My Organized Biz

Whether your business involves writing or not, if you’ve become online and social media saavy, you may be spending too much time involved in these activities, thus be less productive in your business.

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• Writers use the Internet to research, contact writers and editors, and to touch bases with customers/clients.  However, they often become involved in answering e-mails and spending time unrelated to their business on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.  (Just a quick look can evolve into an hour or more!)
• Quilters and other artists may browse around related sites and groups looking for particular information and find themselves two hours later still there.
• You’re writing a blog for your walk-in store that has an online presence, too.  Then you take a “quick”  look at e-mail and Facebook. 

These are just some of the scenerios that may take longer than they should.  I find myself doing this, too.

Since reading Dr. Jean Murray’s guest post for my Small Business Boomers blog, I’ve resolved to be more efficient.  After surgery, Jean had to manage her time better to use her little energy to keep her business going. 

When I started back to work at home, it was for only an hour or so a day. I gave up Twittering, reading emails, and spending time wandering around the web. It was amazing to me how much time I had been wasting on that stuff. Letting it go has now been a permanent habit for me. I scan through emails quickly and select only those that must be answered, ignoring the rest. I don’t do social media until the end of the week, and only if I have time. Maybe I’m losing a little business, but keeping my clients and editors happy, and myself healthy, is much better than a few connections on Twitter or Facebook.

Another friend, who is a writer/editor/book author, homeschools four children and teaches a class for a homeschooling group, has had to strictly monitor her e-mail time and answer only so many per day. 

I’ve resolved to get my blogging work done before I deal with e-mail or check out Facebook and Twitter, unless I’m using them for necessary business promotion and research.

How do you organize your online time?

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