Beth Kanter, Author & Blogger, The Networked Nonprofit & Measuring the Networked Nonprofit Twitter Handle: @Kanter Social media and working online doesn’t have to be overwhelming; you can take back control. Learn personal productivity techniques, including the use of attention training and visualization, to combat distraction. It also covers conscious computing tools and apps that can help lengthen your attention span and replace information overload with a sense of mindfulness. These tips and tools, once you put them into practice, will help you achieve more in less time and ultimately increase the return of your online social media efforts.

1. Managing Your Attention and Using Your Time Efficiently
on Social Media Sites
Beth Kanter, Master Trainer, Author, and Blogger
Photo by a4gpa October, 2014

2. How long can you pay attention when working
online before your mind wanders? Be honest!
Write it down, share it with someone next to you …
photo source: birgerking

3. Attention Spans Online …
• The average attention span in 2000 was 12 seconds
• The average attention span in 2013 was 8 seconds
• The average attention span of a gold fish is 9
seconds
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information, US National Library of Medicine
Flickr photo: Josullivan59

4. The exabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to
one quintillion bytes

5. Over 1 billion users on Facebook
Average user creates 90 pieces of content each month
Flickr photo by dkalo

6. How much info is generated by Internet users in a minute?
Source: http://mashable.com/2012/06/22/data-created-every-minute/

8. Multi-Tasking Limits Your Brain Resources
“Human brains alternate between two modes –
task positive and task negative. When you are
jumping between social, email, and text, your
brain divides its limited resources and destructs
your attention span.”

9. The Perils of Working on Online

10. Other Perils: Lack of Concentration, Procrastination, Wasted Time

11. Self-Knowledge Is The First Step

12. What’s Your Score?
1. When you open email or do social media tasks, does it make you
feel anxious?
2. When you are seeking information to curate on Twitter or
elsewhere, have you ever forgotten what it was in the first place
you wanted to accomplish?
3. Do you ever wish online information would just go away?
4. Do you experience frustration at the amount of online information
you need to process daily?
5. Do you sit at your computer for longer than 30 minutes at a time
without getting up to take a break?
6. Do you constantly check (even in the bathroom on your mobile
phone) your email, Twitter or other online service?
7. Is the only time you're off line is when you are sleeping?
8. Do you feel that you often cannot concentrate?
9. Do you get anxious if you are offline for more than a few hours?
10.Do you find yourself easily distracted by online resources that
Information Overload
allow you to avoid other, pending work?

13. What’s Your Attention Focusing Score?
Source: Lulumonathletica
0…1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10
Mindful Online………………………………………………………..Need Help Now

14. Attention
Training
Techniques
&
Tools
Photo by locator

15. What does it mean to manage your attention?
• Understand your goals and priorities and
ask yourself at regular intervals whether
your current activity serves your higher
priority.
• Notice when your attention has
wandered, and then gently bringing it
back to focus on your highest priority
• Sometimes in order to learn or deepen
relationships -- exploring from link to link
is permissible – and important. Don’t
make attention training so rigid that it
destroys flow.
Source: Howard Rheingold
NetSmart

17. Write It Down, Share It
When you reviewed
mind map on how to
focus, is there one
technique you are
already using?
What is it? How or why
do you think it works for
you?

18. Conscious
Computing Tools
and Techniques

19. Training Your Attention: 18 Minutes A Day

20. Avoiding Procrastination: Pomodoro App

21. Keep A To Done List!

22. Blocker Programs: Remove Distractions

23. Blocker Program: For Writing

24. Take A Walk: Walking Apps

25. Walking: The Killer App for Creativity and Attention

26. Where do you find
the time in your
day?

27. Take A Walk: Walking Apps

28. Meditate

29. Breathe

30. Chill Out: Calm.Com

31. Tips for Squeezing Social Media Into Your Day

32. A Few Tips ….
1. Allocate social scanning, engaging, and posting in short
discrete blocks of time
2. Take social media breaks after completing higher
concentration tasks
3. Do your “engagement” activities on your phone while
taking a walk after lunch
4. Block out some time to schedule your tweets or updates
over the week, using scheduling tools
5. Don’t succumb to fear of missing out or being caught up
6. Curate information on social that helps you build expertise
or knowledge for a presentation or work related tasks
7. Check social channels while you wait in lines or in between
meetings
8. Learn how to scan and then go deep

33. Make A Commitment: One Thing
What is one technique
that you can commit
to practicing to
manage your attention
and time more
effectively while using
social media for work?
Tweet it to @kanter with the #SM4NP hashtag

34. Thank you!
www.bethkanter.org
www.facebook.com/beth.kanter.blog
@kanter on Twitter