It is easy to get sucked into Twitter. Americans spend about 2 hours of time on Twitter each month. If you use the site regularly, it is up to you whether or not that time is well spent. Using Twitter wisely can be actually make you more productive if you use the right tools or strategies.
Here are some really cool ways that Twitter can help you save time and be more productive:
- List Things You Need to Do. If you use Twitter regularly, you can use it as a to-do list. You know you will remember to check it more frequently than most other task management tools you may download. You can create an SMS of the task that needs to be completed. You can also tag the SMS by the task that needs to be completed or when it needs to be completed. For example, you could write an SMS that says: “Call back Steve #business #priority.” When you check Twitter, you will remember to make this business call. Afterwards, you can delete the post so that you know it has already been completed. You can also use a tool such as TodoTweet if you want to simplify the process.
- Mark events. There are a variety of ways that you can keep track of upcoming events. One solution is to follow @timer. You can record events that you need to attend and you will receive a direct message to remind you of the upcoming event. Just make sure that you have your smartphone set up to receive incoming messages. If you aren’t using a smartphone, you can still remind yourself of the event. Just make sure you set it close enough to the event that you won’t forget. There are also tools that will help you manage your Google Calendar from Twitter.
- Manage your staff or contractors. Twitter was developed for the purpose of interacting with other people. Why not use it as an opportunity to manage them? Email isn’t always the most efficient form of communication. Text messages may not be appropriate means of communicating with some of your colleagues or employees. If you send a quick tweet to someone, you will be able to communicate with them much more efficiently. Another advantage is that you can update your statuses if you need to give instructions to all your staff at once. This is much easier than sending a mass text or bulk email.
- Communicate with your clients. Social media tools are great for keeping in touch with your clients as well. Consider telling your clients to follow your alerts on Twitter. This may not always be an appropriate means of communicating. For example, many people may not check Twitter, so you will need to brief them on particularly important issues. However, it can help you stay in touch with clients without having to call or email them individually. More importantly, you may not have the contact information of many of your clients. Twitter or Facebook posts could be the only way for you to stay in touch with all of them at once.
Twitter can be either a time-drain a time-saver. How you choose to use it is totally up to you. There are many tools available that can help you manage yourself better and make your time more efficient. Learn what tools are available and be creative to maximize your productivity.
What tools do you recommend?
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