reduce my exposure to it.

I don’t always succeed, since it’s hard to go online without being exposed to it at all, but I try.

Why I decided to keep Instagram – and the pitfalls of the platform

Social media definitely has some benefits for authors, although I’m by no means saying authors have to use it. I know several authors who don’t have a social media presence – though these authors are traditionally published.

In self-publishing, it’s unfortunately much harder to market yourself, and social media becomes a big part of that puzzle when you’re independent.

The benefits for me (as a previously self-published author who is now traditionally published) are being able to share updates with my readers in a place where I know they’ll be seen.

When I did my first book signing, people came and bought tickets because they’d seen me (and others) posting about it on Instagram.

I also love being tagged in photos and nice reviews. I’m amazed at the creativity of readers when it comes to posting about a book on Instagram. When Cake Off at the Cat Café came out, people were sharing photos of their cats and some amazing, delicious-looking cakes and pastries alongside the book. Someone even did a make-up look for Snowed In at the Cat Café!

Another plus is that I’ve been able to interact with international readers that I wouldn’t normally interact with at all. Getting to see reviews in French and Italian and various other languages, and seeing what my foreign publishers are up to when they promote my book? So much fun.

All of this is extremely rewarding when you normally work in isolation. So Instagram has remained.

It’s not without its pitfalls. I sometimes see drama in the publishing industry and the book world unfolding, which makes me feel very anxious and stressed.

To use a very mild example, author Ali Hazelwood once attended a panel event and happened to comment that she thought Peeta from The Hunger Games was “useless”. This is a series with a lot of fans, and Ali’s opinion led to harassment and a flood of horrible comments. She temporarily closed down her account as she couldn’t figure out how to turn off the comments.

It’s back up now. But she no longer manages the account herself, which is telling.

On the more extreme end, some authors end up being doxxed on social media, and have their safety seriously threatened. As this article about the Ali Hazelwood situation so wonderfully explains, online harassment can spill into the real world, leading to stalking, violence, and worse.

Now, most of us aren’t quite as well-known as Ali Hazelwood, so we’re probably less likely to have to deal with these situations. But to see them impacting other authors is pretty terrifying.

No wonder we authors are anxious about using social media.

How to use social media mindfully as an author

Setting ground rules

In one of my author newsletters, I mentioned that I have a few “rules” for my own social media usage. These include not using social media as an emotional outlet and limiting what I share about myself and my life online.

I view my Instagram as a platform for my career, so I do my best to be professional there. Sure, there’s the occasional cat photo, but I do my best to protect my private life. I avoid oversharing. This reduces my anxiety and stress levels immensely.

If you’re an author, try setting some ground rules yourself. I love Jodi Meadows’s advice in her post seven tips to survive social media. She says not everything has to be “content” and describes her own ground rules:

You can always decide to share more later, but you can’t unshare something. Early on, I decided on a few different topics I wanted to talk about online: writing (obviously), publishing (when I knew enough), my pets, and my yarn hobby. I’ve added and subtracted as needed […] but overall, I keep to those general topics. […] Remember, when you’re running an author account, you’re representing yourself as a business. As a professional. Is it fair that everything you say or do online will reflect on your work? No, probably not. Most authors are just people who believe daytime pajamas are legitimate fashion. But that is the reality.

This is such perfect advice. We can’t unshare – so think carefully about what you want to post about and remember that you’re representing yourself as a professional. Pick some topics you’re happy to be open about and others that you want to keep to yourself.

This will be different for every author, so do what feels comfortable for you. Maybe you only want to post about your writing and share food photos. That’s fine.

We don’t all have the same bandwidth.

Only posting from my desk

My desk is my professional space, so when I’m there, I know I’m in work mode.

Something new I’ve been doing lately is only posting to Instagram from my desk.

This has been a bit challenging for a few reasons. You can do a regular “post” using the Instagram website on a desktop or laptop. But to post to your Stories, or re-share something to Stories, you need the app – on a phone.

My workaround for this has been to change my password to some gobbledegook I can’t remember. I keep the Instagram app uninstalled until I come to do my post at my desk. Then I re-install, log in with my gobbledegook password (which I keep at my desk), make my post and re-share anything I’ve been tagged in, then uninstall.

This means I’m not tempted to check Instagram at all hours of the day. Or to scroll through reels.

I’ve only been doing this a short time but I think it could be a game-changer moving forward.

Even if you use a different platform, think about having a difficult password that you keep somewhere (or give to a partner) and only log in from a desktop at certain times.

Having a minimal phone setup

This might seem odd, considering I’ve mentioned I now try to keep Instagram off my phone. But I also want to limit my screen time and avoid the temptation to use other apps too much.

Using a phone “launcher” can be helpful for using social media more mindfully – and for limiting screen time.

These launchers are basically home-screen apps. Many of them have been designed to be no-frills and no-fuss to help reduce screen time.

My favourite is Olauncher, which lets you have a basic list of apps on the home screen. This is a text-based list, so no flashy icons. It’s purposefully designed to be far less distracting and shiny.

So that means less time absently scrolling on my phone and more time writing!

Keeping my platforms to a minimum

As I’ve mentioned, I only use Instagram now. Back when I was trying to be on every single platform and post regularly, I was frazzled.

Having only one platform is much more peaceful. It gives me more time to write this blog and my email newsletter, too.

If you have lots of platforms, maybe think about how you can cut them back to reduce that sense of overload and stress.

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This is how I’m using social media currently. Maybe one day I’ll leave entirely, but for now, these things are helping me to be more mindful and to protect my wellbeing.

If you haven’t read it, I also highly recommend reading Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. It’s a great book on focusing your attention and avoiding distractions, particularly social media.

And if you have any thoughts about using social media more mindfully, or social media in general, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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