How to avoid Facebook addiction, improve productivity

You may only be on your Facebook for a few minutes at a time but when you add up all the times that you were on it, that number will startle you. Research states that people on an average check FB 14 times a day and spend a cumulative time of 40 minutes. This number is far higher for those who are severely addicted to the site. There is the real danger of distraction to your work. Say, you are working on an important presentation and you put your full attention on it. Then, you get this urge to pick up your phone and check your FB updates. Even though you only spent a minute looking into your phone, it will be difficult to get back to your task with the same amount of concentration that you had earlier. This is called ‘Attention Residue’ according to Professor Cal Newport, the author of the best-selling book, Deep Work. Your brain is still processing info from the updates you read on FB and this stops you from fully focusing on your presentation. This can affect the quality of your work. I have off late been very interested in the concept of ‘Focused Deep Work’ and how to avoid distractions of social media. I’m a fan of social media. In fact, as a professional social media consultant, I bet my entire career on it. However, too much of anything can be detrimental. That’s why I’ve been researching on the best optimal use of social media. Here’s how you can effectively use social media and avoiding the negatives.

Turn off notifications:  One of the smartest things that I did was to turn off notifications for all apps on my phone.  This way, I avoid being constantly distracted. I also put my phone on silent mode and keep it away from my sight when I’m concentrating on work.

The white-listing technique: One of the best advices I got was the ‘white listing technique’. This means, you unfollow everyone on your FB and only follow the ones who add value.  This reduces the number of updates from your friends and cuts out a lot of clutter from your feed.

Unfollow negativity: Also, remove anyone who has a negative view point.  Going to FB should be a happy occasion. If someone adds negative emotions or makes you feel down, take the bold step to unsubscribe them.

Use focus apps:  Apps like ‘Pomodoro’ and ‘Forest’ help you avoid peeking into your phone often and help you to build a habit of not checking your FB account often.

Use FB as a reward:  Tell yourself that you will only check your account only after you finish certain tasks. This is positive psychology. It helps you improve your focus on work while also making you feel good that you now have earned the right to use your FB.

Facebook lunch hour:  Just like we have a designated time for us to have lunch or tea, we can set up designated time for us to check FB. This is not an easy habit to form since our phone is always with us. But with practice and determination, you can build up this habit. Here’s wishing you a wonderful, productive week ahead.