Of course, I absolutely love social media! But, I acknowledge it can be a complete time drainer too!!
Here are 5 ways to make sure you’re not wasting your time on there!
1. Turn OFF notications
When you have your social media notifications (and other notifications for that matter) turned on on your phone, you become a slave to them. Even if you just heard the sound or see it pop up on your screen and don’t open it, it’s interrupted your focus. If you do open it, you’re on social media and can get drawn in to activity beyond that notification. And it becomes a huge time drain. Turn off notifications so you only know if someone has engaged with your content or sent you a message when you’re on the platform itself.
2. Set a timer
It’s easy to get sucked down rabbit holes on social media. You might have intended on opening Instagram to engage with your target audience, or to post your content. But suddenly you find yourself there an hour later, mindlessly scrolling through your feed. If you do need to go on social media for business purposes, set yourself a timer. I often set a timer to engage until the timer goes off. Or if I need to share a post, a 5 minute timer to remind me to get off there as soon as it’s posted!
3. Set goals
What do you actually want to achieve in using social media? Every time you’re on there, have this goal in mind. Say it as you open the apps. Ask yourself regularly “am I sticking to my goal”. If the activity you’re engaged in isn’t driving you towards your goal, stop!
4. Batch tasks
Rather than creating a post a day, create a couple of week’s or even a month’s worth in one go. Go on once a day to reply to comments on your posts or to DM new followers. Spend a chunk of time every day engaging rather than sporadically doing it through the day. The more you batch tasks, the less time you’ll spend on the platforms.
5. Set screen limits
Set screen limits so you can only access the apps for a certain amount of time each day. You could also set it so you can’t access it during certain times of the day, or even for certain days of the week. I try to have one social media free day a week, and it really helps with my productivity to take a day away from it!
So, yes social media is great for your business. But not if you’re on there all day every day! Control your time, be productive and you’ll see even more success!!
