Do you ever look around your desk and see the mounds of work you “need” to do? Do you ever find yourself wondering what happened to the last two hours? Do you ever get lost on the internet down a rabbit hole to discover you just missed that conference call you were supposed to call into? Do you wonder how in the world you can possibly make a difference on your social media platforms when you don’t have enough time to do your “regular” work now? How am I every going to be productive with social media?
You are not alone. With all the barrage of devices and delivery methods, it is a wonder that we can focus long enough to get anything done. Add the difficult project you are not looking forward to working on and you could be lost on the internet for another two days trying to not do the one thing you need to get done!
Here are four of my favorite tricks to keep myself in the positive, productive mode:
1 – I use a timer – kitchen timer, free timer on my iPhone, meditation timer found on the internet – use anything that you can set for a specified amount of time and get to work on just one thing until it goes off. My preference is to set the timer for 14 minute blocks. Usually by the third or fourth time it goes off, I am ready for a 3-4 minute stretch. I actually stand up and stretch at my work area to get the blood (and ideas) flowing again.
2 – Focus on one thing at a time. Resist checking email, answering phone, responding to texts, etc. Anything can wait for the 14 minute block of time while the timer is going. Stay in one platform, like LinkedIn and find people you know, find groups that will help you with your business, etc. Write that blog article and nothing else until that gets done. Review and reset your Facebook ad settings and comment on business pages to help your network (hint: and then they will probably help you back).
3 – At the beginning of each work day, I organize my day by choosing 3 to 5 “priorities” to get done that day. When I find myself pulled off into another direction, as soon as I realize it, I end that diversion and get right back to my big focus point. I literally write them down on a 3 X 3 yellow (or pink) sticky note and cross them off as I accomplish them. These priorities can vary in time commitments and/or importance.
4 – Stay in the moment. Do not concern yourself with the weight of the world on your shoulders. For the 14 minutes your timer is ticking, just work on the one thing. Each day, one of those 14 minute blocks is spent in silent meditation. I find this helps me keep clearer throughout the day. I turn off sound notifications and simply close my eyes, breath quietly and try to think of nothing.
One aspect to success and being more productive with social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, etc.) is consistency. Be consistent in postings to keep communities interactive. Posting in social media accounts is part of a basic internet presence plan and this need to be done on a regular basis. Use these 4 tips to become more productive with your social media accounts.
Don’t pitch the program if you falter. Just start over. Set the timer, pick that one big focus, ignore the buzzes, rings and beeps and forge onward!
