Social media can be dangerous. You log on to post an important piece of content and get led astray by a cute fashion video. You’re there to check your engagement and you get caught up in a political discussion. It’s time to see how much your followers have grown and you find yourself zoning out and scrolling down your feed for an hour.
You need to use social media for your business, but how do you do it without getting distracted? The key is to take control and focus.
Choose Your Platforms Well
First, carefully choose which platforms you’ll use. You don’t have to use them all and you may find that some are more distracting than others. Choose sites where:
– Your audience is there and actively engaged
– It’s a profitable use of your time
Cut out the sites that are more distracting than profitable.
Create Boundaries
Establish boundaries between personal and professional use of social media. Create separate accounts for your business and keep off personal accounts during your working time.
For example, you might have a personal Facebook account and a Page for your business. You can check this Page when you’re working, but avoid your personal account. You may use LinkedIn for professional networking but Twitter and Instagram to communicate with friends.
Log In With an Objective in Mind
Each time you get on social media, do it with a specific objective in mind. For example, when you get on Facebook, you’re logging in to check today’s post’s engagement or research your followers. While you’re there, don’t do anything outside of that objective. If you see a video you want to watch, save it for later.
Establish certain times of day when you’re allowed to log in and set time limits. You might set up a 15-minute check in the morning, for example. Set a timer and close the window when the timer goes off.
Prioritize Activities
Along with setting limits, establish priorities for social media. For example, you might have a 20-minute block of time designated for social media. During this time, you first need to post a piece of content you wrote. Next, check comments. Third, search for some specific information. Your lowest priority item might be to scroll down your feed. This way, you allow yourself some time to read content, but you make sure you get the important work done first.
Identify Distractions and Get Rid of Them
You can control social media. It just takes some conscious effort. If I can do this, you can too! Take a look at how you use these sites and see where you’re wasting time. Monitoring will show you what’s distracting you the most, and you can then remove it.
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