How to Minimize Your Distractions on Facebook by @StephNissen_

by Stephanie Nissen | Featured Contributor

We’ve all been there with the distractions on social media. You login to Facebook with your mind set to go make a post to your business page and schedule the rest of the week. You’re going to get this taken care of so you don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the week.

Over an hour later, you realize the only thing you’ve accomplished is watching a funny BuzzFeed video about unexpected animal sounds, you’re messaging with your sister, and you’ve hit like on every baby photo in your feed. This all counts as work, right? Probably not.

It’s easy to get distracted on social media by social media. This is why we use it to build our business – people like to interact, engage, like, comment, share, and watch videos. If they didn’t like it, we wouldn’t be using it. If you’re reading this blog, you need a few ways to distance yourself from social media time sucks while you’re trying to work. Here’s a few tips and tricks that I’ve found useful:

1. Set a Designated “Social” Time – You want to socialize and see what’s happening on your feed so schedule a time to do just that. If I know in my head or on my calendar that at 11am I’m going to spend 15 minutes on the newsfeed, I’m less likely to do it throughout the day. Designate a time to be social and enjoy social media!

2. Use a Checklist – Write down exactly what you need to accomplish. There’s nothing more satisfying then checking an item off the list! I use Evernote and TeuxDeux for this.

3. Manage Your Feed – It easy to get distracted on social media when the post type will pull at you. I get sucked into BuzzFeed posts all the time which can be a huge time waster. Instead of unliking the page, I just unfollowed them so they’re not the first thing that shows up when I login. If you’re quick to post an encouraging note for that friend who complains every time they login, it might be time to unfollow. Make a mental note (or add it to your checklist) to check their page when you have social time on your schedule later.

4. Use a Scheduling Software – If you get distracted when you’re supposed to be scheduling posts, use a third-party posting program like Sprout Social or Post Planner. You can get in, do your work, and completely skip the distracting newsfeed.

5. Use the News Feed Eradicator – This is a Google Chrome extension that hides your newsfeed completely and replaces it with a inspiring quote from people like Buddha or Ghandi. Most of their users really seem to love it, earning 4 out of 5 stars on the Chrome Web Store.

6. Block the Game Requests – We have those friends that play Candy Crush (Guilty!) and Farmville which then send out invites every single day (or it seems that way). You have two options: 1. Block your friend from sending game requests or 2. Block the game itself. Just head over to your block settings on Facebook.

7. Use a Timer – Either set it on your phone or dust off the egg timer for this one. Set the timer to go off in 10 minutes to remind yourself to stay on task. This way, it’s not an hour later when you realize you’ve gotten distracted. Every 10 minutes, have the timer go off until your done with what you wanted to accomplish on Facebook.

What do you do to get rid of your Facebook distractions? I’m always on the look-out for good tips!

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Stephanie Nissen – Social Media and Marketing Consultant at Nissen Media, LLC

As a woman small business owner and solopreneur, Stephanie knows that running a business takes time, knowledge, flexibility, and passion. Some of the hats she wears at her company include Social Media Manager, Blogger, Copywriter, Website Designer, Marketing Consultant, Email Marketing Campaign Manager, and Social Media Coach.

Stephanie works primarily with small and local businesses but still enjoys marketing for large brands. Most of her clients fall into one of these categories – small business, real estate, coaching, and online marketing. Her educational background is in web development but her passion is in marketing.

Personally, Stephanie is “social media obsessed”, a proud Mom to an active toddler, active follower of Christ, and way too competitive at board games!

Connect with Stephanie on Twitter @StephNissen_, Instagram @StephNissen_, and like Nissen Media on Facebook.

Stephanie Nissen