How To Avoid Making Twitter A Procrastination Tool

by Dan Miranda

Description: Twitter has become a common part of today’s online society. The problem with it however, is that we end up spending much too much time on the site and it takes away from other aspects of our life.

Twitter is an excellent site. In fact, it may just be too excellent.

The success of Twitter could possibly end up being it’s downfall. We, as a Twitter nation, have become so obsessed with “tweeting,” “retweeting,” and “direct messaging” that we fail to acknowledge any other part of our lives. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but even so, the popular micro-blogging website has only increased in traffic over the past three months and it’s not going to stop there. We’ll only see bigger - or smaller - and bolder ideas from the expanding company, but what does that mean for the user?

It means you are going to get more addicted. Don’t doubt for one second that they aren’t in their headquarters scheming and plotting. You see, Twitter is exactly like a chocolate bar - or any favorite candy of yours, for that matter.

After you take that first bite of the chocolate bar, your mouth waters, your stomach rejoices and ultimately you want more. When you’ve swallowed that same chocolate bar four minutes later. You’ve wasted your appetite on some sweets when you could have had a bowl of carrots instead. Now imagine spending seven days a week like this.

On Twitter, you post your first tweet of the afternoon and watch your followers comment back. Spending fifty minutes on the site each day, you end up wanting to see more and more. You eventually start sneaking on during work and later you stop checking your e-mail for important notifications. You’ve wasted your work day on some tweets when you could have a hefty paycheck. Now imagine seven days a week like this.

Do you want this? I sure don’t. I’m also pretty sure that the people close to you are going to notice it too. Keeping a balanced life, is sure as heck one of the most important things a person can do with his, or her, life - and if Twitter gets in the way for three or four months, it can change habits for a lifetime.

Although it seems contradictory to what I’ve said prior, Twitter can also be quite the tool when used appropriately. It has the quickness and effectiveness to make a lasting impact on worlds’ citizens. There is only one condition though… confirming that the amount of time you spend on the obsessive website will decrease a substantial amount. You want to focus on taking one bite out of the chocolate, not gulping it down like it’s a fruitful wine at WLTV.

I want you to ask yourself the following questions honestly:

1. Is Twitter the website you visit the most?

2. What is the greatest amount of tweets you’ve made in one day?

3. How do you think you can spend less time on Twitter?

The answers to these questions are vital to any Twitterer who is currently in love with their new favorite product. Remember: keeping a balanced life is the key to life success as a whole.

Don’t stop using Twitter altogether though! You may have become so obsessed with the site that putting an end to it could mean very difficult withdrawal symptoms. No, I’m not joking. When something takes such a vast part of your life, it’s hard to cope with not having it anymore. It’s the same reason relationship break-ups are so difficult for (usually) both sides. Don’t involve yourself in a direct partnership with Twitter. Put yourself in an open relationship.

Why an open relationship? Because when you’re in one your still able to go to fun places, meet awesome people, and see great things without feeling guilty about it. When you are directly connected to Twitter, you devote two hours, of your precious time, to a website that isn’t giving you much more than a few extra views on your blog.

TwiTip is a site committed to teaching the people of the blogosphere about what to do on Twitter, but, I hope, reading this showed you what not to do.