5 Social Media Resolutions for Your Most Productive 2015

'Tis the season for end-of-year round ups! With the holidays upon us, and the New Year on the horizon, now is the time to cram in as many memorable moments from 2014 as we can before shrugging off what we didn’t get to on our Bucket List and heading wide-eyed into 2015. But before clicking “Private” on that Top Hits of 2014 Spotify playlist or skimming through the most cringe-worthy moments of the VMAs, here’s one list you may want to read all the way through. It’s no secret that social media is the No.1 killer of attention spans throughout the average workday. All it takes is one kitten gif-filled list on Buzzfeed, and you can kiss your focus good-bye despite looming deadlines and deliverables.  So forget the gym memberships and the nicotine patches; the best resolutions we can arm ourselves with are the tools to block out the social chatter and hone in on what’s needed for our Most Productive 2015. 1. Take ten minutes away from Facebook and give them to LinkedIn: According to Bloomberg Businessweek, as of July 2014, the average American currently spends 40 minutes a day checking a Facebook feed. If ten of those ex-boyfriend trolling, sports highlight watching, selfie editing minutes were devoted instead to polishing your professional profile on LinkedIn, your may easily become head and shoulders above everyone else in your office in your own professional development. Catch up on industry related articles, extend your professional network and become better acquainted with your client brands. As an endless resource of free and relevant material, it’s so much more valuable than a job site board. 2. Avoid Click Bait: We’ve all done it. Scanning the brief, digestible headlines in our feed when all of a sudden we hit a brick wall. Wait, what DID Paris Hilton name her latest puppy? What DOES the winner of Biggest Loser look like now? How DO you make a vegan, gluten-free version of chocolate mousse cake? Click bait intentionally throws a wrench into the works of social media by providing readers with a headline cliffhanger so juicy, it forces them to resign their levels of self-control in order to click the link and bask in the always disappointing result, thereby granting the host it’s cost per click quota. Not only does it launch you into a downward shame spiral for falling for their gimmick, the time it took to navigate all those mind games made you late for your conference call. Next time, let it be. 3. Beware the Black Hole of Pinterest: If most companies knew what was good for them, they would install a virtual padlock on Pinterest and expel the ever-present ‘Pin It’ button from all office-related toolbars. Just one slow afternoon of looking up DIY scrapbooking ideas and you may as well hand in your resignation. You are now a living, breathing organism made up entirely of unproductivity.  The claim that Pinterest will only get you if you’re a 24-35 year old female planning your wedding is very false. Grown men are never heard from again, the only trace of them left behind being boards dedicated to man caves and golf puns. Trust us, save yourself and skip Pinterest altogether. 4. Reel in your Twitter Bird: People often suggest performing a yearly clean out of Facebook Friends to diminish the noise and traffic on your newsfeed. But when was the last time you took inventory of your Twitter followers? As the much noisier, traffic-congested platform, cutting down your clutter into a more focused, edited group of followers related to your industry can easily turn a distraction into a tool. 5. Step away from the phone: In Mashable’s recent 7 Social Media Resolutions for 2015 round up, they mention how checking your phone for social media updates as the last thing before you go to the sleep or the first thing after you wake up can affect your sleep patterns, mood and overall mental wellness. The same goes for keeping your phone right next to you throughout the day, responding to every pop up and text that may come through. You’ll be shocked by how much more you get accomplished without even realizing it by keeping your phone tucked into your bag and out of reach. Worried about emergencies? They do still ring, you know.