This past week, I chose going from Snapchat streaks to total silence. I decided to cut myself off from the world of Snapchat for five total days. As hard as it was, the lessons I have learned were valuable.

As of Tuesday, September 9th, I decided to partake in a five day Detox Data Project. I chose to give up something that I was very co-dependent on and see how I behaved with it removed. I chose to give up Snapchat. Before starting this detox, my average daily screen time on Snapchat alone was about three hours and twenty one minutes. I was determined to get those three and a half hours back everyday, and do something useful with them.

In order to study my detox, I tracked two components; the amount of times I attempted to open the deleted app and what I did for three hours that day that felt like a good use of my time. I used my Notes app on my phone to track this, marking down every time I “opened” it, as well as my highlights at the end of the day.

On day one, I tried to open the app 31 times out of habit. Each time was either out of pure habit, or because I was curious to see what I was missing out on. On day two, I tried to open it 26 times; 5 times less. Day three, it was down to 19. I was noticing the pattern that as each day went on, the less I craved it. I ended my final day with only 7 attempts to open the app. Those 7 times were purely out of habit.

I discovered the less time I was off the app, the less I was craving it; the less I felt like I was missing out. Instead of sending meaningless Snapchats to my friends, I actually reached out by meaningful calls and texts. And the extra seventeen hours I had to myself? I spent that time reading. For the first time in over six months, opened a book that I wanted read but never could find the time for. With those seventeen hours, I finished not one, but two books. For the first time in a long time, I found time to do what I actually wanted.

The lessons I learned from this detox were simple, yet important. I now know I value meaningful conversations, and I can’t find those on Snapchat. I learned I can have a lot of valuable free time, as long as I don’t let social media get in the way again. After re-downloading the app after the five days, I realized all the Snaps I missed were not important anymore. Being present and in the moment was the most important. Snapchat remains on my phone, however, I do finally see a future where I one day delete it for good. Not for a detox, but because I am ready to take back my attention and time.