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Saving time on social media is imperative if you want to avoid frittering away your most precious asset…time! Creating a system can help you avoid many distractions, such as games, gossip as well as out-and-out worthless parts of social media. Even though you don’t have a boss looking over your shoulder, getting sucked into wasteful habits will catch up with you if you don’t buckle down and stick to a schedule.
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“It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste time.” ~ Henry Ford (click to tweet)
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Plan For Success — If you have no road map to your destination you’re likely to get lost. Sure, sometimes people accidentally hit the lottery, but most of the time success comes from careful and thoughtful planning. Don’t wander aimlessly or subscribe to hit and miss efforts. Instead, make a plan and stick to it, adjusting as necessary.
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Implement Automation — Social media automation is a great way to save time. There is no reason why you shouldn’t automatically schedule new posts, new articles and new information across all your social media platforms. There are many tools available that do a great job, enabling you to utilize your social media time wisely — conversing with potential clients rather than just pushing information at them.
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Schedule Your Time – If you implement automation, the time saved will enable you to actualize the true purpose of social media…being social. Imagine that! Automating the task of updating friends and followers creates time for you to read tweets, re-tweet good information and truly engage. The trick is to schedule the time and diligently stick to the schedule.
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“You can do so much in 10 minutes’ time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good.. Divide your life into 10-minute units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activity.” ~ Ingvar Kamprad (click to tweet)
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Outsource — Yes, you can outsource a lot of aspects of social media. A virtual assistant can orchestrate all of your automation. The assistant can also keep track of your metrics, alerting you to important tweets or buzz that can be addressed in your blog or via directed messages to clients/customers/colleagues. A good long-term virtual assistant can even answer direct messages for you when needed.
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Turn It Off – Yes, I said it – “Turn it off!” Determine your work schedule and stay true to those hours. When the work day is done, turn off your business social media. Also, when doing other projects, turn off your social media completely. It is actually counter-productive (personally & creatively) to stay “connected” 24/7. Furthermore, there are dependable ways to monitor social media via automation and RSS feeds.
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With proper planning, implementation and perseverance, your social media efforts can and will yield an increase in site traffic, added business and more success than you ever thought possible. The important lesson is to be in control your time…because time is your most valuable asset. Emancipating yourself from the constraints of being bound to your computer allows you to, possibly, work on other money-making ventures…all the while, strategically utilizing social media to its full potential.
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May every minute in your life be precious & productive…
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Usually, the only thing which saves me from hanging on facebook is turning my laptop off. I know I spend a lot of time online, but I only can contact with my friends this way. By the way, my scheduling skills aren’t good at all, I get always in trouble when I have to manage my time efficiently.
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Virag: Never fear…you are like many of us in that we spend far too much time online & neglect the face-to-face networking/socializing aspect of our business. It’s a common theme, so you are not alone! You might try the app that Matt mentioned in his comment — http://www.focusboosterapp.com/download. It allows you to set a time limit on your task, serves as an active reminder of the time you’ve spent & allows you to set “break periods” — essential for those of us who lose track of time and forget to take those all-important breaks throughout the day. Because your only means of contacting friends is through online sources, this adds to your total “screen time.” So, I can understand how easy it would be to dedicate a big chunk of your day to online activities. Don’t allow yourself to be tied to your computer and lose sight of the vital aspect of face-to-face interactions, networking & socializing. It’s good for you, on a personal level as well as professionally! Thanks for stopping by & sharing your experiences. Have a super week!
Interesting post. Personally to focus my efforts and stay on task I use a free program call focus booster. It keeps my time limited and also keeps me on track.
I found that if I use it with any tasks related to social media and blogging I can really produce much more than I would without it. Its a great time saver and FREE.
I also want to note that I am in now way affiliated with focus booster but just wanted to share this useful tool I found!
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Hello Matt! What a great tip…using “Focus Booster” to keep you on track & set time limits for tasks. I love it! I’m including a link to that app below for anyone interested in utilizing the same tool.
http://www.focusboosterapp.com/download
Thanks so much for dropping by and sharing your helpful hint. Have a wonderful week!
I love each of your points, but ‘Turn it Off” may actually be the most important in the BIG picture. As a lifelong Type A I admit to my addiction to working day after day without taking a break for weeks at a time. I know when I’ve hit the wall because I start to feel bad ( I have actually fallen asleep at my compter) and start making mistakes. It’s not only silly and unhealthy, I’m not doing my best work when I push myself like that … and I know there are plenty of other entrepreneurs like me out there doing the same thing. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself and your work is to ‘turn if off’ for awhile. Thanks!
