Having just emerged from a frustrating week without social networking — no Facebook, no Twitter, no Tumblr … heck, not even MySpace! — I took some time off this morning to think about what I learned from the experience.
Basically, shutting myself off from the world can’t force me to get more done. There are plenty of other distractions out there, and I’m going to find them when I don’t feel like working. Sure, I didn’t waste any time reading Twitter this week, but I did watch the entire first season of Torchwood.
My takeaway is that social sites are no worse than any other favorite distraction. It’s okay for them to be part of your life — a big part, even —as long as you manage the amount of time you spend and don’t let them interfere with work.
Here’s my best advice on how to allow work and Facebook to peacefully coexist:
Don’t Go Cold Turkey
I can’t recommend completely quitting your social networks as a way to increase your productivity. If you’re a compulsive Facebook checker, thinking about loading up your News Feed can be just as distracting as actually doing it. Allow yourself a few checks a day — at lunch breaks or logical stopping points in your work — so you can put it out of your mind and get things done.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
The best thing I did for myself while taking a break from social networks was to hide all the bookmarks and apps that connected me to them. This seems obvious, but I didn’t fully understand how important it was until I put it into practice: when the distraction wasn’t right in front of me, I wasn’t tempted to go look for it. Even an extra step as small as having to type “Facebook” into my browser’s address bar was enough to make me stop and decide whether that’s how I wanted to spend my time.
Don’t Check First Thing in the Morning
A lot of people have a policy of not checking email right when they wake up, and the same thing can apply to social networks. Whether you wait an hour, or wait until you’ve done a certain amount of work — for me, writing two blog posts is about right — you shouldn’t go there right away. Like email, social sites give you loads of stuff to respond to. Event invitations, wall posts about friends’ relationship drama and tweets about the coolest new web game are all great ways to kill an hour, and they can all wait until you’ve finished at least SOME work.
Try a Time Tracker
I didn’t take things this far (probably because I’m afraid to find out exactly how much time I spend not doing work) but there are some great tools out there that tell you how long you spend on various websites. RescueTime is a popular choice, but you can also try Slife or Nebul.us. These services will give you a stark picture of all the time you spend not working, which ought to motivate you to be more efficient.
Don’t beat yourself up over using the web to procrastinate, just be aware that you’re doing it, and adjust your habits accordingly. Good luck!
Jay is a freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. He writes about software for Download Squad and contributes interviews to Geek Monthly magazine, among others. You can also find him on Twitter and at his blog.
Photo Credit — escapetowisconsin
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