I’d intended this particular blog post to be all about social media and choosing which platforms to use, but as always with 3 young kids, life gets in the way.
But it’s made me think.
About time and how we manage it.
Managing your time
Everybody’s always looking for that elusive work-life balance, but in reality we’re all just trying our best to juggle so many competing pressures and hoping it’ll work.
As a mum who wants to be able to be there for my kids, but have a business I enjoy and keep that part of me alive it’s always going to be a trade off.
This morning is a perfect example, woken up by a teething toddler at 4.30 am and of course she went back to sleep, but I was still awake. Mulling over all I needed to do in the day, how I could find the time for it all and I realised I did have extra time, that hour before the rest of the house was awake. So I opened my laptop and got productive.
Now I’m not advocating working from 4am every day, unless you can cope with very little sleep, after a few days even coffee won’t be enough to keep you going!
What I’m talking about is working smartly.
Instead of complaining about not enough hours in the day, think about how to use those hours more productively.
And that seamlessly links me in to my original subject, social media and how to manage it.
Working efficiently
I’m not going to talk too much about all the platforms out there, when and how to use them, that’s a whole other blog, what I’m talking about is the management tools you can use to work more effectively.
Quite simply you can programme in your social media posts, complete with images and links in advance so you don’t need to worry about finding the time for it every day. It’s also a good way to get you thinking about your social media and using it strategically. No more writing posts on the hoof just to get something out there, but well thought out targeted posts that can enhance your reputation and keep your business relevant.
In all industries there will be external events, dates and activities happening that you want to comment and capitalise on. Planning in advance gives you the opportunity to build a campaign and ensure you get the best results.
On a practical level, you can plan social media for when you’re on holiday or out of the office, or maybe to target an overseas market, who wants to be up in the middle of the night juggling time zones.
There are lots of tools out there and as my mantra has become, do your research and find the best one for your business. Most have a free or trial option, so you don’t need to commit or pay huge sums at the start and offer incremental costs when you do commit for different sized businesses with varying needs.
Here are a few to try to get you started:
· Buffer
Happy researching!
Blog originally published here.