I’m right there with you on this one, Marquita! We are so driven by our passion that we fail to understand the importance of balance in our lives. However, it doesn’t take long, does it, before old Mr. Balance comes knocking on our door…insisting we take notice or else! Plus, don’t you agree that creativity and inspiration generally comes from life experiences? So, if that is true…we have to actually turn ‘it’ (technology/business/planning) off for a while & go live life & experience new adventures! Thanks for stopping by & sharing your thoughtful comments. Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week & a super weekend!
Now where did all those lovely graphics in the comments come from? Great advice as always Lynn. Especially for managing time. Got to go get some work done.
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Hi Lynn,
Really useful tips on social media. Especially about getting things done first rather than wasting time on it.
As a blogger, outsource would be a thing that I can opt out from
I’d like to manage it myself. But when it comes to business, that would be the optimal solution. I like the way you have explained “Turn it off”. It happens to me sometimes. It’s very true and can interfere with our main purpose.
However (Yeah, question for you dear)… I like the automation and there are bunch o useful tools. But wouldn’t it be better if it’s bit more personal. I mean with a short description or something. It may mean more to fans or followers rather than sharing just the link. right? How do you feel about it Lynn?
Thanks for your useful tips as always dear
Ah yeah, enjoyed your Buzz marketing video too. Very interesting…
Cheers…
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Mayura: It appears that “turning it off” is the one common issue many of us face. It’s just too tempting to keep from taking that last peek at emails before going to bed or checking facebook when we really should be working on another project! I guess that urge to connect is what keeps the world ticking and business flowing, but at what cost? Lots of beauty sleep lost, that’s for sure!
As for your question regarding automation — I utilize automation tools, such as HootSuite, to schedule the release of blog posts and tweets about specific items, events or information. It enables me to concentrate on other tasks, knowing that information is getting “out there” even though I’m otherwise engaged. I don’t encourage total reliance on automation at all because social media demands personal replies, “shout-outs,” and acknowledgements in real time. If you strictly used automation, you’d quickly lose your following due to that lack of personal attention. And, you’re right, sometimes a brief explanation needs to accompany a tweet or other type of “share.” That’s another reason why I don’t strictly rely on automation.
As always, I genuinely appreciate you taking time to read & share your thoughts, comments & questions! Wishing you a fantastic week!
Lynn, I found that if I looked at my email at bedtime, I would spend time replying instead of trying to get to sleep. I have learned not to look. Thanks for your discussion of social media, a major time vampire, in my book.
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I, too, am guilty of taking that last peek at my email before bedtime! It never fails, either I find something that I think MUST be addressed right then or I find something that triggers tons of ideas (thus delaying much needed sleep).
We must ignore that urge to take one last look, right? I’m so glad you dropped in today and shared an issue that I know many of us face. Hope you have a restful & productive week!
Yep, them’s works!
It’s why i decided to limit my social media to buy a few of the panoply of offerings. And, to devote time while I watch a few programs in the evening to truly engage on twitter. (The boob tube does not require one’s undivided attention.)
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So true, Roy! “Boob tube” time is the perfect time to multi-task when needed! Your comment, “…to buy a few of the panoply of offerings” makes me wonder about your purchases…hmmmm…were they productivity-related or just for fun???
As always, Roy, I appreciate you spending time with me and sharing your thoughts. Have a great week!
I used to spend more time too on social media but the buffer really helped me schedule tweets and posts out. I would love to have a virtual assistant someday. I do turn it off usually by 9 pm unless there is a good Twitter chat
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Lisa: Seems as though we’ve all been guilty of spending too much time on social media, but the important fact is that we realized how much time was wasted and mended our ways! Glad to hear that you realize the importance of disconnecting. Constant interaction drains you mentally & physically — it actually inhibits your creative flow because you need time to rejuvenate & refresh those creative juices. Virtual assistants can be worth their weight in gold, if you choose wisely! I truly appreciate you stopping by today and sharing your thoughts. Wishing you a terrific week!
Great post Lynn!!
I’ve found days where I have lost so much time messing around on social media. If you’re not careful, you can get sucked in and loose track of time. I’m not as bad as I used to be, though I’ll make sure that I use these tips.
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So true, Matt. Social media can be a “black hole” in your universe or the yellow brick road to success…depending on how you use it! And then, there are those of us who just plain become addicted to it, like video games!
From your comment, it appears that you’ve discovered a time-management system that works for you…which is a great thing! I’m pleased that you stopped in today, found some useful information and shared your thoughts. Hope you have a super week!