With social media notifications constantly vying for your attention and flashing up on your phone, laptop or tablet and a number of different platforms to get to grips with, it’s hard to keep up with everything on one platform let alone multiple. Here are a few ways to avoid social media fatigue, beat the burn out and avoid quitting social media altogether.
Mute or switch off notifications
Social media is designed to stimulate the reward system in your brain and keep you coming back for more. Think about it, do you really need to read and respond to a message instantly?
I’ve switched off all of my social media notifications. I can check on my social media in my own time, whenever is most convenient to me, without worrying about what feels like a million notifications stacked up on my phone.
Set times to check social media or if it gets really bad, set a time limit
Do you find you are constantly checking your social media even if you don’t have notifications? In the past I’ve found myself picking up my phone and clicking on an app without even realising I’ve done it! I installed a little app called Stay Free which adds up and summarises all the time you spend on a specific app and on your phone in total. That’s enough for me, but if you are really struggling to be disciplined you can also set time limits so it lets you know when you’ve been using an app for that little bit too long.
Alternatively, if you’d rather not download another app, set yourself specific times of the day when you check your social media and respond to messages if needed. It’s always ok to put that phone down for half an hour, an hour or an afternoon!
Schedule posts ahead of time
If you use social media for work purposes there are some brilliant websites and apps that can help you manage your time better. Plan your posts and you can schedule them in advance using handy platforms like Later or Hootsuite. They also let you manage your social media all in one place, helping you to streamline what you’re doing.
You can mute or unfollow people without them knowing
Someone bothering you but don’t want to start a war? No matter how silly it seems, people take social media very seriously at times. If you don’t want to offend someone by unfriending them, some platforms offer a way for you to unfollow or mute someone’s posts without them being notified.
Post consistently not constantly
This was a brilliant tip that I learnt last year and found super helpful. Don’t feel pressurised into constantly creating daily content just because you think you should. Of course you can post 3 times a day if you really want to, but what’s more important to the algorithms is that you post consistently. Be that once a week, 3 times a week or daily. Do what feels right for you.
Switch your phone off at night or avoid taking it to bed with you
If you really can’t bring yourself to leave your phone in another room or switch it off, put it on mute (not even vibrate) so you’re not woken up in the middle of the night by that familiar buzz. Everything will still be there when you wake up.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to be engaged with your social media especially if you have messages from customers. You want to show you are available and supportive, but at the same time it’s so important and completely ok to carve out some time for you.
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