From Edie: Feeling overwhelmed by social media? Learn how writers can simplify their online presence, avoid burnout, and build sustainable rhythms by putting faith, focus, and purpose first.
How Writers Can Simplify Social Media Without Burnout: A Faith-Centered Approach
by Samantha Evans Tschritter @LoveSamEvans
At the age of twenty-seven, I worked as a youth director for a church in Oregon. One particular day, I fielded a variety of phone calls and stared at the notes I’d taken—a to-do list with branches reaching to various margins. The pastor, parents, teens, and leadership team all had differing beliefs of what my job description should be.
Frustrated, I tossed my pen onto the legal pad and wondered when I stopped trusting Jesus as king of my time.
Sometimes, that same feeling creeps into my writing life—the sense of being drawn and quartered by the various social media platforms. I could sit in five different workshops led by five different writing professionals and leave with five different recipes for success.
Edie Melson knows a thing or two about blogging, while Vincent Davis focuses on Amazon. Annette Reeder emphasizes the importance of developing your YouTube channel. Another author might discuss developing relationships with bookstagrammers, while down the hall from her, the importance of podcasts are being preached—add agent and publishers’ thoughts into the mix and your brain might suddenly combust.
So, let’s pause.
For just a moment, swipe all the apps, all the to-do’s, off your brain screen. Let’s recalibrate.
What does your devotional time look like?
If you are stressed, overwhelmed, or burned out, examine your time with God.
I’m not sure when it happened, but I’ve finally freed myself from comparing my quiet time to other Christians I deemed “more spiritual.” Your alone time with God shouldn’t look like others’ time with God. You are unique, so your time with God is also unique. Some people spend an hour in prayer, or an hour journalling, or an hour reading the Bible. I’m not them. Before I get out of bed or open a single app on my phone, I read one chapter of the Bible. Giving God the first minutes of each day, my “first fruits,” is special and sacred to me.
Maybe you see God most clearly when you’re baking in the kitchen, playing an instrument, or singing a worship song. You get to decide what your relationship with God should look like, but recalibrating our to-do list will be ineffective if God is not the bass line.
“God, what do you want to do today?”
Place your time in God’s hands. Rather than to-do’s, write out God-do’s. What does God want me to do today? How does He want me to spend my time?
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
When we structure our day with the foundation of faith and obedience, we can trust the end result of our workday or writing hours are exactly on track.
Jesus promised discipleship wouldn’t be easy, but He did say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
Jesus knows our limitations better than we do and has no desire for short-circuiting disciples.
The God-Do
Now that we’re recalibrated, it’s time to pick up tasks for the day. And I’ll bet that if you are prayerfully listening, your God-do list is much more manageable than your to-do list.
Here are tricks to simplify your social media presence even further.
1. Choose a finite amount of time.
Define success as working diligently for the parameters you set for yourself. Whether you have one hour or six, turn your phone to DND (Do Not Disturb) and get to work!
2. Maximize Effort.
- Keep an ongoing list of blog or video ideas.
- Batch content. Whether you’re writing blogs, posts, and articles, or recording videos, try to complete more than one in the same sitting. Especially with videos, this saves set-up and tear down time.
- Schedule content releases. Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok allow free scheduled posts
- Explore the Metricool program. Metricool allows users to schedule up to 50 free posts each month. Posts go live without a second thought, while you’re driving, washing dishes, or sleeping.
- What can you learn to do better? Maybe one Tuesday the only task you accomplish is learning the ins and outs of Tiktok to maximize your presence. Watch Youtube videos to learn from influencers who’ve already streamlined their effectiveness. @ModernMille is my favorite.
- Use the same 60-second-or-less reel for TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube.
- Save meta date (description, links, and hashtags) in a file on your computer or a note on your phone. Then, uploading content is as simple as copy/ paste.
3. Know Thyself.
God did not create all of us with the same strengths and talents. You do not have to perform the latest trending dance or plank challenge in order to have a successful Instagram account. Gifts like teaching and hospitality absolutely apply to sharing about ourselves on social media. We just need to figure out the method that feels most natural to us. What makes you unique? What inspires you? If you are inspired by the content you’re sharing your excitement will shine through, and others will get excited too.
4. Keep a growth chart of the various platforms you’re on.
Social media platforms vs. dates. The purpose of this is two-fold. First, you can track what you’ve accomplished. Celebrate growth. Second, when you check in with your progress every few months, you can see which platforms need a little TLC.
5. Focus on one platform.
Which social media platform brings you the most joy? Which platform comes the most naturally to you? Give that platform 80% of your attention and be content to give the other platforms just enough for followers to know you’re still alive.
Other authors/ influencers might disagree with this piece of advice, but for my own growth I’ve noticed when I try to bolster numbers on every platform simultaneously, I scarcely make progress on any platform. Not only do I spin wheels, I also burn out. Accomplish what you can accomplish each day and allow yourself grace for the pieces that go undone.
And, once you build momentum on one platform, you can turn your focus to another.
6. Open a Free Linktree account.
Linktree lists all of your social media platforms in one place. With a click of a button, Linktree directs my users to every social media platform I’m on, my Amazon Author Central page, my website, and the preorder opportunity for my latest book.
7. Create a free Rebrandly account.
Not only can you create simpler web addresses for your content, but you can create free QR codes for any link you can think of—website, book orders, podcast interviews—you name it.
Conclusion:
In the ancient custom of being drawn and quartered, having each limb tied to a horse, the torture wasn’t simply a matter of being pulled in different directions, it was a method of execution. Victims were torn apart, torn to pieces.
Unlike the ancient custom, in regard to the busyness of our writing routines, we are holding the ropes ourselves. Think of it this way:
God doesn’t expect you to do more than you can do.
Let’s release our grip before we kill ourselves, agreed?
What can you let go of?
And now, what can you pursue?
Now you’re catching on, or letting go—well, you know what I mean.
TWEETABLE
Tschritter currently resides in Simpsonville, South Carolina with her husband, their three teen and preteen daughters, cats named Pitter and Patter, and their Siberian husky whom she lost the vote to name Onomatopoeia. Nothing refreshes Tschritter’s soul like gardening. She gardens to work through plot holes, writer’s block, character development, and book ideas. Tschritter spends a great deal of time gardening. You can find her on social media at Linktr.ee/LoveSamEvans.
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