Productivity Hacks with Instagram, Snapchat, and Social Media

With today's digital culture and tech savvy society, it's nearly impossible to find someone who's NOT on social media--whether that's Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and everything you've probably been on.Don't get me wrong, I am a huge advocate for social media--but I am an advocate for using it strategically and more so as a good social tool, rather than something that just takes up your time and makes you become socially awkward because you don't know how to communicate with people in real life.Here's how I make sure I'm not spending too much time on my social media apps and how you can implement the same habits.*I turn off all notifications on all social media appsLet's be honest...when you see a notification, you will likely open it up right away or check it out. Aka distractions! Especially with working a rigorous sales job and managing a business, I have to stay focused during my prime hours. With that in mind, I definitely don't ever want to become side tracked or distracted by notifications of someone liking my photo or sending a DM via Instagram.I don't even want to see the red notification icon on the app. Just turn that shit off and you'll eventually notice how you are muchhhhh less tempted to click on the app. Talk about increasing productivity and focus...*I put my key social apps in the second or third page of my phoneIf you're reading this blog, you're probably familiar with my other social media platforms like my Instagram, which I tend to post on about 3x week. I'm also on this app on a daily basis to check in with my messages and engaging with my audience, yet, this app is on the second page of my phone aka I don't see it the first thing on my home page.You know that saying, out of sight, out of mind? Yeah, that applies to this too. I love Instagram, but I don't want to become a slave to it. Or any social media app.Snapchat is also on the third page of my phone and I can only see who has sent me a snap or responded to me if I go and click on the app myself. This is something I've been doing for probably almost two years now, so I'm very accustomed to not using Snapchat on a daily basis. In fact, I'll typically forget that I was Snapchatting a friend and will click on the app 2-3 days after they sent the snap and totally forget..lol whoops!*I'm mindful about consuming contentThe number one reason why I started to my @emilyeduong to separate from my original personal IG was because I was naturally drawn to creating, not consuming. I despised the concept of scrolling through my feed to see OTHER people and what they were doing...like such a waste of my time.This is something you have to work on to be disciplined in, but practice being mindful of what you are actually doing on each social app. Are you just scrolling (I mean probably)? Looking at other people's stories only to feel FOMO or shitty about yourself?For me, I rarely/never look through any Snapchat stories, even if I post any myself. I'll look through specific individuals on Instagram, likely close friends, but other than that, I mindfully avoid consuming what other people are doing.Instead, I'll take that urge and bring it to LinkedIn--for multiple reasons. One being that I love to read and consume more content focused on professional careers, business, the economy, and etc. Secondly, the content shared on LinkedIn is actually worth my time because I typically gain some sort of beneficial knowledge from others' posts.Be aware of where you're spending your time when you are on your phone and whether it's actually benefiting your knowledge and time.xx