I’ll just check Facebook//Instagram/Pinterest for a minute…

Social media, in all of its manifestations, is a daily part of our lives.  For anyone in marketing, sales or communications, it is a  necessary evil.  For the rest of us, social media can be a fun distraction, a communication tool and definitely a “time suck” which drains our time and productivity. Have you ever said “I’ll just check Facebook for 5 minutes” and you look up from the screen and an hour has gone by without your even noticing?  Social media, for all its useful applications, is absolutely a rabbit hole that we all tend to fall into.  In the workplace, the stakes and costs are even higher.  Studies have shown a 13% loss in productivity in the workplace due to social media use which costs the economy billions each year. So how do I keep social media from being a time and productivity suck?

Put yourself on a social media “diet”

The Greek poet Hesiod urged “moderation in all things”.   For all of us, social media must be limited if you want to remain productive and on schedule.  Too much of anything is not healthy so put yourself on a “diet” of social media.  Set a timer on your phone and when the timer goes off, get off social media.  If you are truly on social media for work, write some bullet points on what you are doing and stick to your outline.  Resist the temptation to click on interesting links or check out what others are doing and saying online.  Like resisting cupcakes is good for your waistline, resisting checking out our friends’ feeds is good for your productivity.

Turn off social media notifications on your phone to keep from logging on all the time.  Like Pavlov’s dog, we hear that little “ding” and think this is something we must check out immediately.  Instead, set a time each day to go through your social media feeds and engage online.  A couple of hours is not going to make a difference in liking a friend’s photo.