Now, more than ever, our social surfing habits could be getting way out of hand. The Coronavirus has most of us quarantined, which can be a perfect recipe for developing bad habits when it comes to social media.
So I figured that now would be a really great time to share some of my personal strategies for setting social media boundaries. Let’s dive in.
Schedule Time for Being Social
This is probably the biggest, most valuable, strategy I have implemented. We all know that social media can be a complete time waster. We all get stuck in the scroll. And the next thing we know, an hour has passed by, and we are left wondering how in the world am I still not in the shower, getting ready for my day?
That’s exactly why I decided to dedicate a specific time(s) of my day just for working my social biz. As business owners, social media is vital for getting seen and maintaining relationships with current, and potential, clients.
I recommend setting aside a half hour to an hour of your day specifically to working your social media business. Choose a time of day that you typically would have free time. For instance, I use the first half hour of my day (before I even get out of bed) to work on my social media game. Commenting and liking posts of potential clients (engaging, not just scrolling), and responding to comments or messages. I also take the time to write up, and schedule, my post(s) for the day. That way, I don’t have to take time out of whatever important thing I’m doing later to make sure that I have just the right photo with the perfect caption written.
Turn off Notifications
This is another biggie. Every single one of us is wired to immediately look to our phones whenever it sounds off. Sometimes, we even pick up our phones to check the lock screen for notifications, even if we know that we haven’t heard anything! Anyone? Anyone? It’s crazy how we’ve become so subconsciously accustomed to the expectation that our phones are begging for our attention.
That’s why turning off notifications is one of the key strategies for setting social media boundaries. This goes for both your phones and your computers, folks. In your settings, you will find all you need to make sure that you’re not receiving those pesky notifications that suck our time away from family, income-producing activities for our businesses, and anything else that’s way more important than what some stranger thinks of your post about your crazy dog mom life.
If you’re not exactly sure how to turn them off, Google is your best friend. There’s even a way to turn off the little red number bubble that shows up on your Apple computer, telling you exactly how many emails or text messages you have waiting for you.
Don’t be Afraid to Mute or Unfollow
Now, this next strategy is more so for mental health reasons when it comes to using social media. Social media can have a huge impact in our self-confidence, no matter how strong of a person you may be. As a perfectionist, social media can be a super dangerous road for me to travel. The comparison game is all too real, but know that there are some great strategies you can be taking in order to help yourself avoid the negative side effects of social media.
Don’t be afraid to “Mute” or “Unfollow” the accounts that make you feel like less. If you feel like you keep comparing yourself to Sally Photography, because she literally just started her business a few months ago, and she’s already killing it, stop your scroll, head to her profile, and mute or unfollow her.
Instagram and Facebook now have this awesome feature! Instagram calls it “Mute.” Facebook called it “Unfollow.” Basically, you can stop seeing someone’s posts indefinitely without actually having to “unfriend” them. They don’t get notified that you’ve done so, so they’re none the wiser!
Implementing this important strategy will immediately start filling your feed with the people you care about the most, making your social scroll a lot more enjoyable. No more seeing posts from the accounts that bring you down.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, I’d love for you to comment below to let me know which strategies for setting social media boundaries you’ll be implementing this week!
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