What do you do if social media is distracting you from managing your time and tasks effectively?

Allocate your resources - including your time. I book time into my calendar to scroll social media, to respond to messages, to post content, and I put a timer on to alert me when that time is up.

Knowing that you're spending too much work time on social media is the right first step. It can be very distracting and unfulfilling to your brain to be consuming so much content in a short amount of time. Be wary of falling into a rabbit hole often. This can lead to low work performance and creates bad habits to being successful in your future.

Never get to that place where you're mindlessly scrolling. I know it's easier said than done, but even if you find yourself "wasting time", make it productive! Have a notepad next to you where you can jot down ideas, hashtags, and inspiration that come to you for upcoming social media posts. Or bookmark posts with trends or trending sounds to revisit when brainstorming content for your business. Honestly, I don't think it's possible to take off your social media manager "hat" when you're checking social media. I find myself always thinking about strategies and ideas, even if my personal algorithm doesn't match the industry I work in. There's always inspiration to be found!

For me, setting specific times for checking social media—like during lunch or after completing a significant task—helps maintain focus. Additionally, I keep social media tabs closed and notifications off while working. This creates a less distracting environment, making it easier to stay on track with daily goals. It's all about creating a balance that allows for both productivity and the enjoyment of social media without letting it overwhelm your schedule.

It is okay to have a look at your social media feed during the day. Especially if you work with Social Media, it is good to keep an eye on trending topics and any crisis's that is happening. But it might be difficult to not overspend time scrolling your feed. What I like to do is to set a 5 minutes timer and sit on my couch to check it. This helps my brain to train it not to check my social media when I am at my desk.

I like to schedule block. Schedule blocking is putting times on your calendar that you will only allow yourself to do specific things. So if I've blocked off an hour from 6-7 to be on social media, I stick to that so I can avoid burnout.

Start slow. Like quitting anything, you can't just give it up. slowly reduce your time on each app and set specific schedules of when to check and be active. I've found that 15 minute time limit works for me, or other times I find activities like walking outside, listening to music, or even taking my time to eat a snack helps refresh my mind.

If you are managing social media channel, you might want to check tools that helps you manage inquiries and keeps you away of colorful feed and those dopamine shots like short videos that we all love to scroll for hours. If you want to isolate only your work related queries then tools like Hootsuit or Sprinklr might be your answer.

The "out of sight, out of mind" approach is effective for minimizing social media distractions during work hours. Despite its difficulty, endeavor to divert your thoughts from social media and current updates. When the urge to check platforms like Instagram or scroll through TikTok arises, mentally commit to doing so after completing a task or during your lunch break. Before you realize it, you'll have devoted significant time to prioritized tasks.

I often use these proven effective strategies (for me, 7 out of 10 times, it works). ??1. "One-In, One-Out" Rule: Challenge yourself to complete one productive activity before accessing social media. This ensures a balanced approach between social media usage & productive endeavors. ??2. Leverage the Generation Effect: Research in cognitive psychology suggests that writing down tasks enhances task management efficiency by engaging memory retrieval and encoding processes. ??3. Reframe Social Media Use: Rather than viewing social media as a distraction, consider it a reward for completing tasks or a well-deserved break. This mindset shift complements your productivity efforts rather than detracting from them.