The fun we have hanging out on the social media sites can be hard to beat at times. Meeting up with so many friends, family and new acquaintances is just so enjoyable that we forget about social media time management.
It is all a part of the wonderful online life and the sharing of common interests. But man, what a time killer this can be.
Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, Linkedin and many others are highly valuable services that, while very user friendly, are absolutely tremendous consumers of time that will leave you wondering where the day (or night) has gone.
You login to a place like the BlogEngage Forum to submit a post and the next thing you know, you have voted on and visited at least a half dozen other blogs. What started out to be a quick visit has now run you way past bedtime. 
Minutes become hours and… you know the rest.
As bloggers we simply cannot afford unlimited periods of time hanging out, as our main focus must be on content production and other blog related activities. It’s a ton of work staying on top of what needs to be done on the daily.
So with this in mind, we have to be cognizant of just how much time we spend networking because it is so easy to get caught up in the flow.
You may consider establishing a policy that does not provide for social site visits during periods that your blog has not been updated, thereby ensuring that you handle your business issues first.
When I am social networking I make a concerted effort to be productive by checking in with my blogging friends and associates, techies and geeks. These are all folks like me, who love technology and have a common goal, so this has a bit of a built in reminder to not get too far off course.
Social networking is not without a price. Time, which is more precious than money, just accelerates like crazy online. The fact of the matter is this; cyberspace is truly another time zone.
Here are a few social media time management tips to help keep this activity from becoming overwhelming.
Remember your goals
Goals should always be broken down into tasks that will add up to the desired result when completed one by one. If you are behind on your tasks, then you probably don’t have a lot of time to invest socializing online.
If your goal is to write 5 articles each week to post to your blog and you’ve only written 2, then you already know that Facebook may have to wait.
Schedule your networking activity
Most busy people (me included) use some sort of time management tool to stay on top of the many things that must be accomplished during the course of each day. Make social networking one of these tasks and schedule a slot of time for this activity. When the time has expired, it’s time to move on to your next item.
Maintain a focused strategy
Each time you log in to one of these sites, you should know your intent in advance. If you plan to exchange some information with a particular group of contacts, be certain to accomplish this first.
It is so easy to get distracted and end up doing something you had no intention of getting involved with during that online session.
Identify your best times to be productive
Some of us are more productive at certain times of the day (morning vs evening) and we should take advantage of that. Once identified, use the time wisely by being productive and creating some time for social activities later.
Avoid these sites during work hours if employed by others
If you work for a corporation or small business, be certain to check your employer’s policy with regard to accessing social networking sites. Many companies have forbidden this activity altogether for the very reasons that we’ve already identified, they are huge killers of time.
Utilize an overall strategy for building you brand
Engage in only the number of social network sites that you can consistently update. Spreading yourself too thin around the internet can be counter-productive as you will end up with several sites that are outdated, giving a less than glowing impression.
If you only have time for 1 site, that’s fine. Identify a core group of contacts and friends and regularly provide updates and interact with them.
Create some boundaries
You do not need to establish a relationship with every person that comes your way. Like real life, surround yourself with like-minded individuals who can lend something to your overall development and growth.
If you are a CSS programmer you may find little in common with the do-it-yourself home improvement types, other than performing some tech work for them.
The bottom line is that staying organized and productive is imperative to growth, so spend your social networking time with those who can share in the experience and provide you with something of value as well.
Watch out for the “shiny objects” that the internet has to offer, as many of them serve as little more than distractions that will keep you from your overall goals.
Conclusion
You know what your goals are but we all need a little bit of a reminder at times to stay on point. Reading an article like this and taking no action will do little to advance the cause.
Now after talking about how important it is to observe some social media time management, I shamelessly ask you to keep in touch.
You can find me on Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeed, to name a few.
How do you interact with social networking sites and what strategies do you employ to manage this activity?
Keep Blogging!
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18 Responses to Social Media Time Management
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" @Chris_Frailey No problem, Chris. Great weekend to you as well. :-) " — JimiJones
Ahh I hate that! I log into Twitter or Blog Engage and hours go by without me even realizing it!
Sometimes you need to make a choice, do I want to read this next tweet or get some sleep!
-Paul
http://paulroekle.com/tldb/
Hi Paul.
