Time Management: How To Keep Your Social Media Life In Check

 

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had one of those moments where you stop, look around, and realize how much the world has changed since you were a kid. That moment happened when I was at my in-laws’ house, hanging out with the family. There were about 6 or 7 people in the room, ranging from age 3 to 36, and we all had one thing in common: we were all on some sort of electronic or mobile device. All of us! Even the 3-year old! Unbelievable.

Even though I didn’t actually do any real work over the holiday weekend, because I was out of town visiting family, I was still on and off of my computer, Kindle Fire, and Blackberry pretty much the whole weekend. The online world, and social media have truly taken over our lives, but if you’re not careful, they can become an unhealthy distraction and addiction. I’d like to share some time management tips with you today that help me to stay on track on a daily basis. Some days are better than others, but overall, this is my mode of operations.

 

How To Keep Your Online/Social Media Life In Check 

 

1. Get Centered. Get in touch with how you’re feeling at the beginning of the day. Are you still tired, because you didn’t get enough sleep? Are you hungry, stressed, worried about something?  Take time to get centered. Pray, read your bible, write in your journal, meditate, do whatever you do to find peace at the beginning of your day, and get centered. I also recommend taking time to write down 3-5 things that you’re thankful for at the beginning of your day. It helps to put your whole existence in perspective. That way, when the daily challenges come your way, you’re okay and ready to handle them, because you’re centered, and in a positive mindset. You know that whatever happens, you are still very blessed, and that every problem has a solution. You will be in a great position to figure out solutions, when you start your day being centered. Before you start your day, and allow other people’s influence to infiltrate your day, take time to center yourself.

 

2. Don’t start your day replying to e-mails, Facebook comments, Twitter mentions, etc. Once you’re centered, write down what your goals are for the day. Write down what is urgent, high priority, and important. Then write out your schedule for the day. Deal with the urgent items first, once you’ve written out your goals and plans for the day, and go from there. Remember, if you don’t choose and dictate how your day will go, trust me, there will be tons of people ready to tell you what you should be doing on a particular day. Then, before you know it, the day is over, and you’re wondering, “what happened? where did the time go?” Also remember that, what’s urgent to someone else, may not necessarily be urgent for you. So don’t let other people’s issues get you off track. They can wait. They will survive. Do first things first, then you can respond to people’s e-mails, comments, etc. knowing that you’re not neglecting your other priorities and responsibilities.

 

3. Don’t let what’s happening on social media distract you from your goals and priorities. It is so easy to waste away hours and hours of your day on social media, without even realizing it. I suggest scheduling your time on social media throughout the day i.e., 15 minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Or, 20 minutes in the morning, and an hour at night. Choose whatever works for you, and then don’t spend time going back on social media throughout your day. Those minutes add up to hours, so be very careful. Not all time spent on social media is productive. Know why you’re on there, what you want to accomplish, and make sure that your time spent on social media is helping you to reach your goals, and make meaningful connections.

 

4. Treat every update (especially if it’s for your business or personal brand) like you have to pay for it.  This will greatly affect what you choose to post on your updates. There’s been much controversy lately about Facebook’s promoted posts, and how page owners can’t reach all of their fans without paying for it. But in truth, it makes you take a step back and think twice about what you’re promoting, when you know you have to pay for it. So I say, treat all of your updates with this level of thought, even if it’s free to post. Make sure what you’re posting is worth reading. Is it helpful, is it uplifting, motivating, educational, entertaining, thought-provoking, or interactive? Think about these things before you post anything to your social media pages. Always aim for quality vs quantity.

 

5. Know when to turn social media off. If you’re working on a particular task, that requires your full attention, close all tabs on your computer that are social media related. Turn off your television. Put your Blackberry, iPhone, or Android in another room, with the ringer off, or just turn your phone off altogether. If you have children or a spouse at home with you while you’re working, let them know that you won’t be available for the next hour so, and that you should not be disturbed. This will be hard for some of you to do, but just imagine how much you’ll be able to get done, and how much more productive you’ll be, when you remove the typical distractions from your space.

 

6. Be fully 100% wherever you are. Give your full attention. Don’t be one of those people that  are looking down at their iPhone or Blackberry while someone is talking to you. Yes, that is rude. Be fully 100% with the person or people you are with. Give people the care and respect of your full attention, without constantly checking your e-mail, Tweets, Facebook updates, Instagram photos, etc.

 

We all complain that, “there’s just not enough hours in the day”, but the truth is, there are. It’s just a matter of how you spend your time. There are so many unnecessary distractions that we welcome into our lives every day, and then wonder why we’re not making the significant progress that we want to make. The power lies in your hands.

 

What are some ways you manage your time, and the distractions of daily life? What works for you? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below, and share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google+.

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