Has this ever happened to you? You grab your phone to quickly check your direct messages on a social platform after you posted a blog post and then you get seriously distracted with stories and reels that popped out of nowhere, then get some really good shiny new ideas about what you want to post tomorrow, an idea for a new course you want to launch, or an idea about how to connect with someone you want to collaborate with, and so on, only to look up to see that 3 hours have passed? Me neither (big giggle!). But this is a post with practical tips from real dietitians on using your time wisely on social media to build your network and business.

The Benefits of Using Your Time Wisely on Social Media as a Dietitian

We all know that Social media marketing is extremely important and valuable to build relationships, promote key messaging, and communicate clearly and precisely.

But social media can be a huge time suck if done incorrectly ... or inefficiently.

Using social media correctly can boost one’s business by reaching a wider audience, build a stronger community, and increase one’s income. Effectively using your time on social media to generate business, increase brand awareness, and grow your network with these 10 essential social media skills.

Time management means knowing the best way to use the platforms, not just how much time you put into them. Knowing is saving time!

And there is an organized way to go about social marketing.

NutritionJobs caught up with fellow social media superstars and got their best tip to Optimize Social Media Time Management for Dietitians and the top essential skills for using social media wisely.

29 Ways for Using Your Time Wisely on Social Media

Here are 29 ways from dietitians on using your time wisely and how to efficiently spend your time on social media. There is an art and a science so you don’t get stuck wasting hours upon hours falling down the social media rabbit hole.

