Social Media Productivity: “Submit It & Forget It”

by Brett Borders on January 11, 2009

Social media can be fun… but it can also be viciously distracting… like a hungry,
multi-headed demon who is hell-bent on sabotaging your productivity.

Insidious interruptions. image: publicenergy

If you have significant responsibilities (job, kids, clients) and a limited amount of free time, you have to play your cards carefully and marshal your attention and energy. Or else social media can easily become more of a liability than an asset.

In my own social media workflow, I have identified one dirty habit that eats up too much time and rarely produces anything in return:

Watching my own blog posts, tweets, and social news story submissions with baited breath…. anxious to see what kind of response they bring.

When you put your personality and life energy into creating something… your own writing, photos, headlines and ideas… it feels like a reflection of yourself. A digital reflection of the superego with a positive re-enforcement button: Our friends and fans can post comments and kudos to validate us and affirm we’re on the right track.

Getting sucked into your own digital reflection is a waste of time. image: Tawny Rockerazzi

You can post your gorgeous new Flickr pics and crack your knuckles while waiting for comments. Or you can watch your Digg story rise all morning long.. slowly going from 5 Diggs… to 7…to 12… to 21… to 29…to 34.. to 51 Diggs… and so on.

But this squanders a tremendous amount of social media attention that you could channel into something productive and beneficial, like:

  • Adding new friends & followers who might be able to help you
  • Nurturing and strengthen existing relationships – by helping other people out
  • Brainstorming / creating new content to blog or guest post
  • Searching for remarkable information (links) to share with followers or submit
  • Updating your website / profile / business cards

The late magician Aleister Crowley taught his students to focus their willpower on what they wished to accomplish and not to lust after results.

I’ve noticed that many of true social media rockstars don’t lust after results – they just keep chipping away until they get where they want to be. They’re mature and disciplined – like a veteran stock market investor or a farmer – who doesn’t ‘watch the pot boil’ or harvest too early.

They don’t look back at the analytics, tweetbacks, or comments until several hours (or days) have passed. And they don’t need everyone’s validation and approval.

If you can learn to make your best effort, submit it & forget it – and then move on to your next power play…. you’re well on your way to mastering social media – rather than getting owned by it.

[contemplate1]
[contemplate2]

Get a FREE Website Evaluation!

Brett Borders, the author of this article, is a professional copywriter who specializes in increasing website sales and signup rates. I'm available now to write for your website and optimize it for maximum sales and profits. Please contact me now for a free consultation.

  • http://activevoice.typad.com Melissa Hourigan

    I too get sucked into hours and hours of social media activities but it is less about me (probably could do a much better job in that regard) and more about curiosity. I am so curious about what the next person is going to say, who is linking and to what etc. My biggest problem is the filter. I rarely apply filters to the tools that I use as I always learn something interesting from a total stranger. I feel as though I am on a long road of discovery and need to understand when I may have learned enough, at least for one day :)

    Keep up the inspiring and thought provoking posts.

  • Brett Borders

    @Melissa Hourigan,

    That’s cool that you’re focused on others. I definitely get obsessed with that too… but after I work hard on something… (like a story for Digg, or a long blog post) I tend to get wrapped up in it… watching it.. rooting for it… hoping it’ll do well. Hoping someone’ll notice and it will start to generate buzz…

  • http://www.catchsearchmarketing.com JeffMHoward

    About how many hrs per week do you spend social networking online?

    - Jeff

  • Brett Borders

    @Jeff M Howard,

    I usually spend over 30 hours a week on social media / social netoworking.

    When added to 35+ hours of writing content and doing client SEO and social media work… it makes for a LONG workweek.

    How long do you spend on social media?

  • http://zaknicola.wordpress.com Zak Nicola

    “getting owned by it”

    Great read Brett, and very true words.

  • Brett Borders

    @Zak Nicola,

    Thanks for your comments!

    Yeah, it’s so easy to get “owned” by social media and watch it eat your day.

    p.s. Love your Goggles! It snowed about 8 inches of powder this AM in Boulder and I have been at the local public park sled hill.. doing jumps on my snowboard!

  • http://www.techandrolla.wordpress.com Ahmed Naguib

    Great post Brett! I’ve been noticing myself spending too much time tweeting, digging, and trying to find new blog posts ideas and I’m only 18 :) its frustrating and its feeding on my productivity but I’ve to say without doing that, I wouldn’t have got most of my friends that I’ve found on Twitter, people saw how energetic I was and some of them helped me to actually start joining conversations instead of being the watcher.
    again, thanks for the amazing post!

  • Brett Borders

    @Ahmed,

    I’ve been noticing that you are doing great at social media …. you are really involved in the conversation, eager to find and share stuff and help people out… You recognize that it’s about sharing.

    I see social media as an ‘investment’ of time rather than a waste – IF.. and it’s a big IF…. you are productive and smart about it and want to get into a position where social media skills and contacts are helpful.

    It takes a LOT of discipline and restrain to be able to “play smart” with social media…

    Just try and take an ‘active’ role and more forward.. rather than stopping and staring or getting consumed by stuff that isn’t helping you more forward.

    keep up the great work!

  • http://www.megastarmedia.com/ Sandy

    Social networking has become an important part of any successful marketing campaign. Ignoring social media is a huge mistake. I agree, it is time consuming, and addictive. The addictive part is measuring your ROI from social media sites..that gets you hooked.

  • http://techandrolla.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/social-media-the-art-of-listeningbut-not-too-much/ Social Media : The Art of Listening…but not too much « TechNRolla!

    [...] Finally, I just wanted to share this article that I really liked  Social Media Productivity: “Submit It & Forget It”  [...]

  • Natalia

    Help information overload….

