Do you find yourself sitting on FB, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn for hours? But you were just going on to post one thing for your biz? Or do you get bored and look at your email and FB every 2 minutes?
Say it with me! TIME SUCK!!
Well, that’s not productive! Take it from me the original procrastinator. I rather do dishes and clean the house then get things done that I should be working on. And I don’t even like dishes and cleaning but I always have that nagging feeling about leaving something to do.
But that’s why I know how I am and can see the signs of procrastination. There are a few things that have helped me. And this year I decided my word for the year was FOCUS. Simply because I tend to loose it. So now sitting at my desk right above my computer is the word FOCUS. Yes, sometimes it’s annoying but it also reminds me to stay focused.
I also started to going to different places that have wifi to accomplish big tasks or when I just can’t seem to get working. I refer to a local cafe as my office away from home. I also just move around the house sometimes just for different scenery or fewer distractions. From my desk in the bedroom to the desk in the living room and even the dining room table.
So today my tips are a little about social media and more of how to stay productive while getting your social on.
You all have smart phones that have a clock and calendar. 2 Key items in your arsenal to be productive. Timing yourself while on social media can be an eye opening experience.
Try using a tracking app to see how much time you spend on social, emails and everything else, check out this app: Rescue time for MAC PC Android There is a free and paid version.
Use your calendar if it’s electronic or paper to Schedule your time to work on your social media for your business. Actually, make it an appointment in your schedule. Do you have a set time that you check your emails? This would be the same thing. Even if its while your sitting in the car waiting for the kids, that is a good time to choose to be productive and not just look at the newsfeed.
Make a plan. When you schedule your time also pick how long you will work on it and use your timer for the amount of time you chose.
Have you heard of the Pomodoro technique? It’s where you work for 25 minutes and then have a 5-minute break. It helps your productivity by being focused on 1 task for that set time. It also helps you create blocks of work and rest in turn getting more accomplished. There are tons of apps that you can download for this. Clear Focus is the one I use.
If you really don’t trust yourself to focus on what needs to be done you can try blocker apps. Which let you block certain websites. GetColdTurkey.com
If that’s too crazy for you, just start with something small and check your notifications on all of the platforms. Most of the places you go on a regular basis which include your phone apps that have multiple ways of notifying you of any alerts. Change your settings to notify you only once and one way (or turn OFF all of your notifications!)
So to wrap up, My strategies to get things done and stay focused are:
- Make a plan and Schedule it
- Time yourself
- Use apps to your advantage, not the other way around!
Remember to plan with a purpose every day and be happy when you complete those goals!
