Stop Checking Social Media Throughout The Day

If you’re like most people, you waste a lot of time on social media. There’s no shame in it. Those sites are designed to appeal to your brain’s tendency to procrastinate. They promise to take only a moment of your time. But you know that promise is a mirage. You know so because you’ve spent hours at a time browsing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest. Again, it’s not entirely your fault. Social media sites are built like Doritos - they’re formulated to be addictive. Let’s take a look at some recent data to drive this point home. According to Pew Research, 70% of Facebook users check in daily. That’s neither surprising nor alarming. But the researchers go on to state that 45% check in several times a day. Likewise, 32% of Instagram users visit that site several times a day. Twenty-two percent of Twitter users are in the same boat. Think about those figures for a moment. Also, consider that many of us have profiles at more than one social media site. That means we’re visiting multiple sites several times each day. You can see how that might affect your productivity. People are addicted to social media. In 2010, the University of Maryland conducted a study and found that 18% of Facebook users were unable to go more than a few hours without visiting the site. Twenty-eight percent checked Twitter on their phones before getting out of bed in the morning. Those data are consistent with research findings reported by Mobile Advertising Watch. The findings indicated that adults went on social media an average of 17 times a day. And that’s just using their phones! CNN reported in 2015 that many young people check social media more than 100 times a day. Social media addiction is clearly a problem. Even if you’re not addicted to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you’re probably visiting them far too often. Unfortunately, that habit is wreaking havoc on your productivity.

 How This Bad Habit Hurts Your Productivity

 Going on social media numerous times throughout the day slows your workflow in five distinct ways. First, it’s a constant distraction. You visit Facebook or Twitter to check whether your friends have posted anything new. But after you leave, you can’t help but feel like you’re missing out on something. That’s the first sign of addiction. Second, social media interrupts your workflow. Every interruption carries a switching cost. It takes at least 20 minutes to regain your momentum. That’s the reason checking social media every hour (or even more frequently) prevents you from completing tasks. Doing so puts you in constant recovery mode. Third, the ongoing distraction makes it difficult for you to concentrate on your work. Instead, your focus is on whatever you might be missing out on. The less focused you are, the less efficiently you’ll be able to complete the tasks in front of you. Fourth, social media shortens your attention span. Its immediacy (“I must check in right now!”) ends up influencing, and even dictating, your decisions concerning tasks you should address. According to a study by Microsoft, the average adult attention span is only eight seconds, less than that of a goldfish. That’s a marked decrease from 2000, when the average adult attention span was twelve seconds. The fifth way social media affects your productivity is that it encourages procrastination. Checking in with friends on Facebook is more appealing than working on a report for your boss. Combined with the false promise that doing so will only take a few moments, the temptation to set aside your work is irresistible. If the above reasons aren’t enough to motivate you to break your social media habit, consider this: you’re being manipulated by the top sites. In 2014, the New York Times reported that Facebook had been caught adjusting its users’ feeds. The site changed the percentages of positive and negative items - in some cases, completely removing one or the other - to track the effect on users’ emotions. Social media isn’t always a productivity killer. Checking in once or twice a day can even be beneficial as it gives your brain something unrelated to your work to focus on. It’s the constant draw of social media - for some, a true addiction - that’s the problem. Below, you’ll find several action steps for curbing the habit.

Action Steps

 1. Turn off all social media notifications. That includes your phone alerts as well as notifications delivered via your web browser. Even if you don’t respond to the various pings, chirps and bells, they’ll disrupt your concentration. Turn them off so you can work without interruption.

 2. Set rules for yourself. First, limit the number of times you’ll allow yourself to go on Facebook and other social media sites each day. I recommend setting limits for both weekdays and weekends. Remember, you’re building new habits. You need to be consistent to allow them to develop. Checking social media 100 times on Saturday and Sunday will undo the progress you made Monday through Friday. Second, limit the number of minutes you’ll allow yourself to spend on social media sites each day. Buy a kitchen timer and record the minutes you spend during each session. Keep a running tally so you’ll know when you reach your daily limit. Over time, reduce the number of minutes to reclaim time you can devote to higher-priority tasks.

3. Schedule breaks. The longer you work without taking a break, the more prone you’ll be to distractions. That’s the reason time management experts recommend taking frequent breaks. I’ve found that it’s not enough for me to plan to take breaks. I have to schedule them. Otherwise, I’m apt to work through them, even though doing so has a negative effect on my long-term productivity. Avoid making that mistake. Don’t just tell yourself that you’ll take breaks. Schedule them into your workday.

5. Use a site-blocking app. It allows you to designate certain sites (for example, Facebook) as potential time-wasters. The app will then prevent you from visiting those sites while you work. The amount of time you’ll be blocked from them is up to you. There are numerous site-blocking apps that work well. If you use Chrome, check the Chrome Web Store for StayFocusd. If you use Firefox, look for Leechblock. Or you can use apps designed for specific operating systems. For example, if you’re on a Mac, check out SelfControl. If you’re on a Windows machine, look for FocalFilter. All of the above are free. I’ll be honest. I’m not a fan of using software designed to block sites. Why? Because I feel it’s a band-aid approach to dealing with distraction. In my opinion, developing and reinforcing the positive habit of avoiding distraction when you should be working is a more effective long-term solution. Having said that, many people swear by their site-blocking apps, and insist they’re helpful. Test drive a few and decide for yourself.

6. Have a specific reason to check in. Social media is alluring because we can drift aimlessly from post to post and site to site with no real purpose. The downside is that we’re tempted to do it over and over. It’s akin to channel-surfing while watching television. With 500 channels at your fingertips, you can do it for hours on end. It’s the same with social media. Before you visit Facebook or Twitter, know your purpose for doing so. For example, do you want to get up to speed on a particular thread you’ve been following? Or would you like to see the latest tweets from your favorite celebrity? Or are you eager to check out your friend’s wedding pictures? Have a reason to log on. Once you’ve satisfied the “itch,” log off and return to your work.