The other night I couldn’t sleep, so, naturally, I grabbed my phone charging on the night stand and browsed Facebook at 1:00 AM. As I was scrolling, I came across an interview Simon Sinek gave about The Millennial Question. While I don’t agree with the message entirely, he made several points about the influence of technology and social media that hit me between the eyes.

It left me asking myself…

Do I have a subconscious addiction to social media that is holding me back me from taking massive action in my online business?

With so many network marketing professionals and online entrepreneurs building their businesses primarily on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and others, it made me wonder, how many other side-hustlers have an untreated social media addiction that is holding them back from success in their business?

Can you really be addicted to social media?

Yes and it’s scientifically proven. Here are 5 crazy ways social media is changing your brain right now.

Now the real question is… are YOU addicted to social media?

Here’s a test…

Try deleting all social media apps from your phone for 24 hours and keep track of how many times you mindlessly check your phone throughout the day. I can assure you, you’ll be shocked.

I can hear many of you complaining already, “I can’t leave my accounts, clients and prospects unattended that long.”

Alright, alright…

There is an iPhone app you can download called Moment – Screen Time Tracker. It automatically tracks how much you use your iPhone and iPad each day. If you’re using your phone too much, you can set daily limits on yourself and be notified when you go over. You can even force yourself off your device when you’re over your limit.

I don’t think the app is a TRUE test though for online business owners because many of you tell yourself you’re building your business but in reality you’re not truly being productive while you’re online.

Here are some other telltale signs you’re addicted to social media:

• You unlock your phone every few minutes to check for notifications
• You keep a tab of your social media accounts open at work, but hidden in the background.
• You check your phone first thing in the morning before you say good morning to the people living with you
• You take your cell phone with you everywhere you go, including the bathroom
• You use your phone as an alarm clock and charge it by your bed
• You constantly check your social media accounts even when you’re with other people
• Your spouse or kids have to call your name multiple times to get your attention

Whether you classify yourself as addicted to social media or not, I think it’s important to be more aware of how much time you are spending online.

As business owners, we need to be more intentional and set boundaries for ourselves, especially while we’re on a social media platform. If we’re not careful, wasting time online can not only prevent you from moving your business forward; it can steal your joy and even lead to depression.

Why would heavy social media usage cause depression?

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine recently conducted a study and found the exposure to “highly idealized representations of peers on social media elicits feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier, more successful lives.” They also found that “Spending more time on social media may increase the risk of exposure to cyber-bullying or other similar negative interactions, which can cause feelings of depression.”

If you feel overwhelmed or obligated by how much you have to post on social media, it’s a clear indication that social media is stealing your joy on some level.

I know some network marketing professionals have been told to post up to 8 times per day on their personal or like pages in order to become visible and get more sales.

That’s 100% bull–

Social media should be a tool you use in your overall marketing strategy, but it should not be your ONLY marketing strategy.

If you are truly feeling burned out from social at this very moment, I want to encourage you to remove that obligation for one week. Instead, only post valuable content when you feel inspired.

It’s clear social media is addictive.

When you’re owning your own business and trying to build it online, I want you guys to ask yourselves:

1. Am I productive when I sit down to work my business?
2. Am I focusing on income producing activities first?

Lastly, I want to give you 3 tools that will help you become more focused and productive inside of your online business.

These tools help you set necessary boundaries so that you can avoid the social media addiction; or, if you are addicted it can help relieve stress and help bring back joy to your life.

1. DAILY & WEEKLY TASK CHECKLIST [FREE DOWNLOAD]

I have created a daily business tracker for network marketers building an online business, which has two parts – a daily portion and a weekly portion. Everyday, use this list to guide you through the necessary tasks to help move your business forward.

This checklist is designed for those using attraction marketing strategies. That means it will not prompt you to cold call 3 to 5 people per day; instead, it will guide you to add 3 to 5 new email subscribers to your list which ideally has an an automated email sequence set up.

If you do not have an email list setup or email sequence, check out some of our other blogs that show you how to get started with that. Otherwise, you can substitute that out for personal invitations to look at your product or opportunity until you have one in place.

2. KILL NEWS FEED

If you use the Chrome browser, you can use an extension called Kill News Feed. When you download this extension, it will literally eliminate the news stories from populating in your Facebook Newsfeed when you’re on your laptop. #goodbyedistractions

This is a feature you can enable and disable as needed. So, you can simply turn it on when you sit down to work your business.

To enable or disable it once it’s installed:

• Click the 3 dots in the upper right corner
• Select more tools
• Extensions

I personally always have it turned on and only look at the Newsfeed through my phone. When I work my  business, I do it on a laptop so I can take advantage of a full keyboard. I just have to make sure not to get distracted by scrolling on my phone only!

If you have notifications “turned on” on your phone or your desktop, I would eliminate those as well.

3. SET BUSINESS HOURS FOR YOURSELF

This isn’t necessarily a third party tool, but implementing business hours can increase your productivity tenfold.

That means you need to set a routine and stick to it. Schedule out the times you get online and check your social media.

The schedule will look different for each person, but it could be two or three times a day for 20 to 60 minutes at a time.

For example, if you’re a morning person you could set the routine to…

• 5:00 AM – Wake up & workout or meditate
• 5:45 AM – Read personal development to get your mind right
• 6:00 AM – Work online business
• 6:45 AM – Get ready for school/ work

Remember, the way I’ve structured the task checklist is to help you tackle those income producing activities first in your business.

So let’s just say this morning routine is your first “sprint” in your business. Even if you don’t have 45 minutes or an hour, but you have 20 minutes — take what you can get. Build this business in the cracks of life.

If you work full time, your next scheduled time to get online could be on your lunch break. Answer any incoming messages.

• 12:00 PM – Work online business

Lastly, you could hop online one last time after the kids go to bed and wrap up any tasks you didn’t complete from the daily checklist earlier in the day and even work on a weekly task.

• 8:30 PM – Work online business

Setting these business hours will create boundaries that will reduce stress, keep your cup full, create balance in your life and increase your productivity in your online business.

If you just sit down in front of your computer, open up Facebook and say… “who am I going to prospect today?”, it’s no wonder you’re not moving your business forward.

You have to be strategic and intentional with your time, especially when you use social media.

So, there you have it.

Social media can prevent you from success in your online business. Now that you have an awareness, I have one final challenge for you:

Don’t just consume this info. Go IMPLEMENT something you learned here so that you can truly crush your goals and get everything you want in life.

P.S. — don’t forget to download your FREE Daily & Weekly Task Checklist & get access to our other helpful resources to take your business to the next level.