Social Media: a Black Hole For Productivity
Have you ever imagined what would happen if you could travel back in time, probably a hundred years back, and make the man(or woman, jeez, the fourth wave) of that time watch a YouTube video on your smartphone? He’d freak out, right?
In the eyes of the primitive man, it’d be sorcery happening right in front of him. But look how far we have come. Ever since the advent of the internet, the transformation of this world has been commendable. And believe it or not, but social media has played a significant role in all this.
It has not only broken the communication barriers and revolutionized the entertainment industry. But it has also substantially altered, not to mention diversified the way business is done globally.
But besides all these remarkable advantages social media brings to the table, it has a dark side too. Social media addiction is gradually becoming a venom that is killing the productiveness of human beings.
Now I understand that many of you might have a different take on this, but just bear a few minutes and hear me out.
Why is Social Media a Black Hole for Human Productivity?
Let’s talk about some cold hard facts.
Social media is the main culprit that has significantly decreased the attention span of humans. And that is not me, but the studies are talking.
Furthermore, a survey conducted in the US depicted that around 60% to 80% of Americans accepted that they go online for nothing but to kill time and be entertained. Now, of course, this is great news for businesses, but is it for you? Certainly not!
And do you know what the worst part is? It is making people passive and turning them into procrastinators. So if your child is not doing good at studies, or your employees are not delivering up to the mark, social media addiction could be the conundrum.
One way to look at this is that social media, in its essence, is not bad, but its usage is. And for all the right reasons, this is wholly justified.
Here and now, the question arises: what can you possibly do to cure this problem?
No, I won’t tell you to go cold turkey to reduce social media usage like every other blog on the internet. It is not the solution, in my opinion, but a move towards a much bigger problem.
So let’s talk about some baby steps you need to take, not entirely to abandon but lessen social media usage for increasing productivity.
Admit That You Have a Problem
First things first, before addressing the elephant in the room, you need to accept that you are addicted to social media.
If you do not realize that you are killing your productivity by constantly binge-watching Netflix or scrolling through your Instagram feed for hours, you wouldn’t even slightly move towards betterment, let alone overcome the issue.
So run a check on your daily routine and figure out how many hours you spend doing nothing but social media.
Fix 2 or 3 hours Max for Social Media
After the admission of the problem, the next thing you need to do is allocate or limit the time for social media usage.
It does not mean that you can spend long hours on social media. What it means is that you should limit your social media usage to only 2 to 3 hours a day.
One great way to do this is by installing apps like Forest, which allows you to fix the amount of time you are willing to stay off social media.
For instance, you can set the timer for 1 or 2 hours when you commit not to use social media. Meanwhile, a digital plant grows in the app. However, if you start using your phone in the meantime, a notification will pop on your screen reminding you to get off your phone, or the plant will die.
Further, you can also use apps like Social Fever — Stop Smartphone Addiction which enables you to set a particular time you want to spend on social media. When you exceed your time limit, the app will alert you to stop using your phone.
Find a Hobby or Start a Side Hustle
If you are still unable to curb your hunger for social media, it’s time to start doing something light-hearted that you like, perhaps a hobby or a side hustle.
Figure out what your interests are and what you like doing apart from work and watching TikTok videos. For example, if you liked playing pool back in the day, you could start potting some balls again.
Similarly, if your hobby was overshadowed due to any reason whatsoever, you could hop onto it again and bring your dead desire to life.
Another great way to keep yourself distracted from social media is to indulge in a side hustle. For instance, if you have a knack for writing, perhaps you could write an ebook and sell it on Amazon.
The point here is that you need to keep yourself away from social media. So do whatever you like but make sure to enable “do not disturb” mode on your phone while you are at it.
If You Want to Use Social Media, Use Platforms Like LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a tremendous platform that can help you stay motivated and away from unproductive activities. Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn is not full of fancy bells and whistles.
Instead, you will be exposed to a much better place to find helpful tips that can benefit you both in life or work.
The irony is that I am also going to share this blog with my fellow connections on LinkedIn.
Use Social, But Not at The Price of Productivity
Nothing beats social media when it comes to connecting with like-minded people and having a good time. But its addiction is nevertheless a pitfall.
The right approach is not to call it quits with social media but to stop it from controlling your life.
Like I said, use social but not at the price of productivity.
I hope that you found this blog helpful. Wanna add something to it? Let me know in the comments.