1. Advance planning. “Plan the day in advance. Batch ‘like’ tasks together, and then be present and focus single-mindedly on the task at hand during those specific time slots,” updates Jill Patterson, RDN.
2. Update your calendar. “Place your tasks or projects directly on your phone calendar. This will keep you organized on your to do list,” advises Toby Smithson, MS, RDN, LD, CDE, Twitter: @diabetesevryday. Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN , Twitter: @isabelsmithrd, also updates her calendar. “I find that setting a calendar for social media posts and building in time in the day for social media (in my calendar) is helpful. I have a routine down so it usually doesn't take up my whole day- but without care it sure can.”
3. Have a monthly plan. “At the beginning of the year, I make a monthly appointment (towards the end of the month) in my calendar to schedule social media posts for the next month. Strive for a couple posts per day. This helps me get focused on messaging and targeted on time,” informs Judy Barbe, MS, RDN, Twitter: @JudyBarbe. Great minds think alike. Krista Ulatowski, MPH, RDN, Twitter: @KUcumbers, also advocates the monthly plan. “Consider creating a monthly editorial calendar for your entrepreneurial purposes - this will ensure you're holding yourself accountable for disseminating your news or promotional pop on the appointed day. You might line up a Tweet pertaining to national asparagus day on Monday; post a savory oatmeal recipe to Facebook on Wednesday; and promote sign-ups for your upcoming webinar on Thursday. It's a solid way to keep your social media calendar organized and in one place.”
4. 2-hour time limits. “Take 2 hours at the end of the week to schedule the upcoming week’s social media posts. This allows me to focus my down time (or scheduled social media time) on engaging with my audience and peers,” notes Kathy Birkett, RDN, LD, Twitter: @KathyBirkettRDN.
5. Block specific times: “Planning time blocks devoted to specific, reasonably attainable tasks in an environment that promotes a focused state of mind helps to efficiently utilize time and manage busy schedules,” shares Arnetta Fletcher, PhD, RDN, LDN, Twitter: @MDNutriOnline. Jen Flachbart, MS, RD, Twitter: @JenFlashRD, agrees. “Schedule a specific time during the day to dedicate to social media and email.” Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD,
   Twitter: @drlisayoung, also advocates, “get your social media organized in advance and post at once or set up your posts and times in advance. As for browsing on social media, set a specific time, perhaps mid-morning and mid-afternoon.”
6. Write a list. “Keep a running list of projects or tasks to do to help save time and keep you on target with deadlines,” informs Smithson.
7. Plan, plan, plan. “I spend 15 minutes a day on social media. Pick the platforms that give you your greatest bang for your buck. Where do your potential clients hang out? That's where you put your time and energy. Always go into social media with a plan; latest stats are 20% personal (yea, you need to be PERSONAL), 30% sales (telling people what you have available, freebies are best), and 50% business (which, for most of you will be related to nutrition). Be consistent, and show up regularly. And, the biggest tip of all; SET A TIMER!” reinforces Marjorie Geiser, MBA, RD, BCC, Twitter: @megfit.
8. Eat the frog. “Start the day with ‘eat that frog,’ where you get the worst thing out of the way first thing in the morning,” explains Emma Fogt, MBA, MS, RDN, FAND, Twitter: @emmafogt.
9. Time it. “If something has to get done, put on a timer for 30 or 60 minutes and don't do anything but the task at hand until the timer goes off.” This helps keep focus, notifies Fogt. Vandana Sheth, RDN, CDE, Twitter: @vandanashethRD also agrees. “Set a timer or schedule specific times to check/post/update/respond to social media channels. The reason being, it can be a total time suck if you don't plan and limit yourself.”
10. Beware of Parkinson’s Law. “Parkinson’s Law means that the designated work will fill the time allotted to it. Take a look at the tasks and deadlines. Be realistic about time allotment and add only a small cushion before the hard deadline is due,” suggests Dina R. D’Alessandro, RDN, Twitter: @dishwithdina.
11. Don’t multi-task. “Make NOT multi-tasking a habit so that when you need to focus, it comes naturally,” instructs Elyse Sartor, RDN, LD, CLT.
12. Turn off distractions. Whether it is social media or email notifications, turn off the distractions so your full focus is on the task at hand.
13. Take a break. Schedule mini breaks for yourself throughout the day to eat, move around or exercise, or clear your head. Taking a 10 to 15-minute break has been suggested to increase productivity, rejuvenate brain function, and decrease stress levels.
14. Optimize breaks to update social media. “Social media is hard to keep up with. I use my phone and what little pockets of unscheduled time I have. So if I have 5 minutes in between clients, or am on hold on a call, and have no emails or other tasks that I could do in 5 minutes, I'll post/share posts/respond/tweet/retweet. There are those few minutes here and there that are not long enough to do much else, but can add up to some productive social media time,” shares Dianne Rishikof, MS, RDN, LDN, Twitter: @diannerishikof.
15. 1-touch. “Just like when working with paper and ink documents in an office, social media efficiency requires touching every piece of mail once only. Develop your own system for cataloging immediately upon receipt: Trash, handle now, or look at during my break or time off. I try to keep the last to a minimum. The most important key on my keyboard is DELETE,” updates Digna Cassens, MHA, RDN,Twitter: @digtheisland.
16. Use it with purpose. “My social media strategy is to use it with purpose - build a strong base by following accounts that are relevant to your purpose on that social media platform, and then devote a set amount of time to check in each day,” notes Melinda Johnson, MS, RDN, Twitter: @MelindaRD.
17. Focus your efforts. “Falling down the social media rabbit hole is easy – you try to have a presence everywhere, all the time. If you are on several social media platforms and feel like you just can’t keep up, my tip is to FOCUS your efforts. Determine where you get the most interaction or support, and focus on regular, meaningful activity there. Which platforms drive traffic to your website or blog? Which result in live contact with a potential client? Which increase your audience? Figure that out, and you’ll know where to focus,” counsels Julia Robarts, MS, MPH, RDN, LDN, Twitter: @jugglingjuliaRD.
18. Make social media accounts challenging to easily access. “Make it harder to access your accounts. Delete the apps from your phone and uncheck the box to ‘keep me logged in.’ Every time you want to access a social media account, you'll have to decide whether it's worth the time to log in just to see whether there are any new updates,” explains Jamie M. Marchetti, MS, RDN, LD, Twitter: @Scintilla_Life.
19. Use a scheduling platform.
    1. Buffer: “Make use of a scheduling platform, like Buffer. I set aside some time a couple days each week to schedule the majority of my posts so I don't have to think about it the rest of the week. Then I can just focus on engaging and sharing other people's content. You can also easily share articles read online using the Buffer extension in your web browser and see analytics for posts shared from Buffer,” advises Karman Meyer RD, LDN, Twitter: @KarmanRD.
    2. Tweetdeck: “My tip is to use Tweetdeck. Tweetdeck has been a huge time saver for me,” notifies Samina Qureshi RDN, LD, Twitter: @SaminaqRD. “Tweetdeck allows you to schedule your tweets in advance for a specific time and date.”
    3. Hootsuite: Other dietitians like Erin Skinner, MS, RD, Twitter: @RealNutritionRX, uses Hootsuite. “Set aside one hour on your calendar weekly to create social media posts. Create an account with Hootsuite and link all of your social accounts to it. Then create at least 7 short posts/tweets during that hour. Schedule one per day for the week within Hootsuite. It's best to have the whole week on a theme if possible.”
    4. Publish: Other platforms like Publish, work for Mandy Unanski Enright, MS, RDN, RYT, Twitter: @nutrinuptials. “Get a program or app that will let you schedule social media posts. I personally love Publish. It allows me to schedule Twitter & Instagram posts anytime I want or a time that is determine best based on my followers. It is such a time saver and allows me to do multiple posts throughout the day without having to be attached to my devices all day long.”
20. Use your laptop. “As I'm sitting with my iPhone, I have to admit that my most time saving social media tip is to do my social media from my laptop. Typing with all 10 fingers is just a lot faster than trying to navigate on the phone,” updates Jan Patenaude, RD, CLT, Twitter: @DineRight.
21. Hire help. “Hire a tech and social media savvy dietetic student/intern or young dietitian to serve as your assistant. Work with your assistant to craft social media posts and schedule them (after your review). Set up a system of working together that allows them to teach you new skills and offers you the opportunity to mentor them to develop writing and entrepreneurial skills,” proposes Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, Twitter: @hopewarshaw.
22. Join groups. “Find out which platform your target audience hangs out on then focus your efforts there. Become involved with groups where they are and build trust. And, decide how much time to spend on social media. Then STICK TO IT,” recommends Dr. Penny Wilson, RDN, CSSD, LD, Twitter: @eat4performance.
23. Content cohesion. Regardless of the multiple platforms you use, keeping cohesion between platforms is important to maintain your brand. Create content that can go across boards to save time and money. Use the same style and tone when developing content.
24. Channel Management. Use scheduling tools to schedule posts across multiple platforms so you only have to create one post.
    
