If you are anything like me, you can quickly get distracted with that dang Squirrel or run down the Rabbit Hole of hell the internet or social media. We have so many devices and ways to be distracted and we.. just…can’t… help.. it! I know, I am with you there. So, thought I could write a quick little reminder to help you keep your focus and out of the rabbit hole and away from that pesky squirrel. Yea, good luck, right? Lol
Tips to keep from going down the rabbit hole
I consider the rabbit hole the internet or social media because one thing leads to another and 15 internet tab windows later, you think, what was I initially doing and how did this get started. Similarly, on social media, if you needed to post something and saw what your friend posted and next thing you know you are scrolling down your timeline to oblivion.
- Post using third part tools! If you are a social media manager or posting for your business, schedule your posts using third party tools like HootSuite, Post Planner, Buffer or whatever you prefer. Facebook has scheduling too, but you’ll have to steer clear of your timeline.
- Schedule your posts. Going online every day or however often you post is not ideal so be sure to select a comfortable amount of time like 3-4 days or a week and schedule for that set amount of time.
- Set times to check in. Obviously we aren’t just posting, you have to see what is going on with your followers so set aside times to check in, like in the morning, lunch and before the end of the day.
- Time your check in. Going to your feed to check in can turn into a rabbit hole/squirrel quickly so set a timer of say 10-15 minutes to remind you of your focus for those check-in times.
So, not only are those check-in timers crucial for your focus, but getting notifications on your phone, your email and your internet browsers are a serious distraction. So, though it would be prudent to share a few of my tips of how I curtail those distractions that I have.
Kill the notification distractions & that squirrel
- Turn off your phone notifications. You can turn off your browser notifications but that doesn’t change your phone, tablet or other devices from notifying you, so you have to update all devices and turn off notifications. Think about it, if you are scheduling your posts and planning to check your social media clients or your business social media X number times of days, why do you need those notifications to pop up? You will be checking anyways.
- Turn off email notifications. Same as above, if you plan to check your email 2-3 times a day, why do you need to be reminded of it? If you use Outlook, like I do, you can turn off that little pop up as well as that envelope that tells you… You’ve Got Mail. And, if you are really brave, exit the program completely. (I’m not there yet as I use it for task reminders and such) Further, if you use webmail, you can just close the browser and BOOM, done! Same with your phone, you don’t need to be reminded that you have mail on your phone and your computer, seriously?!
- Notifications per client per channel. If you manage more than one client or business, know that you will have to update those notifications for each business page AND on every social media channel.
Bottom line
Hopefully that can help you stay more focused and kill some of your distraction problems. I still have some of these issues and I am working through them but being part of a group or having a coach or someone who puts your feet to the fire is also helpful. My Time Tips Pro, Jackie Harder, has been instrumental in helping me with my focus and reminding me to take things one at a time. I have the habit of looking at the whole picture, while often that is okay, but when you freak out, a bit, which I do, it’s not good; because, when you have a lot on your plate, adding more stress to that isn’t going to help.
Get your focus back
So, get your focus back, break things up in bite size piece, get help with someone who will put your feet to the fire, turn off unnecessary distractions and take back your life! I’m all for getting extra help and outsourcing when it isn’t something I need to be spending my time on.
Should you have any questions about the group I am in to help with distractions or if I can help with your load in social media management or marketing help, please contact me and we’ll devise a plan!
~Kristen
Great tips, Kristen. I often find myself chasing that cute cuddly rabbit! But “Time your check in,” will truly help me. Thank You!
I feel you Susan.. and I am RIGHT THERE.. for sure. We have to keep trying, right!
I live in the rabbit hole unless I go away to do something else. But I do get my tasks done & I love my meanderings. If I really wanted to spend less time online, I will talk to you, Jackie & all the other folk who have helpful tips.
Don’t worry Roz… you do not reside there alone. lol I actually yell at myself sometimes… focus Kristen! lol
The only thing that keeps me from getting distracted is time blocking. Otherwise I will fall into every rabbit hole out there! At least I know what my weakness is, right? Next is to choose which social media scheduling tool will work best for me.
That’s awesome Lisa, just will power… but then again, as a personal trainer, you might have learned how to compartmentalize better! lol
I have a love hate relationship with social media. A good resource for connecting and marketing for business and yet so dang distracting and taking away precious time! I like to use tools to help schedule and important to block time. It is a must for me or I find myself roaming around a rabbit hole wondering after several minutes ..”hmm, now what was I doing?”
OH Teresa.. I am there with you on the love/hate! OMG.. and I have had that convo.. what was I doing here again? lol
I totally agree. I recently removed notifications my social media channels on my phone. It helped during the day when I am focusing on other clients. Thanks for sharing.
I am with you Sabrina, I would get email notifications on my computer and then my phone.. ummm, why? lol
Great tips and happily I am on track with most of them, Kristen. I do use Hootsuite. I don’t get notifications on my phone or my computer. Although when I am home, my email is open all the time, so that is technically a distraction. I do choose times to interact with people, although I am attempting to reply to people as quickly as possible, so find I spend a lot of time on FB or Twitter interacting with people who have interacted with me.
