Today I feel particularly harried. My to-do list is overflowing, the phone is ringing, and the end of the day is approaching while there are still about a million things left to do. If you’re busy and think you have no time for time management, think again! A few moments spent “sharpening the saw” will yield terrific results! Here are some of my own tips for staying on top of your time.

We only have 24 hours

That might seem like a stupid thing to say, but it’s a good reminder that we’re only human. You can’t clone yourself (yet!), so you’re the one who has to get everything done. You need a few hours for sleep, some for eating, and some relaxation. By the way, you might like: Time Management for the Tired and Frazzled.

Spend 15 minutes

Every evening, I spend up to 15 minutes creating my list for the following day. This is a brain dump so I don’t think of these things as I’m trying to fall asleep. Simply write down everything you can think of that needs to get done. 15 minutes is only 1% of your day.

Prioritize the list

I like to number my list in the order that things need to get done. Here’s an article you might like: How to Avoid the Five Stages of Social Media Burnout. So you have a road map for the following day, and can spend your precious time doing, rather than puzzling over what needs to happen first and last.

Leave space for last-minute items

There will always be last-minute emergencies, phone calls, and meetings that spill over, etc. So leave some time for those. If you don’t get any last-minute chores, take the time for yourself. Sometimes meetings will get canceled, and those are gifts of extra time for you.

Leave space between things

Your health is the most important priority. Without you, nothing is possible. Your business will probably fall off (unless your business can run without you, that is). So leave yourself some time to transition. And just breathe. Or have a snack.

Decide what not to do!

Sometimes procrastinating (on some things) can be very helpful. Someone else may take that chore you didn’t want to do, for instance. Or suddenly, that “emergency” isn’t one any more. That’s often the case!

Figure out how to say no

This is maybe the most important one of all! Think of a few different ways to say no. Here’s a good article from Inc. Magazine on 7 Tips for Saying No Effectively. Who do you need to say no to? Maybe it’s a family member, or a friend who keeps interrupting you?

How do you manage your time?

I really do want to know. Leave a comment. And thank you.

You’ve read about all the new social media platforms, ways to connect with audio, and trends from live-streaming on Facebook Live to Instagram stories. And with your FOMO (fear of missing out) radar going crazy, you’re exhausted from social media decision fatigue. What to do? What to do? It’s probably a good idea to do something, but what? Here are some ideas!

Reduce your choices

Remind yourself that you don’t have to be everywhere all at once. In fact, if you are everywhere, you’ll very likely burn yourself out. So choose one or two platforms to start with. You can always add more later once you get those two balls spinning in the air. Pretend that you’re reducing the choices for a friend, and that friend is you. If you have the funds available, you could also hire someone to run your social media for you, or buy a few hours of time with a social media consultant. Entrepreneur has a good article: 9 Ways to Combat Decision Fatigue. (Did you know that by bedtime, the average person has made 35,000 decisions? Yikes!)

Spend less time online

Seriously. Have a timer and stick to your schedule. When the timer goes off, stop what you’re doing. If you time yourself, you can do almost anything faster. For instance, you can write a blog post in an hour, and here’s how: How to Write a Perfectly Good Blog in an Hour. Personally, I like to chunk things into 15-minute segments because I figure I can do nearly anything for 15 minutes. Well, maybe not pushups, but you get the picture. Besides, going out and enjoying a walk will probably give you more enjoyment and therefore let you come up with more ideas than sitting around brooding.

Go to the platform you enjoy the most

Unless you enjoy a really obscure platform with no traffic whatsoever, why not spend time being where you enjoy yourself? You’ll likely spend more time there and it will be more peaceful. If you don’t know which platforms might interest you, Social Media Today has a list: The 8 Best Social Media to Market Your Business in 2021. Pick one and go there. For me, that’s Twitter. But Instagram is also very popular these days.

Ask a trusted friend

That friend would most likely be someone with a background in social media. Listen carefully and also ask yourself where it makes the most sense for you/your business to be online. You might need to abandon ship on the platform you’ve been following in lieu of some place with more traffic and fun. Sometimes you just need a little distance to be able to make a decision. I know, this is four ways to reduce your social media decision fatigue, but maybe one or two of them will work for you.

