Save Time Enjoy More Of Your Weekend - Shop Online

I don't usually venture into the supermarket on a Sunday but weather disrupted plans for today so while I was out I popped in to pick up a few things.  More than a few things as it turned out but I was surprised at how full it was for a Sunday morning.

Perhaps like me people were planning something else until the weather changed their plans or more likely the weekend is the only time they get to go shopping, although I can think of other things I'd rather be doing on my day off.

If you'd really rather be doing something else with your weekend, save the two hours you spend shopping - allowing for time spend wandering up and down the aisles, travelling there and back and unpacking and storing said shopping.  Shop online - do your shopping from the comfort of your home, takes minutes, delivered to your door.  Great for the basics and your regular shopping items, not so good if you like to select your fruit and veg but does save the temptation of those 'special offers'.

Twitter: Finding People To Follow

When you're new to Twitter, you may wonder how to find new people to follow or to get more people to follow you.  I prefer the natural way to follow people and grow my list of Followers on Twitter.  I DON'T auto-follow and I NEVER join lists that promise you thousands of followers.  If you're going for numbers then go ahead and do it that way.  Here's what I do:

• Check out people following me and if they look interesting then I'll happily follow them back.
• Look at who's following people I follow or who are following me.  This can often turn up a few gems - especially if you move in the same circles, as you'll find people you didn't know were on Twitter.
• Check your Twitter stream.  Who's replying to your followers?  You can often find people to follow through who other people are reply to and Re-Tweeting.
• Use tools like Twellow and GeoChirp to find people in a particular industry or in your area.
• When you meet people at offline networking events you'll often find that they're also on Twitter, find their Twitter ID and follow them.
• Use Google or an internet search engine to check a person's name and see if they're on Twitter.  Not everyone uses their own name for Twitter - they may use their Company name.
• Check people's contact details in their online profiles - they'll probably list their Twitter name there too (or they should do).
• Check #FollowFriday tweets - people recommend others to follow.  Add a few of your own and give a reason so other people can check them out too.

You'll grow your followers and you'll find that the more you tweet and the more you participate, the more quickly it will happen.

How Much Time Do You Spend On Social Media

An interesting talk from Lee Cottier on "Social Media vs Time Management".  http://is.gd/75EcG

Links in nicely to this month's newsletter and to a talk I heard on Radio 4's Today programme this morning discussing comments made on a Twitter account by a Labour MP. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/listen_again/default.stm

We all know about Social Media but how aware are we of protecting our image in such a public environment?

February Newsletter: Are You Making The Most Of Your Social Media Time?

Social Media is a great marketing tool but you do need to be clear about your reasons are for using it. Otherwise it becomes just another source of distraction and a way to while away the hours.

Make sure that you're not spending/wasting all your online time, by following a few basic principles: ...

Read the rest of the article in this month's free newsletter, just register on my website. Free tips, advice, information and news on how to improve your time management for your business and personal life.