The Priceless Jewel Called Time
Your time is the most important commodity that you have in this world. It does not matter if you have 10 million dollars in the bank, a different car for every day of the week, and a personal jet. If you suddenly fall terminally ill, every single item in your possession will not matter. The only thing you will likely be concerned about is how much time you have left.
Time is valuable because it enables individuals to realize their dreams. It allows for priceless memories with family and friends. The time you invest today will determine the options provided tomorrow. If you are a dreamer of a better life that includes an integrated life with your business, then you must develop awareness around how you spend your time.
While I understand the importance of social media to build an online reputation, establish credibility within a field, and foster community, it is important that you set clear limits. All of us have at some point made the decision to post an update, picture, or video which should take one minute or less. One hour later, you find yourself sucked into the vacuum of social media and oblivious to everyone and everything that is happening around you. It's all good, you are human, and I understand that sometimes you get caught up in the moment.
The following are three suggestions to empower you to make better use of your time with social media.
1. Do NOT scroll!
This is extremely difficult, and it takes a person who is the epitome of discipline to resist the temptation not to scroll down the feed. One way to control this urge, is to begin with deciding to only respond to three notifications or make two comments on the profiles of a friend or follower during a pre-determined time in your day. You will not be able to do this every single time you open the social media app of your preference, but if you determine in your mind that scrolling is not a good use of your time, then it is possible to stop or temporarily mediate this subconscious habit.
2. Create a content theme.
If you are planning to use social media as a tool to build an audience for your business, then it will be important to predetermine what you plan to share. Decide to make the content before logging-in then, upload the media, copy the text, and keep it moving to your next task! Social media schedulers are one of many options that you can use to achieve this objective. Taking time to engage others on social media is important, and posting content that merely reflects your life is critical to building a positive, well-rounded online reputation. Nonetheless, the content you post and respond to (in a timely manner-review #1) should reflect the themes that you determine to make good use of your time.
3. Get very clear on your daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
To make the best use of your time, it is vital to establish clarity on your goals. At the start of each week or the end of the previous week, schedule what you must accomplish for the week ahead. On the days that you organize your calendar to achieve your goals, take time in the morning to review and make changes as necessary. Weekly and daily goals should follow the practice of determining your larger goals for the month. In Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington’s book,The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months, they recommend creating goals for three months and carving out your days and weeks based on this time frame. If you want to maximize the efficiency of your time on social media, take time to set goals!
A brief recap
Additional strategies are useful in regards to avoiding time warps while making use of social media. The suggestions I offered in this entry, resisting the urge to scroll, creating content themes, and establishing clear goals around social media are what I practice in my life and inform others who I am honored to serve as their personal development coach.
What do you say?
Are there other methods that you have adopted in your life that can work for someone reading this blog? Leave it in the comments and let’s grow as a community!