I know what you mean, man. I just keep going until the sandman arrives.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Social Media Time Management =-.
Social Media Time Management | Jimi Jones Dot Com…
The fun we have hanging out on the social media sites can be hard to beat at times. Meeting up with so many friends, family and new acquaintances is just so enjoyable that we can forget about social media time management….
I know that many people “Batch process” when blogging – so you spend maybe ten minutes every hour on social media etc.
I used to think that was a good idea, but I’ve found it stifles creativity. So I’ve gone back to dipping in and out when I want to. I’m sure it’s not as efficient, but I’m thinking it’s making me more fun and interesting to know, so maybe it is more effective?
Interested to know if anyone else feels the same.
.-= Mike CJ´s last blog ..The Biggest Trap of all for Bloggers =-.
I too dip in and out, but in good conscious i cannot do that until I have gotten out my post for the day.
Mike, my friend you are fun and interesting anytime you show up.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Social Media Time Management =-.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by 6aliens: Social Media Time Management http://bit.ly/cEJnAR via @jimijones…
I don’t batch anything, even blogging. I go with what feels good at the time and let my creativity and mood drive what I’m doing. I find that everything is much more organic that way.
However, I use social media to be productive. For others that just use it to hang out…might be a different story.
.-= Nathan´s last blog ..Podcast: 5 Year Plan (Part 3) =-.
I only batch post occasionally to create a buffer that I can pull from when needed. I agree, writing is all about the creativity of the moment. You’ve got some great post on your site at http://nathanhangen.com/ that deserve more play.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Social Media Time Management =-.
This is the very FIRST time I knew I needed to have a hard copy of an article. This will come in handy and I need that “Twister” clock so I can schedule a block of time for each.
I even lied to myself in the past and said I would spend a day a week on each network….impossible!
Thanks Jimi!
.-= Kissie´s last blog ..Blogging Rule Rant =-.
Hi Kissie,
I am glad that you find this helpful. Gee, I’m making it to print? LOL That’s pretty cool.
Thanks for your support, my friend.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Social Media Time Management =-.
I’ve stepped into the social media time warp far too many times. I have to make sure I’ve written my content before I begin any of these activities – or guess what? It’ll never get written! There’s just too many distractions and tangents… thanks for this reminder.
.-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..Original blog content vs. original ideas =-.
Hey Keisha!
experience is our best teacher, and I’ve had those lost in the sauce moments with social media as well. Hehe.
Learned that lesson long ago.
Thanks for visiting and keep up the great work at your new site http://weblogbetter.com/.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Social Media Time Management =-.
Hi Jimmi, you raise some good points. But unfortunately you’ve added to my ‘social media workload’ by the mention of the Blogengage forum. Never heard of it, so I’m off to check it out.
With so much of my traffic coming via social media, it’s difficult to spend to not spend too much time, especially when time is limited working for clients, blogging and personal time.
.-= Matthew Needham´s last blog ..10 businesses you can start in your pyjamas =-.
Hey Matthew!
I think you will love BlogEngage, a good place to post your articles and get a little extra traffic and exposure. Plus, the people there are great.
If you need anything over there or have questions, let me know. Brian, the site’s owner will also see that you get settled in.
The time thing is always going to be an issue. Just something we all have to regulate and keep under control, easier said than done of course.
Good luck at BE, man.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Strategic Use of Your Twitter Widget =-.
Reading everyone else’s blog posts is what cuts into my time. lol I’m starting to ignore the DM’s with links till I’ve done some work, preferably a few hours of billable work. haha
.-= Erica Mueller´s last blog ..ChevyBliss – The Equinox Roadtrip and Review =-.
I know what you mean, Erica.
If you don’t keep some of those distractions under control you’ll never get a thing done. We will just read and comment ourselves all the way to the poor house. LOL
I hope you get plenty of billable work too.
Thanks for coming by!
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Strategic Use of Your Twitter Widget =-.
You got a really useful blog I have been here reading for about an hour. I am a newbie and your success is very much an inspiration for me.
Hello and Welcome, Mark!
I am happy that your have found the site of interest. You’ve landed in the right place, as everyone is welcome here. I’ll be happy to help you with your blogging journey if you like. We share a lot of good tips here, so come back often, learn as a member of the community.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..How To Beat Procrastination =-.