Deleting LinkedIn

Reducing my digital footprint

This is goodbye…

Hi there,

I deleted my LinkedIn account! Well, I first deleted it in 2018, and decided to create another account without any connections or newsfeed to use as a digital resume. I recently deleted that too: Part digital declutter, part proving to myself I don’t need an online resume to progress in my career. Time will tell…

Five things to share:

1. What do you do when an online platform intended for professional networking opportunities and growing your career turns into a nuisance to your everyday life? You need to cut it! Or, why I deleted my LinkedIn account. YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary.

2. One of the worst things you can do in the beginning of your career, fresh out of school is read Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber or Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew Crawford. Cue: major existential crisis. But it made deleting LinkedIn easy. No one ever found a meaningful, valuable, or successful career by having an immaculate LinkedIn profile.

3. There is a lot of negativity online: There’s also a lot of positivity. Like Jimmy Kimmel’s Can Dads Answer Questions About Their Kids? Kids Tell Dads the Worst Thing They've Ever Done, and What's the Biggest Lie You Ever Told Your Mom? Heartwarming and hilarious at the same time. What more can we ask for?

4. A quote I want to share this week:

   The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.
   — Lin Yutang

   Less but better. Less but better… LESS BUT BETTER! *Note to self*

5. Speaking of negativity online, I’m sharing my mantra: Laugh or log off. It is up to us to choose intentionally the content we consume online. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean it deserves our attention; pay attention to what you pay attention to.

That’s all for this week!

Thank you for reading, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.

Until next time,

Mehret