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This is a guest post by James Adams.

Is Facebook usage hindering your office productivity? Are you more interested in messages from friends than getting that urgent report completed? You are not alone. You do not want your internet privileges removed, so you need to curb the habit. Here are some tips to managing your social media usage in the office.

1. Stay away from games – Games can provide a break from the monotony of filing, but they also make excellent time-sinks. You might say to yourself, ‘just one game of this, and I’ll get right back,’ but that leads to the statement ‘just one more.’ Avoid the games altogether and find another way to relax at work.
2. Ignore requests – Your friend is offering an in-game gift for joining the team/squadron/mafia. These requests are designed to entice you into playing the game with your friend. By sending these to others, your friend will receive bonuses and special items in the games which are being played. During the course of a day, you will receive many such notifications. Ignore them, as they lead to hours and hours spent on game playing.
3. Time your usage – Use a timer to determine how much time is being used for your social networking sites. It can be quite surprising. Set the timer near the computer’s monitor so you will be well aware of the time that is passing while you are checking your email and catching up with friends.
4. Chatting – A quick message to tell a friend that they are being missed can turn into an hours-long conversation about the hierarchy of cheeses. While you are at work, set yourself offline so you will not receive instant messages. Let your friend know that you are at work, and that you will idle at any time. This will prevent the obligation to immediately reply to instant messages.
5. Set some rules – Set some parameters for yourself. Allow yourself a specific block of time to use your favorite social media platforms. Most companies will allow you to take a ten minute break which gives you enough time to check the latest messages from your friends and make notes for future conversations.
6. Do not follow links – Clicking on a single link can lead you to an interesting site or article. There may be tempting links around the article. Clicking on those can start an hours-long IMDB search for your favorite B-movie actor. Following links can also lead you to sites which are not safe for work.
7. Remove notifications – Many social networking platforms will give you notifications. These notifications can range from invitations to new comments. Go to the settings of your social networking platform and remove as many notifications as possible. This will curb the temptation to check your Facebook page while you are checking email.
8. Ask someone for help – If you live with others, they probably notice your activities. Ask a roommate to change your password. Do not ask that person for the password, but ask them to log in for you when you get home from work. This way, you cannot log in to check on a few things. You have to get their permission.
9. Reward yourself – If you take the initiative to voluntarily remove social media distractions from your workplace, reward yourself for success. Give yourself extra time while you are at home. Take the long bubble bath which you have denied yourself. Make it special to encourage yourself to maintain the habit.
10. No Facebook – Sometimes extreme measures are necessary to curb problems. If you are not able to curb your usage by avoiding games and other distractions, remove the temptation altogether by blocking the site from your internet security settings. If you have multiple users on your computer, randomize your password and secret answers so you are prevented from logging in.

Hours can be spent using Facebook and other social media platforms. It draws users from all over the world, making it incredibly addictive. If you find yourself spending too much time playing with your social media platforms at work, create personal restrictions before your company decides to take action.

James Adams is a writer at Cartridge Save where he covers the latest HP supplies and businesses supplies from other top brands.

Further reading:

Are You Trying To Improve Your Facebook Fan Page?

The Best Social Media Advice You Can Receive

Facebook’s Domination – Any Cause For Concern?

Juump – Using Social Networking To Stay Active

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