    I just started twitter, many have asked me to join mostly in my professional life, but I never thought much about it. Then my favorite social blogger went on over and wa-la I was hooked. I immediately met a super sweet fellow twitter who helped me get started. And convinced me to start a blog, something I thought about but never considered I could pull it off, but there I was just yesterday writing, And an influx of ideas began coming to me: in my car, in my workout class, in the shower; always places I have a hard time writing. And then the conflict began, I am already a busy person, people already wonder how I do it all. But I can’t stop looking at twitter, I dropped myspace and facebook like a hot potato, and if it wasn’t for the whole I have to make a living thing I would twitter all day. There is so much good information on there, and to a nerd it is like heaven… I am definitely finding it super difficult to find balance and finish one thing with out being pulled in another direction, like I should probably start doing my job, right now…. Thank for the tips, very helpful info. You are right! My favorite blogger does those very things you mentioned above and he achieves a balance between creativity and living his life to the fullest. Hopefully, I can pull it off too. If I just think I can, I think I can… :)

  • Brett Borders

    @Natalia,

    Twitter is definitely can be like a candy store… sometime it can see more like a digital crack house ( :P )

    I think the best strategey is to use the same discipline you’d use when minding your diet at a holiday party or at a greasy all-u-can eat buffet.

    The trick is to sample a litle tine bit of everything, be conscious of time and quantity… and never lose track of the reason why you’re there (to be with friends, have a nourishing mean – rather than stuff up).

    Surf those information waves with conscious awareness – check in on the clock or your “to-do” list…

  • http://www.stateofmanmusic.com John Stringer

    Great tips, here. The only good reason I can think of to look back is to assess what’s working and what is not so you can make any needed corrections – that is, if you have specific goals in mind. Thanks for sharing!

  • Brett Borders

    @John Stringer,

    Yup… look back and learn from your mistakes! Don’t just look back for no reason.

    Every time I hit the publish button on this blog, I get excited and wonder if anyone is going to read the post or see it. I just throw it out there – and some how or another – if it’s a worth a response… people will find it.

  • http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/how-to-be-more-productive-with-social-media/ How To Boost Your Social Media Productivity – A Guide For Busy People

    [...] Social Media Productivity: “Submit It & Forget It” From Social Media Rockstar: How giving up this one dirty social media habit that eats up too much time and rarely produces anything in return can make you more productive [...]

  • Anonymous

    Costs For Uggs–What It Costs?
    –>Are you lusting after a few (or even more) Uggs (UGG Australia) boots and if so, you’re in good company, as girls and women of all ages, especially with the simple, slipper-like design of these sheepskin ugg boots, which are relatively easy and very comfortable to wear. And they appear to be affected. Some men are also jumping on the trend and luxury UGGs? Australia, the brand also offers a range of contemporary styles for them.
    –>Could you mind giving everyone loves from ugg-boots? There are so many types of uggs, ugg bailey button,ugg classic tall, ugg classic short, ugg classic cardy. How to choose your favorite? Or do you really want to one uggs regardless its style? Despite their design is awkward and slipper-lile, Uggs is one of the few stations that are of general interest, have argued that cross generational lines.
    –>Young people, students and young mothers and the Middle Ages, the original Black Ultra Tall UGG Boots, seem pulled the fleecy-lined boots that are manufactured in Australia, with the best materials. Are you sure that your feet warm in winter without socks, and cool in summer so that is more versatile too? If no, hurry up to take one ugg boots on goodugg uk sale ! That’s why we see people wear them in schools, supermarkets, on the slopes and even in the most popular beaches in the United States and abroad. Many surfers also use uggs to keep their feet warm.
    –>What do you really care about? Is its price or quality, or you just following the general trend? You know what are you thinking in your heart!

  • http://share-tips-free-trial.blogspot.com/ share tips

    Great article… Thanks for posting.

    Social media racks my brain.

  • http://4801267.com 4801267

    4801267 beers on the wall.

  • http://ipaddresssearch.selfip.net/SecondOctet.php?FO=72 Odell Hellard

    i found your blog through a search engine, very interesting.

  • http://www.edhardyhigh.com/ed-hardly-apparel/ed-hardy-mens-hoodie Ed Hardy Hoodies

    With the beginning My companion and i has been particularly pleased to take a look at, because it is entertaining inside the Language school. All of us enjoyed video game titles, and only researched a couple of phrases, term an event. Most of us moreover realized to become capable to shout lots of Language tracks. On this studying environment, My partner and i happens to be enthusiastic about Language regarding initially.

  • http://hollywooddreamcorsets.us waist training corset

    I have to voice my admiration for your kindness giving support to men who need guidance on in this field. Your personal commitment to getting the message all-around had been extremely effective and has usually empowered some individuals like me to arrive at their desired goals. Your valuable suggestions signifies a whole lot a person like me and somewhat more to my office workers. Many thanks; from everyone of us.

  • http://www.sportkin.com/search.php?s=3 sports competiton management

    I just added this blog site to my feed reader, excellent stuff. Can not get enough!

  • http://www.nfljerseys2u.com/NFL-Jerseys/St-Louis-Rams-Jersey_38L.htm St Louis Rams nfl Jersey

    You need to participate in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I’ll advocate this website!

  • http://www.interarchitects.co.uk/uk-directory/england/east-sussex.html east sussex architects

    Spot on with this write-up, I truly think this website needs far more consideration. I’ll probably be once more to learn way more, thanks for that info.

  • I would like to

    I’m impressed, I must say. Actually hardly ever do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you will have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is excellent; the issue is one thing that not sufficient individuals are talking intelligently about. I’m very blissful that I stumbled throughout this in my seek for one thing regarding this.