It’s funny how I started the week feeling burned out about blogging and social media. However, the awkward tweets, the mindless check-ins, the technical nightmare of running a blog really resonated with a lot of readers this week, meaning one thing:
You all are really burned out as well.
The more I think about it though, it doesn’t come as a surprise. How many tweets can we possibly read in a day? What do you do with those 200 some articles that come into your RSS reader daily? How many times will you pull out your phone to check in every time you step into a different building?
We lose a little something every time we spend another minute than necessary in front of our computer screens. Those 5 minutes checking Twitter 4 times a day add up to 20 minutes, and in three days that’s an hour. In a couple of months, you will have lost a day of your life to Twitter alone. Add the time you are waiting to check in on Foursquare, and the time you spend on Facebook and you’re draining years of your life away.
The constant stream of tweets and updates from around the globe create a never ending race to engage and be heard. Keeping up with it all while trying to do meaningful work and make real connections is insane. You can’t do it. The more you try to, the more you struggle and lose that spark of inspiration to create. It hit me hard this week, and I know it will hit me again.
I’m lucky to have this platform where even as I burn out, I find inspiration and support in my downward spiral. Many people don’t have those friends and contacts. They leave these platforms forever.
Burnout will come. Don’t let it ruin your social media.
Anti-Social Media