Andriana BoyrikovaAs a freelance writer, you use social media to increase your exposure, connect with (new) clients and fellow professionals in your niche, stay up to date with the latest trends, and share your writing projects. But at the same time you feel inadequate and unmotivated as you compare yourself with other writers’ overly contrived success. Your inspiration succumbs to apathy. You use social media to consume more and more content. Social media is a double-edged sword and you should be aware of the inherent risks to your freelance business.
The destructive effect of social media on your freelance business
Social media can be a good addition to your other marketing activities, and you can reap a whole lot of benefits for your freelance business. You can build relationships with people, add value to your (prospective) clients, discover sources of valuable information, promote your work to prove your expertise and grow your audience, gain insights into your ideal clients, and many more.
However, social media poses a threat to your freelance business when you get an uncontrollable urge to use your devices to check social media, begin to feel incompetent, and can’t finish your work because of social media.
Does the following description sound familiar?
What starts as a quick check of notifications turns in the blink of an eye into excessive LinkedIn browsing, watching videos by aspiring copywriters who make millions from home, skimming over hundreds of Instagram photos for “inspiring content,” and scrolling… And scrolling…
You spend an hour – or more – on social media: time you could invest in growing your freelance business through meeting new people in meatspace, calling your (prospective) clients to catch up, writing an article for your blog, or learning a new skill.
Do you use social media as a refuge when you have to work on a challenging task? Or as a substitute for face-to-face interactions?
Do you compare yourself with other writers and think that everyone else is better, has cooler projects, and earns more than you?
Or do you use it to add value to your (prospective) clients, post your writing projects, and nurture connections with people?
Ever since I quit my job to work as a full-time freelancer, I have been using social media compulsively. At some point, I was completely lost in the endless social media feeds, pop-up ads, blinking banners, and autoplaying videos. While I spent time on social media solely for the sake of my freelance business, it had the opposite effect. It was killing my productivity, creativity, and joy in my work.
I recognized a few alarming effects of social media on my work-related and personal writing projects:
- The involuntary comparison with other writers (and with what they present as success on social media) sometimes made me doubt my skills, knowledge, and talents. What’s worse, it was muffling my motivation: there is so much content out there, why bother creating more?
- My attention span was shrinking at a racing speed. The constant switching back and forth from a challenging task to my LinkedIn feed made it nearly impossible to complete the task at hand. I was shocked when I found out that when our attention is diverted, it takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus on the task.
- I see more of what I want to see on social media. I need to do some digging to find content with opinions different from mine on topics I don’t usually read about. So I am exposed to subjects, discussions, and points of view that are predominantly aligned with my own interests and opinions. I consider this a huge threat to my writer’s growth and heterogeneity.
- After spending time on social media, I felt dull. I was anything but brimming with new ideas.
As a matter of fact, I get my best ideas NOT when I am on social media but when I am daydreaming, walking in nature, writing, or reading a book.
Over the past weeks, I enforced all self-discipline I have and implemented practices that help me manage and mitigate the time I spend on social media. This fills me with energy and lets me focus on what really matters for my freelance business: getting my work done, building connections, and writing more.
I am sharing these practices with you in the hope they will help you grow your freelance business – and let you spend more time on writing and doing what you love – despite social media.
Make social media work in favor of instead of against your freelance business
You shouldn’t completely disappear from the online world. The key is to build a healthy social media routine.
Spend more time creating your own content than consuming content.
Here is what I have been doing to use social media in a way that leverages my work, creative writing, personal life, and hobbies :
- I have deleted all social media apps from my phone except for Twitter. Not seeing the icons on my phone is a huge relief to my brain: I forget about social media, and consequently I forget that I want to check any notifications. Moreover, I use 1Focus on my laptop to block all social media between 12:00 and 18:00: the time when I am most triggered to check what is happening online.
- When I work, I put my phone either at the other corner of the room or in my backpack: out of sight, out of mind 🙂
- I have excluded social media from my morning routine: I don’t check my social media accounts until 9:00 in the morning, so I give my brain some time to focus on what is really important for this day.
- I schedule time (30 minutes every day) to use social media to post, engage, chat, learn new things, and connect with people.
- I have become mindful of my triggers: the moments and feelings that make me check social media. It is mostly when I am working on a challenging task and can’t concentrate or when I am bored and want to get excited. Now, when I feel my triggers, I go for a brisk walk, stretch, or read a few pages from a book: a print book or a book on my e-reader, NOT on my phone or laptop.
What are your triggers?
Do you use social media when you are overwhelmed with work? Or when you are anxious that you don’t have any new assignments? When a client rejects your work? When you are tired? Bored? Or lazy?
Find your triggers and become mindful of them.
- When I feel the urge to check social media, I just sit with that restless, uncomfortable feeling, being aware that it is there, accepting it, and then letting it go. I focus on the task at hand and promise myself that when my 45-minute Pomodoro timer goes off (I love using the Pomodoro technique when I work), I will reward myself with a cup of coffee or tea, an apple, a walk, or a nice stretch.
Conclusion
Social media can offer your freelance business a palette of benefits, such as building brand awareness, nurturing connections, adding value to your (prospective) clients, and thus opening more business opportunities for you.
While you should incorporate social media in your other marketing activities, you shouldn’t make too much of it. Above all, you should use it in a healthy and smart way that boosts rather than impedes your writing.
You can try to implement the following the practices that have been helping me remain productive, creative, and content in my freelancing routine:
- delete social media apps from your phone
- use a website app blocker while you work on your device
- put your phone far away from you while you work
- schedule time to use social media in a way that benefits your freelance business
- exclude social media from your morning routine
- understand what your triggers are
- when you feel the urge to check social media, just sit with that uncomfortable feeling and let it go.
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What are your practices of using social media in a healthy and smart way? I am curious, share them in the comments.
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Don’t miss my other freelancing tips for aspiring freelance writers.
Featured image: William Krause
