Monday, April 1, 2019

It's Time to Quit Social Media



by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Yep you read that right. And even though it IS April Fool's Day, I'm only half kidding.

The Queen of social media is telling you it's time to QUIT social media. 

NOT permanently (thought you were going to get out of it, didn’t you!), but I'm suggesting you take a break periodically, and re-examine your plan.

I used to keep up with social every single day, whether I was home or traveling. But I’ve learned that I can’t sustain a reasonable social media schedule seven days a week, indefinitely. So I’ve given myself permission to have weekends off and to relax when I’m traveling.
I know it sounds scary, but the truth is—it hasn’t hurt my platform at all—as a matter of fact it has helped it. Here’s two reasons why:
  • My updates are fresher.
  • I have time to expose myself to new blogs and new people.
So how do you know if it’s time to back off on social media?
  • You’re spending more than thirty minutes a day on social media updates.
  • You find yourself investing more energy in your blog than in your writing.
  • You’re updating about the same five or six sites four to five times a week.
  • You cringe when you hear the words social media.
  • You don’t have time to discover new blogs/followers/friends.
Here’s what to do.

1. STOP. Give yourself permission to quit social media completely for forty-eight hours. Don’t announce it on Facebook, Twitter or even your blog. Just STOP.

2. Rediscover what you enjoy about social media. AFTER the forty-eight hours of rest, spend a day or two just browsing. Take time to really read a couple of blog posts, visit with friends on Facebook, or hang out on Twitter.

3. Determine what you need to accomplish with social media. Then make a plan so you can accomplish it in no more than thirty minutes a day, no more than five days a week.

4. Restart your social media. Do it by sharing what you’ve learned. You can update about quitting social media, new blogs you’ve discovered, even new connections you’ve made.

I recommend a minimum of four Facebook posts per working day and four Twitter updates. This is something anyone can accomplish during a quick thirty minute window.

Quick Tip: If you schedule your social media for the day in the morning, get a jump on the next morning by scheduling some of the next day’s updates in the late afternoon. A lot of blogs go live in the afternoon, so you’ll have a chance to que up some fresh material before you stop work for the day.

Now it’s your turn, what do you do when social media overwhelms you?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,

12 comments:

  1. When I read the title, then the author, I couldn't believe it was you. It does feel great to back off sometimes. It does get overwhelming. I keep up with my social media but, have stopped my blog for awhile. I'm not sure which direction my writing is going. I have two totally different proposals out right now. God seems to be telling me to wait. Thank you for all of your advice in your blogs, and in person.

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    1. Jann, I titled this that way for two reasons - 1) it IS April Fool's Day, and 2) I wanted to make everyone think about how much time they're spending on social media. It's a vital PART of our writing, but it can take up too much time if we let it! Blessings, E

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  2. Brilliant, Edie! Thank you for giving us permission to reassess.

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  3. When social media overwhelms me, I tend to hit the delete button on a lot of emails. :-) Scheduling time for social media helps me to feel less stress.

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    1. Melissa, I do the exact same thing! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Blessings, E

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  4. This sounds like a good plan. Social media overwhelms me. Every day I feel like I'm playing catch up, and it definitely steals time from my writing. Social media doesn't come naturally to me, so it is time consuming.

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  5. Thanks, Edie. I need a break. Life is overwhelming enough without the pressure of keeping the social media plate spinning all the time.

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  6. Great post. I'm light on the weekends and take a social media fast monthly. Social media can be overwhelming and hard on my heart at times.

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  7. Timely post!! I was out of pocket yesterday and caught up on email today. One was a survey question - What is your pet peeve about marketing? Mine is the time spent on Social Media!!! I love your take on it, and I'm trying really hard to not take it as seriously, and to not let myself get sucked into rabbit holes! Thank you!

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