5 Ways to Stop Using Twitter

Given the opportunity, I could spend every waking moment during the day managing my Twitter account. But I have other work to do. And every once in a while, I also have a life. So how do you pull yourself away from Twitter, so you won’t be distracted day in and day out? Not only will you get some other work done, but you’ll be less exasperated about your Twitter experience and more likely to effectively manage your Twitter account when the time is perfect for you. The best part about it is that you don’t have to stop being involved in Twitter to actually take a Twitter break from time to time.

Close your Twitter apps.

Whether you use desktop clients, mobile apps or a regular web-app like Twitter search, take an hour or so to just close out all of the applications. Since many of these applications have easy distractions such as browser alerts, it’s easy to get caught up in every single tweet that pops up. As useful as these apps can be, they also make it very easy for us to get caught up in everyone’s tweets. It’s best to focus on Twitter when you have time to put thought into your responses and retweets, so if you need a break from Twitter apps, don’t feel bad about closing a few windows on your computer.

Redirect your Twitter email alerts.

Whether you’re using Twitter alone or a Twitter app such as Topify that sends alerts to your designated email address, your inbox can become rather overwhelmed if you’re using Twitter for personal or professional branding purposes. If you set up a folder for these Twitter related emails where they’ll be automatically filtered, you’ll feel less overwhelmed when looking at your inbox at any given point.

Additionally, you’ll be extremely thankful when it’s time to dig into your Twitter maintenance, as all your Twitter-related emails are already separated from other messages, making it easier for you to effectively get through your necessary Twitter activity.

Limit mobile Twitter use to direct messages.

If you’re using a Twitter app such as TwitterBerry or Twitdroid (mobile link), turn it off for an hour or so. If all the Twitterers you’re following have text message updates coming through on your phone, change your mobile Twitter settings to only receive direct messages to your cell phone. Resist the temptation to use your text messages to send requests into Twitter, such as receiving the most recent updates for a particular user.

For me, there’s nothing more distracting than hearing my text message alert go off on my cell phone, so limiting my mobile use of Twitter for short whiles throughout the day means I can better compartmentalize my time in order to remain an effective blogger.

Auto post some updates.

It’s like having a Twitter clone. Whether you’ve added feeds to update through Twitter, or you’ve signed up for an auto-posting option such as the one offered by Sendible, there are plenty of ways in which you can physically and mentally disconnect from Twitter without your presence being removed from the microblogging platform. Others will still receive your tweets and see your online Twitter activity, even if you aren’t actively tweeting.

Choose an RSS feed that discusses topics that are of interest to you and could help your brand. Utilizing a service such as Twitterfeed, you can set RSS feeds to auto-post to your Twitter. Settings allow you to select the frequency for each feed. If you’d like a more personal touch, try Sendible, which allows you to create a message to tweet, along with the date, time, repetitive behavior and frequency.

Close your Twitter tab.

If all else fails, just completely disconnect from Twitter. While Twitter can be a distraction for some, it’s a primary channel for communication for others, such as professional bloggers and business developers. So if you need a distraction from your distraction, remember that distractions are necessary and can often help us focus. Once you’ve given your mind to relax, you can return to Twitter in full effect, bigger, badder and better than ever.

Written by Kristen Nicole from Kristen Nicole
Posted on May 11th, 2009 and filed under Blogging
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