Dear LinkedIn,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, this post is going to be full of irony. Proper irony, that is, not the mistaken Alanis Morrisette kind. I\u2019m owning that from the start because I don\u2019t think it detracts from the end game. Here goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was on LinkedIn for the 17th<\/sup> time yesterday as I experienced a slight lull in my diary. I couldn\u2019t justify having yet another cup of tea and the dogs had already been out so, without really thinking (it\u2019s always without really thinking, isn\u2019t it?), I picked up my phone and opened the app. The usual rush hit as 16 notifications shone in red against that \ud83d\udd14 \u2013 I clicked through and quickly scanned until I felt that familiar dip in my spirits: no new likes or comments on my latest posts, no direct mentions of me amongst those mean 16 little bells. Sigh. Then I switch to aimlessly scrolling. A post slides by about Digital Minimalism <\/em>by Cal Newport, author of Deep Work<\/em>. Someone has read the theory and decided to declutter their digital life. Within four clicks I\u2019ve bought the book and a day later I\u2019m two hours into listening to it (yes, yes, on my phone of course, oh, the irony blah blah blah).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result is that I\u2019m going to have a go at the Digital Declutter myself. Newport is at pains to explain that this is not a \u201cdetox\u201d \u2013 one month off to have a break and then dive straight back in. It\u2019s a 30-day clear-out that\u2019s the first step towards a more autonomous and intentional approach to what digital tools you allow into your life and why. In a month\u2019s time I\u2019ll start reintroducing things, but only if they align with my values and goals and only in the dosage and manner that meets my needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of 10 minutes ago I have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I already have a hypothesis about what the \u201cre-introduction\u201d stage will mean for LinkedIn. The platform matters to me professionally \u2013 people need to know you exist before they can work with you. It\u2019s been a decent way to raise awareness of the services I provide, to reconnect with old networks that yield fresh opportunities and to start new relationships. More than once, a client has found me through the thinking I share on LinkedIn – although interestingly there\u2019s always some kind of prior connection: they knew me in the past or know someone who does. \u201cCold calls\u201d leading to actual work are rare. So, I\u2019m not walking out, but I\u2019d like to stop hanging around here waiting hungrily for scraps that have very little bearing on the success of my business. Fun fact: I got six likes on my last LinkedIn Newsletter, probably my worst ever, and yet this has been my best (and busiest) year of coaching in the five years since I started. Hey ho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I intend to follow the recommended Digital Minimalism process \u2013 a bit like the elimination diet I did recently that helped me identify that I should never ever eat broccoli again. But I suspect that the result will be that I\u2019m done with playing the LinkedIn slot machine. I\u2019ll still be writing, and I\u2019ll post links here so that the hundreds of subscribers I have can engage with the ideas and suggestions on leadership that I share. And of course, I\u2019m under no illusion about how my lack of scrolling and posting and \u201cliking\u201d will affect what the algorithm does with my stuff \u26b0\ufe0f. That\u2019s a price worth paying for the hours of my life I\u2019m looking forward to reclaiming from niggling disappointments and dispiriting comparisons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So Dear LinkedIn, thanks for everything but I think it\u2019s over. I\u2019ll keep in touch and will always be grateful for the good times. But for now, I need some space \u2013 because really it\u2019s not me, it\u2019s you – and no, I don\u2019t think we can still be friends. \u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’ve decide to do a Digitial Declutter, so it’s goodbye to the LinkedIn slot machine and hello life<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-6765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-balance-and-burnout"],"yoast_head":"\n\n