The BIG Time Management Mistake You May Be Making Each Morning
May 17, 2022The alarm goes off on your phone. It's 6am (at least for me it is). You went to sleep with the intent to wake up, work out, shower, put on real clothes, get everyone else in the house ready to go and actually be ON TIME today. But, oh no! When you turn your alarm off on your phone, you see a social media notification and decide to open Instagram or Facebook or TikTok or Twitter or LinkedIn (insert social media outlet of choice here). All of a sudden, it's 6:47. You've spent nearly an hour on social media and your feet haven't even hit the ground. Just as you're about to turn your morning around, your baby starts crying and that's the end of that.
Does this scenario sound familiar?
Be honest. Do you check your social media before you even get out of bed in the morning?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people do.
As a time management and productivity coach, mom of four, entrepreneur, wife, house manager, and self proclaimed Time MOMager and Biz MOMager, I'm here to tell you this.
If you want to level up how you’re spending your time and living your life, checking your social media first thing in the morning is a BIG no-no.
Here are some reasons why:
1. Checking your social channels first thing in the morning can really kill your vibe. You may end up in a funk before your feet even hit the floor if you stumble across something that disappoints you. Starting your day with this energy leads to demotivation and lack of productivity. I always say, "When you feel good, you do good." And you can't do good if you feel like sh*t. So, don't set yourself up to.
2. Your quick check may turn into a longer than necessary scroll sesh. Beware, you will likely waste time, time that could be spent doing something way more productive like exercising, meditating, even showering. Social media can be a wonderful tool to connect with others, get inspired, and grow your business. It can also be a time suck. When you don't use it with intention, this is almost always the case.
3. You’re letting the day run you instead of you running the day. As Jim Rohn said, it’s either one or the other. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather run sh*t around here and not get swooped up in the social vortex. I much prefer feeling in control of my day, my feelings, and my time rather than those things telling me what to do and when to do it. I'm the boss of my life and you can be too. You just need to make the choice to be.
So, this all sounds great, but you might be thinking, "How can I just break the habit of checking my social media first thing in the morning?" What if you've gotten into such a routine of doing this, you worry your withdrawal symptoms will put you over the edge?
Not to worry, mama. This isn't an all or nothing approach. I'm not going to tell you to take a social media hiatus or leave your family for a month and travel to a silent ashram in India. But, I will give you three practical tips on how to kick the social media time sucking, morning habit to the curb so you can start your day in a way that will help you feel motivated, excited, and productive.
TIP 1 ๐ Move your phone. Don’t sleep with it next to your bed. If you can’t reach for it, you can’t check it. This is also helpful if you're a nighttime scroller who just wants to go the f*ck to sleep, but can't because IG reels have lured you in (I'm guilty of this by the way).
TIP 2 ๐ Set an alarm that tells you when you can check social, so you have a rule and accountability system in place to help you. Create this at one or multiple times per day for periods of time you feel comfortable allowing yourself to scroll and enjoy.
TIP 3 ๐ If you’re running a business, use a third party posting tool that allow you to post without actually logging into the platforms. Biz MOMagement Club provides resources like these and others to help you run your business and maximize your efficiency so you're not feeling like you need to constantly be on your phone and glued to work.
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