Working in the digital realm, my job relies heavily on my use of social media. Whether for a client or for self-promotion, being well-versed in apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter is an must. If you’re working what you’d consider a “regular 9-to-5” and you’re thinking ‘Wow, it must be fun to get paid to work in social media” well… you’re right. However, it’s VERY EASY to experience burnout. Extended screen times, cold spots in engagement, and working across multiple platforms for multiple clients in multiple time-zones, all contribute to the feeling of extreme exhaustion. But the #1 challenge of managing social media for your clients in many cases — is simply not being swallowed into it.
I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but social media apps are designed to keep you engaged. Whether it’s Facebook’s infinite scroll, or getting notifications every time you receive a like; companies utilize detailed behavioral science research to keep engagement soaring. And to take things a step further, if you’re posting to social media with the intention of growing your following or fanbase you’re probably thinking what most people are thinking - how can I grow my following from 50-100 likes to 1000 likes? I understand that being successful also means being involved, but in order to be successful, you’ll need to understand the 2 magic words that will help you understand the steps you need to take towards true growth.
If you find yourself continuously refreshing a page, scrolling through your YouTube only to find videos you’ve already seen in your feed, or if you’ve suddenly stopped working on a assignment that’s due by the end of the day and you find yourself on Instagram’s Explore page, yell these words in your head :
STOP CONSUMING!
YES. STOP. CONSUMING. Many of us don’t want to delete our social media accounts in order to be productive. So, the best thing to is to tell yourself to stop consuming. Now this may seem like an empty objective at first, but here’s the flip side. Once you stop consuming, you’ve created the space to do something great.
START PRODUCING!
When using social media, there’s one thing to keep in mind - most people and companies you’d like to get the attention of via social media, you won’t do it by liking or commenting. It’s your body of work and your achievements that will put you in a position to attain more likes, make more friends, travel to more places, and inevitably, post more content. So as attractive as your Instagram feed may be, besides a small dose of inspiration, you’ll need to invest your energy outside of social media in order to rise in it.
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W.O.N. is a great concept I learned about while listening to The Minimalist Podcast (a great podcast!). Essentially, instead of using your phone or laptop to outline your goals, giving yourself space from technology helps keep your thoughts orientated properly while also helping you stay focused the next time you approach a device. Writing a list of objectives “When Online Next” is extremely useful in cutting down screen time, increasing productivity while also maintaining a sense of zen.
It’s very easy to lose track of your screen time and time spent on applications. The best way to avoid this is to set time limits for application use during the day. You’ll still be able to override the timer if you really want to use an app, but this will definitely help keep yourself in check if you’re getting too deep app usage.
Setting a sleep time for phone activity will have significant effects on your sleep, daily productivity and overall well-being. Not only does it help structure time during the day for other activities outside of technology, but it helps set a daily routine that will help you get more rest during the evening which results in greater focus, productivity and overall happiness during the day. Personally, I find myself more productive during the days where I had a good nights rest.
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