A member of our community recently asked us, ‘How can we keep up with the latest developments?’. It’s actually a great question, especially when you consider how busy many online platforms have become and the sheer amount of news being generated by the current COVID-19 situation.
The bottom line is amid all our hustling it can be easy to become confused, distracted and, perhaps worst of all, unproductive. While we can’t always be regimented, it is still worth noting that pausing, organising and prioritising is a good way to get on top of things.
In most scenarios, you can ‘Start with Why’. It’s a concept by Simon Sinek that I’ve followed and use for most of my online activities.
At Cambridge Social Media, we believe that when you start with ‘WHY?’ you are able to better visualise or imagine the end results. This helps you know where to start and how to proceed to achieve the best results.
For example, where should you head when you are looking for news about the COVID-19 outbreak? We would suggest going to a trustworthy source, such as the NHS, in the first instance. Why? Because it’s a credible, respected source, which means you don’t need to discern whether what you are reading is fake news.
In line with the above, here are our top tips for keeping up with the latest developments:
- Disconnect from sources and people that don’t add any value to your day/life. Go through your list of social media subscriptions and online feeds and unfollow the ones that share things that can be distracting, disturbing or unintellectual. Also, unsubscribe from those newsletters/emails that keep coming and you never read them (or maybe start reading them).
- Connect with the friends, colleagues, brands and individuals that add to your knowledge, wellbeing and inspiration. Be strict with your feeds and only subscribe to the sources that add value to one or more areas of your life (such as personal, work, hobbies).
- Bookmark just 1or 2 news websites that are trustworthy, credible and that you enjoy, so you can stay up to date with the latest developments in politics, business and the world.
- Join 2 or 3 Facebook groups/online communities that discuss topics that are important to you personally (e.g. family-related, town news and/or wellbeing), your work (like Cambridge Social Media – Ahem!), and hobbies (e.g. art, music, reading, crafts, etc.)
- Time it in a way that fits your day. For example, read the news in the morning with a cup of coffee (or tea, if you’re Team Tea) and consider keeping the stuff that relates to work during your working hours. Leave the personal bits for your entertainment for after-work or times when you are unwinding.
There you have it! Do you have any tips for us that we could share with our community? Remember, sharing is caring ?
