8 Steps to Harnessing Social Media to Boost Productivity
Social media is accused of hurting the brain, causing anxiety, and distracting people away from the present moments, which is absolutely not true. Still, there are positive ways to use social media that can be harnessed to raise your productivity and communicate with others, and perhaps learn something about yourself.
Social media effects:
People often talk about the passive effects of social media, and rightly so. The American Academy of Pediatrics talks about the negative impacts of social media on children and adolescents; it refers to this by using the phrase “depression caused by the Facebook application.”
The authors of a study from Nottingham Trent University in the UK said: “Today we can talk about what is specifically called 'Facebook addiction disorder'.
Social media can lead to lower productivity, but what about the pros of social media?
The aspects that social media can be positive for users:
- Communicate with people everywhere.
- Quick and easy communication.
- Stay up-to-date with what's going on in your area and the world.
- Business development and marketing.
- Entertainment is free and easy.
Social media is used in many ways, including good, bad, and useless. Still, it is your responsibility to use it well and productively.
How can you use social media to your advantage?
Let's dive into some practical steps that will help you use social media for productivity, not idleness.
8 Steps to Harnessing Social Media to Boost Productivity:
1. Create Task List:
Creating a daily to-do list will help you be more productive and less prone to being distracted by social media, and you can do this in writing or using an online to-do list app.
Just plan your day, preferably at the end of the previous day. One good idea is to pick the three most important things you need to do. Only focus on getting them done. If you complete additional tasks, that would be great, but setting three tasks is a good starting point.
2. Join Facebook Groups:
Facebook Groups is one of the best features of this giant virtual social platform- you can find people you share the same interests with, regardless of geographic location, age, race, gender, or anything else.
Social media offers essential opportunities for professionals who want to build relationships with others. You can collaborate with others and learn a few tricks to boost productivity and gain encouragement from others.
3. Searching for Job Opportunities:
Social media has changed the job search rules for professionals - finding the specific career position you're looking for is now very easy, but the only downside is that now everyone can do it -and the market is flooded with job seekers.
However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try; the best new job search platform is LinkedIn, which was created specifically for this purpose.
4. Increase Sales with LinkedIn Sales Navigator:
LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform created to connect and build relationships.
If you're an entrepreneur or salesperson, you can use LinkedIn Sales Navigator (one of LinkedIn's four premium paid account plans, suitable for professionals and businesses); it enables you to smoothly find people who might want to buy what you're selling or promote your business.
This tool allows you to search by location, industry, professional experience, keywords, and more, so you're not wasting time, as you're using it to grow your business.
5. Monitor Competitors:
It can be helpful to have social media accounts, especially if you run a business. You can monitor how other people in your industry market their products and interact with their audience. This does not mean you need to outperform them, but you can definitely benefit and learn from your competitors.
6. Interact with Others:
Speaking of interacting with the audience, it's worth noting that social media is a great opportunity to do this because that's where everyone is already.
You can quickly, easily, and openly talk to your target audience and listen to their opinions. You can show yourself as someone who accepts feedback and offers valuable advice based on years of experience.
7. Use of Blocking Applications:
Believe it or not, there are apps whose only function is to monitor your use of other apps; they allow you to set notifications to remind you to exit some social media apps or smoothly block your access to them according to the settings you specify.
8. Start a gratitude diary:
Thanksgiving and gratitude may seem like simple actions that neither give nor delay, but this is far from the truth.
Paul Mills, a professor and Ph.D. researcher at the University of California, San Diego, explained the benefits of being thankful after conducting a study: “Someone once said that a grateful heart is the healthiest heart , and that's what we saw in this study.”
So try this: Write down three things you're grateful for each day and have a notebook just for that, and you'll probably notice that you're happier, less stressed, and more productive.
In conclusion:
My main idea is that although there are passive effects of social media, if not used properly, it can be a helpful tool to help make people more productive in life.