How to Manage Social Media During Summer Vacation

Tweet
Buffer

Tweet
Buffer

If you’re like the participants in a recent Harvard study, you work during vacation. You may even skip vacation like the 35% who work over 50 hours a week.

The thing is, we’re not machines. We’re animals. And like most animals, we need to rest, unplug, and reset.

But it might not be easy for you to take time off:

You might be the only person who can fix things that break while you’re away.
You might feel that working extra hours helps advance your career.
Or maybe you’re scared to lose your job.

Whatever the reason, here are a few tips to manage social media even if your vacation is short.

1. Supplement your content queue with recycled content

Don’t kill yourself creating original content to be published during your vacation. Instead, recycle some of your top-performing posts.Reposting content that received lots of engagement in the past is an easy way to keep fans engaged while you’re on vacation.If you’re not sure how to do this, check out “7 Steps to Recycling Your Best Facebook Content” to supplement your Facebook queue. The same strategy works for any social network.

2. Supplement your content queue with curated content

Content curation is another powerful time-saving strategy to manage social media during your vacation.Rather than creating every piece of content, you supplement your original content with curated content that still resonates with your community.If you’re not sure how to do this, check out “Content Curation: 3 Sources You’re Probably Overlooking” to supplement your content queue.

3. Take short but smart vacations

Taking even just a couple of days off can improve health and well-being, according to the Harvard study. And even 2-3 days off can feel like weeks off if you follow these vacation hacks:

Do something you’ve never done before: This will actually make your vacation seem longer.
Get up early: If you have to work during your vacation, knock off critical tasks early in the morning so you can enjoy the rest of the day unfettered with work distractions.
End your short vacation with a bang: You’ll remember the last thing you more than the things you did at the start of your vacation.
Make it last: Take lots of pictures and share your positive memories with friends. The memories of your vacation will be shaped by how you retell the experience.

4. Stay connected but set expectations

Ideally, you should completely unplug while you’re on vacation.But if you’re a manager, a director, or are simply a control freak, you probably can’t help but stay connected. If that’s the case, make sure you set expectations to better manage social media:

Set your email vacation reply: Clearly and briefly state in your vacation reply how long you’ll be gone, when you’ll return, and who they can contact while you’re away.
Make sure there’s Wi-Fi at your destination: This seems obvious, but some people I know (me) have gone on vacation without WIFI, only to receipt a wireless bill the size of a mortgage payment.
Set expectations with coworkers and family: Make sure co-workers understand your limits during vacation. And don’t forget to tell your family that you may have to take a work call during your time away.

5. Give this book as a gift to yourself

The Happy Healthy Nonprofit, by Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman, addressed workplace health issues like no other book today.Here’s a Facebook live interview we did covering these topics:

What does technology wellness mean?
Why does happiness and health matter to nonprofits?
What are the best tips for practicing tech wellness?

Beth and Aliza are both huge advocates of unplugging to promote happiness, health, and increased productivity.

John Haydon delivers social web strategy solutions for “the quick, the smart, and the slightly manic.” Curious? Then visit the John Haydon blog, follow him on Twitter or leave a comment.