I cheated a few times on Thursday.

Three times, I have ducked onto twitter but, each time, I logged back out after two minutes. I knew that would probably happen. On top of the fact that social media can be addictive, I also have a compulsive personality. Ritual is very important to me and checking twitter and facebook has been a part of my daily ritual since 2009.

There were times, over the course of Thursday, when I literally felt like I was going through physical withdrawal. I would find myself starting to check twitter and then I would remind myself that I was supposed to be taking a 24-hour break from social media and my heart actually started racing. It wasn't that I was worried about what was being said on twitter or anything like that. Instead, it was just the usual anxiety that I always feel whenever my routine is disrupted. That's the compulsive part of my personality acting up.

Other than those three times, I would say that my experiment has been a success so far. I have largely managed to stay off twitter and I've got quite a bit written and accomplished. I should make clear here that my goal is not to break away from social media or anything like that. My goal, instead, is to break myself of this feeling that I have to constantly check twitter and facebook. I guess I'm trying to get back to the point where social media is fun and not an obligation.

Anyway, it's 1:49 on Friday morning as I write this. So, I've got about 10 more hours to go of my self-imposed social media exile.

Wish me luck!