My husband was always telling me off for being on my phone and using social media as it ate into our limited time together. At first I wasn’t aware until I put the phone away for a few hours and realised I was struggling to leave it alone!
Upon reflection I then became concerned about the effect that it would have on my step children and the example it would set them. I thought about ways to limit its use without missing out (and its an incredibly difficult balance to find!) so I researched ways to improve the situation and it really works! So here they are; my top five tips for handling your social media whilst still having a life!
1. Use an automated app to send your tweets and update your LinkedIn; many people often ask me how I can get all of my work done and still have the time to update social media? It’s pretty easy because I generally don’t! I allocate one hour each evening or a couple of hours on a Sunday evening, I then identify trends in the HR world then put it all into my Hootsuite application on my iPhone. Hootsuite works on your behalf and can even schedule updates to appear at peak times to ensure you get noticed. Now that I have it I don’t know how I lived without it!
2. Get business updates to your desktop, all of my CIPD, ACAS and People Management updates are sent to me directly via email and appear at lunchtime when I have time to read them whilst having lunch.
3. Put the smartphone down! Working without your phone on your desk or not getting it out of your bag when you meet a friend for coffee will stop you getting distracted and allows you to switch off and focus on the task at hand. You can then recharge your batteries and allow yourself some much needed “you” time and trust me, you will feel a lot better for it.
4. Don’t look at your emails all day; allocate certain times during the day to check your emails; go and talk to a colleague instead of sending an email or pick up the phone if they’re not based at your site. People often prefer a more personable approach, this allows you to build effective relationships in your workplace, well let’s face it you can’t get a personality across via a screen!
5. Download a radio, podcast or a playlist from iTunes or Google Play; when at home instead of checking Facebook, put on the playlist and listen to it around the house, this will keep your mind busy and help you resist the temptation to pick up the phone or tablet. If you listen to business podcasts, it’s a great opportunity to learn about current trends but if you listen to some of your favourite music, nothing can be better to help you relax or have a dance around your kitchen if that’s more your thing!
I hope these handy tips will help you free up your time and help you become more productive, not just at work but at home too.
Check out this article to find out more about smartphone addiction: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201307/smartphone-addiction
Natalie Ellis HR 