Category: Social Media

Mistake #3: Wasting time

You can’t buy it, stop it, or keep it. It’s always running out. So why are you wasting it?

LindaLeave a comment

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You won’t fill your belly reading cookbooks. Likewise, you won’t kick your terrible time-wasting habits simply by reading productivity books. No, you actually have to act on some of the things suggested. Not just nod your head and say Ye gods! Great idea! I’m writing that down!

I have the requisite books–and bookmarked websites–to help me realize my more productive self:

And still, bear witness to my folly: I’m here. Online. Doing the social media thing rather than getting real work done.

I get what it takes to be productive. When I actually follow through, I accomplish. Big time.

Take the Pomodoro Technique.

When I had a 9-5 office job, I knocked off six pomodoros in the morning, had lunch, then did another six before quittin’ time. I first tried the Pomodoro Technique out on my bedroom closet. An organizing task I’d dreaded for years ended up taking only five pomodoros. Five! You won’t understand the joy until you try it yourself.

It works. I know it works. Still. I. Waste. Time.

So yesterday, I chose not to disappear into my laptop to poke at various open-ended writing projects. Decided not to grab my phone and lose myself in Facebook, Words With Friends or Candy Crush Saga.

Instead, I opened up my Pomodoro app, started the timer and went to work. The 6-minute breaks between the 25-minute work blocks (Pomodoros) actually felt too long because I was eager to get back to the task at hand. At the end of the day, I had 12 pomodoros and my ‘to do’ list completed.

Before you raise your hands and shout Hallelujah, Sistah! this wasn’t a spontaneous conversion. Nope, I haven’t nipped time wasting in the bud. Don’t I wish. It’s an ongoing process. I’m working on it.

What do you struggle with on an ongoing basis? What mistake would you like to confront, correct, and leave behind in the past?

Mistake #1: Going negative

I made the mistake of going negative, and now we’re all paying the price.

LindaLeave a comment

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I could blame it on the election season but then that wouldn’t demonstrate me taking ownership. I did it. I was wrong.

It’s a week later, and Facebook still provokes stress. I had a part to play in sharing social media that resulted in outcomes that scare so many of us. And even now, though I’ve tried to not go there, the negativity proliferates.

If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything at all. It’s an old adage, but one I’m trying to follow on social media. My mistake is that I gave a lot of free media coverage to attention-getting stories and individuals that didn’t warrant my time or focus. My new approach is to focus on being a creator rather than a consumer, and to build up rather than tear down. This website is a first step.

What’s the mistake you’re ready to own up to today?