Social Media and Time Management

“Time Wasters” are those seemingly harmless pastimes that end up sucking the life and time right out of your day. You sit down to read a few industry blogs, catch up on Twitter and the next time you look up, your daughter has left for college and your son is shaving.

Not only will these black holes of time cause you stress because you’re wasting time, you will also be kicking yourself in the rear end because you’ll be filled with regrets. You’ll be wondering how you could have been so tuned out to sit at the computer, reading about urban legends for the past three hours.
Here are some suggestions for avoiding wasted time:

Set a timer

If you want to take a quick 10-minute break in the midst of an all-morning project to see what’s going on at CNN, that’s fine. Grab the kitchen timer, set it for 10 minutes, then say goodbye to the latest news and get back to work. The same goes for Facebook and Twitter. Go ahead and check in, but set your timer – I actually keep a timer just for this in my office. It’s amazing how fast time will go by when you’re being social and enjoying yourself.

Schedule down time

Let’s say you have to go in to have your gall bladder removed. Would you rather be operated on by the emergency room doctor who’s been on the clock for 32 hours straight, or by the one who just returned from a nice, 30-minute lunch in the doctors’ lounge? I know who I’d choose! Schedule in down-time for yourself so you can have a little non-work fun into your day. It’ll refresh you for the tasks ahead, and also make an all-evening “Friends” and Haagen Dazs marathon less likely. It’s when we don’t schedule a little escape during the day that we end up crashing and burning sometime later into an unhealthy marathon of some sort.

Multi-Task

Most of the time, it’s most efficient to focus on one thing at a time while you’re trying to be productive. But some tasks are just born for multitasking. Listen to industry-related podcasts while on the treadmill. Check your email while at your daughter’s gym class. Instead of sitting on your chair on the phone with your sister, go for a walk while you chat. Layer activities the way you try to layer profits in your business.

Record your time

It’s been said that you can’t improve what you don’t measure. If you really want to reduce the number of times you check email during the day, or the amount of time you spend on some of the Facebook games, write it down. A simple notation in your calendar is all it takes, then each day try to beat your best. While you may have some backsliding moments, over time you’ll notice a positive trajectory when you can clearly see the time you’ve wasted.

Even after you’ve reined in all your time wasters, there may be more you can do to streamline your schedule. Perhaps there are things you shouldn’t be doing at all? Take a look at the ways you need to let go and start delegating tasks. Keeping a to-do list is one of the top ways I tell clients to determine what tasks need to be outsourced. Just watch your list for the ones that do not get ticked and completed. Chances are they are the ones that can always wait – and ones that you can outsource.

Related posts:

1. Saving time on Social Media
2. Social Media outsourcing – what not to outsource