25. Videos. Add in a video or two weekly to keep people interested and engaged.
26. Photos & Graphs. Visuals are vital. They are a great way to get your message across and attract viewers. Use infographs, photos, or memes.
    
27. Interaction. When people comment on your posts, respond back. Social media is meant to be social and people like to be heard. When they take the time to write a comment on your post, comment back to let them know you appreciate what they have to say.
    
28. Customer Service. Many people now use social media to contact companies. Make sure you respond quickly to your comments, in-mails, and other forms of social media support in order to maintain quality customer relationships.
    
29. Analytics. Use tags and analytics to see how you are gaining leads or revenue from social media. Popular analytic tools like Hootsuite Analytics or Google Analytics can help you determine what posts are doing well, how people find your website, what links people click on, your audience’s demographics, and more.
    

Remember, the goal is to work smarter, not harder. These 29 ways to using your time wisely by Optimizing your Social Media Skills and your Time Management will save you time, energy, and brain power. Plus you will boost your nutrition business and your network by using your time wisely. Enhance your productivity today!

About the authors

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist specializing in Weight Management and Sports Nutrition for youth and adults. She writes articles for multiple publications, provides customized nutrition coaching, and is a brand spokesperson. She is founder of MIJA, a superfood supplement company, and Haumea Health, a fertility wellness clinic. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.

Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN, is the Founder and Owner of NutritionJobs. She specializes in dietetic career development, resume building, LinkedIn, and job seeking success via traditional and unique platforms for nutrition and dietetic professionals. Stacey has previously worked in various settings around the Bay Area as a Dietitian, Clinical Nutrition Manager, and Research Dietitian with Dr. Dean Ornish. She has been invited to speak at Harvard Medical School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and MD Anderson Cancer Center, and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and MSNBC TV. She was awarded Outstanding Dietitian by the Bay Area Dietetic Association, Outstanding Dietitian of the Year by ARAMARK, Healthcare Support Services, and Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the California Dietetic Association. Stacey lives in San Francisco with her family where her children take her on skiing, volleyball, ballet and lacrosse adventures!