Smartphone near bed, not so smart idea…
Lately, I’ve been messing up my morning routine. The closeness of the smartphone to my sleeping bad was kinda devastating. I was skipping the usual morning ritual filled with workouts and getting in the groove fast.
But somewhere along the lines, I’ve learned that I like this slow start of the day. I systematically through my social media. App.net, Google+ and then some Twitter. All on my smartphone. And at a certain point, I am DONE. I have no compelling urge to check it again.
Is this devastating for my productivity? I am not sure. But here I am, after 45 minutes of social media, readily awake, have my coffee by my side and writing, connecting the dots and thoughts. Not being rushed, drank my protein shake, and know that I did a few good things for my body, my mind, and even my content business.
If you have a compelling urge for social (like I do), try moving it to the morning instead of late night
Because as I am thinking about this, I realize how much I love doing it. And perhaps I would fare far better if I was reading a book, and re-programming myself with some long-form reading, I find that, as long as I am mindful about what I am doing, it doesn’t necessarily need to be something productive.
Just imagine how better this is than actually wasting countless hours on social networks when you should be sleeping right?
And then you start off on a clean slate. You’ve seen it all. There’s nothing new that will usurp your attention, there is no “sweet tooth” that you need to get back to. After all, I have a specific problem. As I am running multiple Twitter accounts, along with the Appnet and Google+, it can be quite daunting. Add on top of that an RSS feed, and you have a full 45 minutes of social media activity. Doing all of that in one go, made me clear out that for the rest of the day.
Final thoughts
This is controversial, and I certainly don’t have any intention of making this a constant in my behavior. On the other hand, I completely understand that some people can get too distracted by social networks and that it can put them in the loop. But if you keep out of the loop for a good enough amount of time, you will actually have something to look forward getting back to, as opposed to, checking them every 5 minutes to see what’s new.
Give your social activity some time to accumulate interesting stuff. You will have a more rewarding experience. These are the thoughts of a self-confessed social media junkie in recovery. And if you do indulge yourself once in a while, it’s not that bad of a thing (especially on weekends), but just don’t make a habit out of it.
