26 Things to Stop Doing in 2026
If social media has started to feel heavier than it used to, this isn’t because you’re bad at it.
It’s usually because you’ve slowly picked up habits that make showing up feel more complicated, more performative, and more draining than it needs to be.
This list isn’t about doing more in 2026.
It’s about stopping the things that quietly wear you down.
No guilt. No hustle. Just a reset.
A – Apologising for showing up
You don’t need to apologise for posting, sharing, or taking up space.
You’re allowed to be visible without justifying it.
B – Believing every “expert” online
Most people aren’t better. They’re just louder.
Borrow ideas, not authority.
C – Creating content you hate
If you dread making it, your audience can feel that.
You’re allowed to choose formats and styles that suit you.
D – Doing everything at once
Busy doesn’t mean effective.
One clear thing done consistently beats ten half-started ideas.
E – Editing the life out of posts
Polish is fine. Personality converts.
Don’t sand yourself down so much that nothing’s left.
F – Forcing trends that don’t fit you
Not every dance is for every body.
You don’t need to participate in everything to stay relevant.
G – Ghosting your own audience
Consistency builds trust, even when posts feel “quiet”.
Showing up matters more than spikes.
H – Hiding behind Canva forever
Design is great, but at some point your face needs to appear.
People connect with people.
I – Ignoring the questions people actually ask you
Those questions are your best content ideas.
If one person asked, others are thinking it.
J – Judging posts by likes alone
The quiet people are often the buyers.
Metrics don’t tell the whole story.
K – Killing posts because they’re “not perfect”
Done beats perfect. Every single time.
Momentum comes from publishing, not polishing.
L – Letting the algorithm bully you
It’s a tool, not your boss.
Create for humans first.
M – Making content harder than it needs to be
Simple is not lazy.
Simple is strategic.
N – Niche panic
You’re allowed to evolve.
Humans do. Businesses do too.
O – Over-educating with no connection
People don’t want a textbook.
They want a human.
P – Posting like a corporate
People choose small businesses because they want personality.
Talk like a person, not a brochure.
Q – Quietly quitting your own visibility
If people can’t see you, they can’t choose you.
Visibility doesn’t need to be loud to be consistent.
R – Rewriting captions 47 times
First-draft energy is underrated.
Most overthinking happens after the good part.
S – Saving your “good ideas” for later
Later is a myth.
Use the good plates.
T – Talking at people instead of with them
Conversation builds trust.
Lecturing builds boredom.
U – Using corporate language
No one connects with jargon.
Clarity and warmth always win.
V – Valuing confidence over action
Confidence comes after you start, not before.
Waiting only delays momentum.
W – Watching everyone else instead of creating
Consume less. Create more.
Comparison is a productivity killer.
X – X-ing out ideas too quickly
Messy ideas often become the best ones.
Let them breathe before binning them.
Y – Yelling into the void
It’s social media, not a billboard.
Engage back.
Z – Zapping your quirks
They’re not the problem.
They’re the reason people remember you.
