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Social Media Time Out?
If you’re like me, you’re tired of getting up at 4:45 in the morning to jump around the house in an aerobics leotard of getting that feeling that you’re BEHIND in the social media game. Perhaps it’s been a day since you Tweeted, or you just haven’t pulled the trigger on that whole Google Buzz thing. (You’re not alone my friend. Solidarity Now!) It’s super easy for us social-media-loving types to overload on social media stuff to the point where we’re always feeling behind, or where we’re constantly set in the ON position, going so far as to keep our loved ones aglow in the light pollution of our tethered smart phones, when we, like them, should be catching our 40 winks so we can “up and at ‘em” the next morning with the rest of the herd. (Move over Bessie, Poppa’s gotta get to work!)
If you’re a lauded social media “guru” I guess I can see putting all your effort into the online and offline social media game – after all your online brand is your life, but for those of us who don’t don our Social Media Super Suits each and every day, there just has to be a balance. We can’t be plugged in 24/7 and still function as rational humans and not super annoying cyberturds. If not for us, think of the children. If not for the children, think of your fellow man. (That’s me!)
So, how to get into social media without getting too into social media? Here are my tips:
1. Pick your poison. You don’t have to be everywhere at once. Match your personal/professional social media activities to your actual personal/professional goals and don’t overreach. LinkedIn and Twitter are my top two networks for all things business and sharing. Facebook is my personal thing, that’s second tier and I don’t check it as often. I work with Flickr, YouTube, Digg and StumbleUpon but they’re on a need-to-know basis, I don’t partake in them every day. And my smart phone? It stays in the living room when I go to bed to help me resist temptation – if anything crazy blows up at work, I’m only one extremely loud phone call away.
2. Work with clients, social media clients like Hootsuite that is. These services (many times free) will help you maximize engagement when you’re having one of those too-busy-to-breathe-let-alone-hit-the-bathroom-and-get-my-client-reports days. When I’ve got a whopper of a day coming, I’ll load up some value-added tweets early in the AM or even program some out the night before; even if I only get to check Twitter once that day I know I won’t be unseen. And thanks to my smart phone I can check and respond to tweets right from the palm of my hand if I do get an unexpected spare minute between meetings. Bonus!
3. Get a smart phone, load it with apps that help you stay connected. This does mean you have to become glued to your smart phone – like your coffee mug or car keys it IS possible to set it down and walk away from it. (For now.) A word of advice: keep your games on your gaming station, not on your phone. With all the cool applications and whiz-bang gadgets you COULD be using, why waste time swapping sheep or advancing the decay of civilization through mobster-related activities? Avoid Foursquare too, just ’cause. (I’m just not a fan. No real good reason here. I’m sure it’s a grand pursuit for those of you who actually GO places. Me? I’ll stick with my ultra-fab light saber app when I need to distract myself.)
4. Form meaningful relationships, both personally and professionally, that you can take into the real world. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to meet a real live Twitter follower in person, it really makes the whole thing worth while. It also makes it a joy to connect with your social media peeps each and every morning – everything’s better with friends, after all. Even “fake” friends from far away lands. For example, I’ve been cultivating a friendship with this darling social media type in Paris, France – mainly because I hope to take egregious advantage of our friendship should I every pay the City of Lights a visit. (Who’s laughing now Orbitz?)
5. Go on a social vacation! Next time you’re unplugging from the office for a few days or weeks, unplug your social media too. Just let folks know you’re going bye-bye for a few days and that you’ll be back to the grind in no time. You’ll be amazed how refreshed you’ll feel when you get back to the office. (Remember downtime? You’re soaking in it!) Personally I take a mini-social-media vacation every night. You’re just not that interesting, I’m sorry. 
So, those are my tips on how to avoid social media burnout – I welcome yours!