The great thing is when I am away from home, I get no emails, no notifications etc. on my phone. The challenge is when I get home and have 100+ emails to look at and take action on, I find I often get a bit “stressed” at how much time the online world takes. I see how the rabbit hole is very tempting and I have learned to limit my time on non-essential online stuff. I trust the things I am drawn to are enough for me, so I rarely go looking for more.
So with you Bev.. amazed at how long online takes.. how did we ever manage before? lol
Good tips to keep focused Kristen. I started late last year to unsubscribe to emails that interested me but I never get around to reading them. That has helped tremendously in managing my email account. I limit myself in the morning to only the most important emails. Then, I play a game the rest of the day. If I get mentally stuck or board I allow myself 1-2 facebook responses and then it’s back to work. I do the same when I complete a project. Today was my first test case responding to facebook posts in our group. With each response, I felt I was making progress and not letting it all go and then trying to play catch up.
YES Joyce, I did the same thing, unsubscribing from email lists I don’t take action on!
It’s the internet, there’s always going to be a lot of things going on and we need to keep our focus otherwise, we’ll drown. Lol. It’s important to have schedule, always! And a list of things you need to accomplish for your site too.
Right Elizabeth.. drown for sure!
Oh, those shiny objects that tempt us! It’s way too easy to get distracted. You gave good advice and notifications are a big distraction that can easily be managed.
Thanks so much Beth.. those pesky squirrels! lol
Love this, Kristen! You have made just amazing progress in the amount of time you’ve been in Time Tips Pro…I’m so thrilled that you’re making the changes you want to make with your time management. (And thanks for the shout-out, too, BTW). These are all super tips; turning off notifications has worked well for me. And here’s a little something to add to the mix: Just because the phone rings doesn’t mean you have to answer it. xxoo
Thanks so much Jackie.. still LOTS of work to do to get where I should be.. but all in time!
I’ve turned off the notifications on my phone, but thanks for the reminder to turn off the email notifications on my computer. Facebook is my biggest time sump!
I am with you on FB Carol
I’ve also heard of people using browser add-ons to limit their time on social media. I’ve toyed with this idea since I tend to get lost in the rabbit hole known as Facebook 🙂
The facilitator on my Time Tips Pro group, that I mentioned in the post, Stacey, she uses that.
I’ve tried to implement a lot of these already, and it really does help. I still find myself wandering every now and then though, don’t even get me started on browsing Pinterest, lol. But, I do schedule a time in my day to work on blog stuff, and it’s the best decision I ever made instead of just doing it randomly throughout the day. Great ideas, thanks for sharing 🙂
That is awesome Molly! Great job!
Oh this post is awesome, Kristen. Get out of my head and stop reading my mind:) I started using buffer so that I would be more effective with social media posts. Turning off the notifications is my biggest challenge. So…I just don’t open any applications when I’m trying to get work done. It is so easy to follow that fluffy little bunny…
I know, right Deb… we both needed this! lol I needed to write it, you needed to read it.. and we both need to do it! lol
I get distracted so easily! I do a lot of groups on Facebook, and, while sharing other posts, I tend to get distracted by reading. I have to make myself focus on what I need to get done first!
You are not alone Heather, I have that SAME problem… esp because I love to learn!
I struggle quite a bit with staying focused, and it can be really difficult for me to avoid the rabbit hole. Timing your check-in is a really great idea and something I haven’t tried before.
You are not alone Holly.. I have the same problem.. reassessing all the time!
Best post I’ve read all day. I get so sucked into facebook. I have now hired someone to help take over my work on facebook because of this. And, YES to turning off notifications on the phone. DISTRACTING!
Awww, you totally made my day, thank you so much! Glad you have outsourced your social so you can focus on what makes you money!
Good tips Kristen, luckily I am only managing my own so far…but if had several clients that I did social media for I would definitely turn off the notifications. 🙂
I know, right Katarina… could you imagine 15 clients and ALL the notifications? lol
I’ll admit to being guilty of falling down rabbit holes. I do need to start batch scheduling social media shares again as it helps SO much with staying focused.
I’m guilty as well Laura.. we can dig out together!
Hi Kristen,
Your post reminds me of what I call this entrepreneurial ADD. One of the best things about being an entrepreneur is the ability to have an endless amount of options and ideas. On one hand it’s great. But on the other hand, there are so many potential distractions. We multitask, start something new before we finish the last project. We stretch ourselves too thin. There we go down rabbit holes and, before we know it, we get lost in what we’re doing and having nothing to show for it. Then we wonder where the time went and sometimes, why isn’t the money coming in.
And easier way for me is about making choices…making hard decisions,..finding time and space to focus. And limiting the amount of distractions I have.
You are so right Rachel, we just try to do it all, esp since we are just starting out.. but it’s not the right way. It is hard to find the time and space to focus. Hang in there!
Ah yes distractions. I keep my to accomplish list but then squirrel
OH yes… well aware girl.. Christy we are on the same page. lol
I don’t have ADHD, but definitely have some of those tendencies. I have to turn off distractions if I’m to get anything done. It’s so hard to stay focused otherwise.
I don’t either Jessica…. but I have them too! lol