
Starting on Instagram and Bookstagram
Back in March 2018 I began, with zero prior knowledge, a website and delved into the world of social media on platforms such as Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram to be able to share my content from Busy Busy Learning and find a community. Read on to find out why I’m leaving Instagram.
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I didn’t just blog about books but play, arts and crafts and daily life with my daughter Floss. Whether by nature or nurture Floss was always destined to love books and I’ve been truly blessed with a reader more voracious than me!

Small Website Small Traffic from Instagram
Busy Busy Learning is a small website but over the years we’ve grown. We now get between 7.5-9k monthly views. The majority of my traffic comes from Google and Pinterest. Can you guess what percentage of traffic comes from Instagram? 0.07%! (Can you even put a percentage sign next to an exclamation mark).
Leaving Instagram – Glory Years
I may be looking back with rose tinted spectacles but I have such fond memories of those former years with Instagram. A magical place of little square boxes of images that very much soothed my autistic brain and gave me a somewhat quiet space in the realm of social media.
Instagram allowed you to follow accounts you loved and in turn people who liked what you created would follow you in return. You saw the posts of the people you followed and what you wanted to see; not as it is now, what the algorithm permits everyone to see.

Leaving Instagram Algorithm Changes
I’ve made genuine, real-life friendships through Instagram. Enjoyed supporting small businesses. Plus promoted oodles of books we love. However, over recent years the simplicity that I loved has disappeared. Instagram isn’t just about those precious little squares (they’ve been squashed out of the picture) – it’s stories, reels, videos and more. All things I just can’t keep up with and aren’t well enough to even try at the pace the Instagram algorithm expects from me. I also don’t even get to see posts from accounts I really want to see!
Chronic Health and Inability to be Consistent
I have several chronic health conditions that impact quite dramatically on my life and I can end up in and out of hospital frequently. I’m a spoonie and all too often my spoons don’t get replenished in time for the next day when it arrives.
Instagram is a machine that expects consistency and I just can’t meet its expectations. It’s not that I haven’t been trying, but it’s got too much. And here I am writing this post after coming to the realisation that I’ve been trying to please a computer. It’s time for Dorothy to return to the real world!
The time it takes me to compose photos, write a review and then interact on my post and the post of others is often exhausting. I have a great spell for a few days where I’m consistent and my engagement starts back up again. Then I’m very unwell or in hospital again only to find that when I return I start back at the bottom of the mountain trying to reach the summit again. I refuse to continue this cycle any more. A cycle that is now taking up spoons in my life and not giving enough back in return.
Longevity of Instagram Posts
I also feel that there is such a disposable feel to posting. Within a couple of days your content is likely never to be looked at again. Instagram have even changed how hashtags are used and you can’t see hashtags in chronological order. When I post on the website it’s there for as long as I choose to have it there. People can find book recommendations and other information topics that are relevant to them.

Wonderful Bookstagram – Leaving Instagram
Bookstagram on Instagram is a lovely place. The supportive community of fellow book enthusiasts is magical. There is such a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion for books that you can’t help to find infectious. I’m not saying I won’t return one day, but I just can’t give over the amount of spoons I need to right now.
Where Will I Be?
I’ll be here on the blog creating content as and when I can with the ability to schedule to my own timescales and drop off the planet for a while if I need to. I’ll still be pinning to Pinterest to find my latest creative idea to try. Well I need to do a little scrolling! I’ll also be popping into my Facebook Groups – you can find links for them further below. I also have a sporadic newsletter that you can sign up to.
What Will I Be Doing With My Saved Time?
- A little more on the website – there’s things I want to write about but never get chance to
- More creative pursuits
- Read more books!

Book Reviewing
If you are a publisher, author, illustrator or agent, I’m not disappearing and would love to continue to work with you to promote books we love. Please contact me via email at lisa@busybusylearning.com.
Busy Busy Learning Facebook Groups

Click on the links below to join groups:
Lisa, I’m so sorry to only just read this. I wish you only improved health and doing more of what you enjoy. Instagram is a never ending machine that requires constant feeding…it’s only the lovely bookstagram friends that keep me there. Sending all the best wishes, Andrea Educa8 Wirral
It’s so lovely to hear from you Andrea! Thanks so much for dropping a message. I hope you and the bookstagram world are well. I really miss all the bookstagram friends, I just couldn’t keep up with the machine as you so rightly call it. I was starting to see less and less of the accounts I wanted to see even if I put people down as favourites. I was having to set people up as bookmarks on chrome just so I could see posts I wanted to, but it all just took so much more time. As much as I miss it on Insta – I feel more at peace and coping better with doing the things I can do on my own timescales. Thanks again for reaching out – it means the world. Much bookish love, Lisa x