Facebook is banned in several organisations I know. However, facebook can be a great tool for improving your focus at work and being more productive.
A few (very few) of my friends aren’t on facebook, mainly because they say they don’t have time. There were 22 million people on facebook in the UK at the end of 2008, and 54% of them are over 35 years old. The way I use facebook means that I fear some of those friends may soon start to lose out. Here’s how to use facebook to be more productive…
The key is to manage your notification settings. Only set notifications for things that are really important to you. This is where you find it:
Most of the personal e-mails I get each day are created by me. No, I don’t e-mail myself, what I mean is that I e-mail different groups of friends about meeting up for a beer, dinner, game of golf, holiday, party, etc, and then they reply. When I initiate the message through facebook, they reply through facebook.
When I want to see who has replied, I open facebook. I no longer get e-mails every time someone pokes me, tags me, sends me a beer, or bites my zombie.
There is no doubt that facebook can eat up hours of time (as the internet in general can) and if that is a problem, then you probably need help defining what’s important in your life (or at work). LinkedIn is seen as being more of a business tool, and is therefore more accepted in work, but it can also fill up your inbox if you don’t manage the settings correctly.
Facebook is a great tool, particularly when is it used as a tool, rather than it using you like one.
Toby Beresford explains this in a different way
Lots of people set New Year resolutions, but it seems to me they are in decline. There are a couple of problems with resolutions – firstly, they are often resolutions rather than goals (I will give up/I will do less), and normally set out verbally over a glass or two of something fizzy during the celebrations.So make your resolutions into goals and write them down. Only 3 percent of adults have clear, written goals, and these people achieve 5-10 times as much as people of equal or better education and ability who have not written down what they want. Just because you’re reading this in February, or September, don’t let that be an excuse – write down a few positive things that you want to achieve by a certain date. Better still, share them with someone you know, or don’t know!Here are some of my goals for 2009, in three groups of three (3 being the magic number)
Fitness
- I will run in six 10k events such as charity runs, fun runs, etc
- I will take more effort (including asking for advice) in order to prevent those silly little injuries that could scupper my fitness goals
- I will get an independent healthcheck to ensure that I am really fit and healthy
Business
- GG Fit will improve member retention in gyms and health clubs through life coaching, especially with respect to motivation of staff and management
- GG Fit will increase the return on investment that clubs get from Exercise Management Systems by enhancing reporting and understanding of the exercise data
- GG Fit will be an ethical, environmentally friendly business
Other
- I will take more time over, and put more effort into things I enjoy – reading, learning the guitar, and most importantly, spending time with friends
- I will campaign to raise more money for charity – not necessarily to donate more, but to persuade others to part with their cash for the causes I support
- I will buy a new car (conditions apply)
