Time vampires. That’s what one of my mentors called them.
They’re the things, people and events that suck time away from you. Worst of all, most of us never see them coming.
If we’re being completely honest with ourselves, for most people reading this, Facebook is one such vampire. For some, it might even be a black hole.
As someone obsessed with productivity, I view Facebook as simply a tool. Tools have a utility value, they are neither good or bad.
A hammer can be used to build a house - good. It can also be used as a weapon - bad. Whoever wields the hammer determines how it is used.
The same is true for money.
You can invest it, build a business, spend money on marketing or a whole heap of other things that can help grow your money. All good things.
At the same time, we could blow it on the craps table at the Bellagio in Vegas, or spend it on fast cars and bling. Quite a different story.
There is simply no denying what powerful tools Facebook, like Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and the rest of the social media line up are in helping people grow their businesses.
Never before in history have we been so connected with the ability to share our message with the world. Thanks to these programs and apps, people like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Gary Vee and Jeff Besos are within reach. A single tweet can reach millions in seconds. That is power.
Unfortunately, most people use Facebook as a place to bitch, moan, vent or simply escape.
So how do we avoid this trap and turn Facebook into a productivity machine?
Simple. Just follow these four easy steps.
- Set your FB feed to show people of influence first (Feed our minds with positive, constructive ideas to put ourselves in the right mindset).
- Unfriend / unfollow the most negative people (Because negativity is much more powerful than we realize).
- Join groups that can add value to your life and visa versa (Business groups, similar hobbies).
- Add people from those groups that are sharing good content (Reach out to them with a personalized message, you never know where things will go)
The hardest step is step two because sometimes some of closest friends and even family members can be Debbie Downers. You have to make the call for what seems right for you.
What I can say is that in Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence, he talks about how a negative comment is 24 times more powerful than a positive one. That’s something to keep in mind.
A few years back I noticed the influence some people were having on me, and decided to keep my distance from them. Not an easy choice, but it had to be done.
Back to social media, I know hundreds of entrepreneurs who are using it to absolutely kick serious butt.
Gary Vee, Dan Meredith, Nicholas Kusmich, Niel Patel, Vin Clancy, Brendon Burchard are just a few of the names of people who understand the incredible power and reach that a social platform has. Check out Gary Vee’s interview below if you’re still on the fence.