Lately, I’ve been writing about what businesses should avoid on social media. Magical thinking is something I come across a lot, and wrote about recently. There are quite a few things to avoid, it turns out! Here are just a few (maybe the tip of the iceberg). And by the way, larger businesses should avoid these things, too. And maybe even some of your friends (ahem!).

Make spelling errors

If you make spelling mistakes, chances are you’ll turn some people off, and they won’t read what you have to say. There are so many ways to check your spelling these days–why not use them? Not only do spelling errors look unprofessional, they’re distracting. Same with grammatical errors–they’re a distraction and are easily avoided. You can use a program like Grammarly (they have a free spellcheck) or even Google docs. And WordPress itself–which I’m using to write this article–has a spellcheck function. You could even get an editor if you needed one.

Sell, sell, sell!

I’ve probably said this a million times, but selling all the time is boring. Any kind of self-promotion all the time is boring. People would rather hear about themselves than about you, and they’re not going to buy from you unless you quit it. What to do instead? Talk about your audience’s lifestyle or their pain points. Unless what you have to share is going to affect a lot of people who have the same pain points as you, direct selling just doesn’t work well on social media. And if you haven’t already read this, you might like: Social Media Isn’t Actually about Sales.

Talk about yourself incessantly

Nobody likes hearing someone talk about themselves nonstop 24/7. If you have a fascinating life, travel a great deal, and have ideas that nobody else has ever thought of you might be an outlier. But for the most part, we don’t need to hear about your breakfast, especially if you’re posting on behalf of a small business. For your private friends, that’s another story altogether! Voicing insecurities occasionally might be ok on a personal front, but on a business account? No thank you!

Not showing any personality

It’s ok to have a personality. It really is. A few weeks back, I talked about Wendy’s and their fun, upbeat personality. Maybe you don’t have someone like whomever does the social media for Wendy’s, but chances are they still have an interesting personality. How could you and they use that personality on social media? How about trying to include some words and phrases that are casual and fun? If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard about Wendy’s social media, you might like: 32 Hilarious Twitter Roasts by Wendy’s That Will Make You Think Twice Before Posting.

If you’re a newcomer to social media, or even if you’ve been around for some time, where you should spend your time on social media can be extremely confusing. So here are a few things to consider and hopefully you’ll feel a bit less confused.

Where is your audience?

I’d argue that where your audience is (where they spend the most time) is where you should be. How do you know? You could ask them. Text them, call them, knock on their door if they’re close by. Just find out where they spend their time. You may be surprised. While you’re at it, find out how much time they spend on their most popular platforms. Here’s a post you might like about audience: Who Are You Writing For? Target Audience and Social Media.

Which platform do you enjoy the most?

Some social media managers may argue with me over this one. But if you enjoy the platform (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, for instance), you’ll spend more time there and be less stressed. One caveat: I wouldn’t go to a platform that has very little traffic or that is completely unpopulated by your audience. For instance, I enjoy TikTok, but don’t spend much time there because my audience isn’t there. Neil Patel mentions the big three: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Do any of those have more pull for you than the others? The other three he mentions are Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. You might be more creative there, and those are also good places to get started.

What’s the easiest way for you to get started?

If getting on Facebook is easy for you, that’s a good way to start. If you’re already posting there, or just lurking, then you have a good idea of what to post. You may want to see what others are doing, especially businesses similar to yours. What do they write about? Do you enjoy those posts? You might like this article: Social Media in 60 Minutes a Day. Yes, it’s entirely possible. But you need to be very focused.

What will your posts be about?

Again, look at what others in your business are doing. Find three that you like. Don’t copy them, but let them inspire you. What kind of voice do they use? How often do they post? What do you like about them and–also very important–what do you not like? In the beginning, keep it simple. As you become more comfortable, your posts may become more creative and complex. Sometimes you may have to write something over and over until you’re happy with it. (I write and rewrite quite a lot, if that helps.)

Social media isn’t free

Despite what others say, there’s a cost for social media. Much of social media is now pay to play so that others see your posts. You may want to outsource your social media if it takes up too much of your time. The main piece of advice I’d give you is not to hire your niece or nephew unless they have at least a little experience.