Social media anxiety: Switch your focus

Social media has many good qualities but is also fraught with challenges for people who are socially anxious. They may feel as self-conscious as they would face to face. They may think that they don't have anything to say, that they come across as boring, or that people may think they're ...

To focus on your work, do not allow intermittent phone calls. Rather request your colleagues to take messages.

Once you're done with your work, return earlier calls.  Ask them about their concerns, take notes and confirm that you are attending to their requests.

To avoid solving symptoms of the problems rather than the root problems themselves, ask yourself whether your HMW question focuses on the desired outcome. In the example below, the first HMW question loses sight of what we really want to achieve.

• Problem: Users often call us because ...