Distractions Anyone?

As a person who, like you, has a lot of things on their “to do” list, I’m very mindful of my time and when I waste it. Unfortunately, the realization that my time has been frivolously used usually occurs after…well…I’ve wasted a significant amount of time. Is all time not spent as desired considered wasted?

The concept of “wasting time” intrigued me because not everyone sees this the same way and is really a perception of the individual – and the individual only. What one person considers a waste of time may be another’s escape from reality. I have found myself down the “rabbit hole” of social media quite a few times. At some point, I realize that two hours have passed by only for me to still be looking at recipes for how I might now make a boxed cake mix with soda – which I won’t ever do – or the puppy of the moment. Once I realize that I’ve accomplishing nothing on my “to do” list, I quickly move on to focus on what my purpose was in being on Facebook (or Instagram or Twitter or YouTube…you name it) only to find myself, once again, head first in the “feel good” puppy videos and the occasional awkward family photo spread. And, if I click the link to the site, I’m down for at least thirty minutes in a sea of someone else’s experience as an observer of life and not as the participant that I wish to be.

If you have the same issue, then this post is for you. I found this site that describes the phenomena of distraction and provides some useful tips for our consideration. Check this out: https://www.disability.illinois.edu/tips-social-media-distractions. This site has a lot of information and a few tips I thought you might enjoy:

10 ways not to be distracted by social media:

1. Close news and social media sites.
2. Close your Internet browser when you’re working.
3. Plan times to interact with it.
4. Stick to the plan.
5. Reflect and adjust.
6. Find the right place to study or work.
7. Managing physical space.
8. Try online quarantine.
9. Cut down.
10. Just say no (#YOLO).

While all of these are helpful, #5 cannot be overemphasized; reflection and adjustment is a key activity that we all don’t remember or even know to do. To execute the reflect and adjust task, you may want to perform a “time audit” to see how you are using your time on social media and what benefit is this creating for you in your life. Does this make you feel better? Did I learn a new skill or some other fact? What is my goal for using Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.? Did I achieve this goal? Was my time wasted or used wisely? How might I improve my experience to achieve my desired result?

Each of these tips is worth your consideration if you find yourself unproductively searching for your long-lost high school sweetheart or what waffles the celebrity du jour enjoys on a Sunday. Now, please excuse me as I have a lot of television to watch.