When you spend hours every day managing your business’s social media channels, it’s hard to resist the urge to browse your personal pages. But this behavior can easily lead to hours wasted on your personal social media accounts, like Facebook, when you should be working.
Because Facebook is so user-friendly it becomes tempting to switch over from your business page to your personal page with one simple ‘click.’ Before you know it, the deadline you placed on yourself to be finished with social media has passed you by – you’ve entered the social media spiral.
Facebook is one of the more popular tools to keep in touch with clients, businesses, friends and family. But there is a reason why it’s been said that Facebook is more addicting than tobacco or alcohol.
It’s human nature that we do not want to miss out on anything, especially the latest news updates on our social media accounts. But for those of us who have the tendency to get lured in by the temptation to check our personal pages while at work, this could pose a serious threat to our productivity in the workplace.
Thankfully, there are ways to avoid falling into unhealthy work habits.
Setting a time limit for how long you will work on Facebook will help keep you accountable. After you determine how long you will need to update all of your business pages and to interact with your groups, try to stick to the time limit you set for yourself. Keep a timer on your phone and when the alarm goes off, logout. Knowing there is a limit will help keep you focused on working as opposed to browsing. After logging out, taking a five-minute walk outside without your electronics. This is a great way to clear your head and stretch before transitioning to your next project.
When you return from your break and begin preparing for the rest of your day, try to enter “hermit mode” for a set amount of time. Hermit mode means logging out of all unnecessary social media sites and shutting down as many electronic devices as you can to boost productivity and acutely focus on your work. This determination will give you a momentous boost and increase your work output in amazing ways. If you can, allot two hours. If your schedule does not allow that, even just 30 minutes in hermit mode can prove helpful.
If there are some days that Facebook consumes a large portion of your time, prioritizing can reduce the social media spiral. Making a list of what you need to do on Facebook while practicing the 25-5 method will help you become less distracted by your own personal news feed. The 25-5 method means working hard for 25 minutes and then rewarding yourself with a five-minute break, perhaps getting a snack and water or spending a few minutes catching up with a coworker – anything to take a rest from staring at your computer screen all day.
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