How I Use Twitter for Good
& Not to Distraction
I love writing Threads on Twitter. But I get it, not everyone enjoys using Twitter. No worries! Now you won’t miss a thread cause they’re all right here. Enjoy!
How I use Twitter for good & not to distraction.
But first, if you’re spending valuable time endlessly scrolling your main Twitter timeline and not getting anything out of it or realizing it’s become a procrastination tool rather than a productivity tool, then…
🧵 ahead!
TIP #1 - Never Use the Timeline
No matter how hard you may try to curate your timeline, you will never be able to treat it like YouTube (with its brilliant algorithm). Twitter will infiltrate your timeline and just put things in your path to distract, not to help.
TIP #2 - Always Use Your Lists
Make a list of all the Twitter accounts that are similar and that you love. Then turn that list into an actual List on Twitter. Make it Private or Public if you want, but ALWAYS “pin” it so it’s right next to the Timeline you’ll now 100% ignore.
TIP #3 - Unfollow Everyone
There’s a reason I put this AFTER creating your list. Turns out, you can add anyone to your Twitter List without following them. But make the List first. Then, just unfollow them if you want. Who cares if they unfollow you.
TIP #4 - Join the Conversation
Sooner or later you need to just jump right in. I’m doing that right now. This thread is me joining the conversation on a topic I'm interested in. I can’t do that from the sidelines, in the shadows. So, what are you waiting for? Tweet, damn it!
TIP #5 - Stop Using Hashtags
This topic could be it’s own thread.
I’m slowly discovering that hashtags are no longer the way to get people to see your tweets. In fact, they can do more harm than good. If I see more than one or two (max) hashtags I’m unfollowing.
TIP #6 - Join Communities
It’s a great way to find like-minded Twitter accounts who you may not already know. Then add them to your List. And if you’re scared to start joining the conversation on your main account and in public, anything you tweet in the community stays there.
TIP #7 - Follow Other Lists
Twitter may suck at algorithms for your main Timeline but they are decent with helping you “discover” Lists others have already created that may be similar to yours. Just copy their List down & add them to your own w/o ever following them.
FINAL TIP - Bookmark & Save
The point of using Twitter this way is so you can gain something & stop wasting your time scrolling. When you find a thread of value, bookmark it. Or save it outside of Twitter for later consumption/use. I highly recommend @matter.
If you walk away with anything from my tips let it be that Twitter can most definitely be a productivity tool instead of a saboteur. You just have to be smart in how you go about using it.
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Erica Drayton @EricaDrayton