The evils of social media / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-Mar-2016

Time, time, time.

You only have so much of it.  168 hours to be exact, each and every week, each and every one of us.  No exceptions.  People constantly complain they do not have enough time for this, that, and the other thing, yet others create astonishing inventions, fabulous works of art, or build a financial empire on the same amount of time.

I title this piece the evils of social media because social media, whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. all seem to suck the time away if you're not aware of it.  I have no problems with social media per se.  I've connected with friends and relatives from way back, and when tragedy strikes one can reach out to offer a prayer of condolence.

But if you are creating something, look at how you spend your time.  At my full-time job, I have two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute lunch.  That's a total of 60 minutes I can use to create something away from home, whether it's working on a first draft, editing a story, working on the elevator pitch, or even brainstorming a new story idea.  If I take the first five minutes and peruse Facebook for the latest news that isn't relative to me, that's 15 of the 60 minutes.  (And I do write at home too, in case you're wondering).

Do I really care what someone says about Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton, Ted Cruz or "Weekend at Bernie's" Sanders?  Do I have any impact on the legalization of marijuana or gay marriage debate?  Would spending my time commenting on a Facebook post, unless it's directly related to the work I'm creating, be a good management of my precious time?

No.  It's not.  I work hard at only doing tasks that further my writing empire.

Besides my blogs, I do work best through my blogs and e-mail.  If you wish to contact me: marksrpeterson@gmail.com - I do answer e-mail, if you ask me a question.  That is the one task I do.  Now, I also subscribe to a number of newsletters.  When I open my e-mail during the day, I take a quick look to see what it is.  Most I save for later.

How much time are you spending on social media, on issues not directly related to your work in progress?  Could that time be better spent creating instead?

It is, for me.  How about you?