The Social Media Hamster Wheel: Why Less Really Is More

I used to be that bloke who posted five times a day. Every half-baked thought, every recycled quote, every "motivational Monday" meme I could get my hands on. Treating social media like it was my full-time job, convinced that if I wasn't posting on social, my business would just vanish into the digital void.

Looking back on it, it was all a bit mad.

Then one day, it hit me like a slap from a wet fish.

I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline when I noticed something odd about an American entrepreneur I'd been following for ages. Brilliant bloke, great insights, the works. But then he went from posting thoughtful pieces once or twice a week to absolutely hammering my feed. Ten times a day. Memes, quotes, random thoughts, bits nicked from other people's blogs.

At first, I thought, "Fair play, he's really committed." But after a few weeks of my entire timeline being dominated by his face and his recycled wisdom, I did what any sane person would do.

I muted him.

Not unfollowed. Just muted. Because sometimes you need people to disappear without the awkwardness of actually pressing that unfollow button.

That's when the penny properly dropped. If I were tuning out someone I actually liked because they were posting too much, what were people doing with my constant stream of "content"?

Here's the brutal truth about social media that nobody wants to admit. For most of us business owners, the return on investment is about as impressive as a chocolate teapot. We spend hours crafting posts. Obsessing over engagement. Chasing likes like they're going to pay the bloody mortgage. Meanwhile, our actual work sits there gathering dust whilst we're busy being "authentic" on Instagram.

It's madness.

I notice business owners posting about being worn out and tired, and then they're posting at six in the morning. Engaging at lunch. Sharing stories at midnight. Then they wonder why they feel absolutely knackered all the time. The very thing that was supposed to help them grow their business has become the thing that's slowly burning them out.

So I changed my approach. Completely.

These days, I treat social media like a gym. Not to show off, but to get stronger. It's become my practice ground for writing, my testing arena for new ideas; my videos and podcasts have become a confidence builder for speaking.

Now I aim for three written posts a week, plus a podcast and a video. That's basically one piece of content a day, with weekends completely off. It's manageable. It's sustainable. And it doesn't make me want to throw my phone out the window. When I post something now, it's because I've got something to say. Not because the algorithm is demanding its daily sacrifice.

And here's something that'll mess with your head. When I drag my arse out of the office and actually go and see people, they tell me how much they enjoy my content. But these same people, they've never liked a single thing. Not once. No hearts, no comments, complete radio silence on the actual posts. And it's these people who tend to end up working with me.

It's a reminder to myself that likes don't matter. And they certainly don't pay the bills.

Here's what I've learned about avoiding the social media burnout trap:

Post with purpose, not pressure. One thoughtful post beats ten recycled quotes every single time, hands down. People like authenticity; they can spot filler content, and if that becomes the norm, they will tune out. Better to go quiet for a week than bore your audience to death with motivational memes you found on Instagram at two in the morning.

Make it serve you, not the other way round. Social media works best when it serves your business goals. Post when you've got something worth saying. Not because you feel obligated. Not because some guru told you consistency means posting five times daily without fail, come hell or high water.

Don't forget why you started. I'm willing to bet you didn't start your business to become a content creator. You started it to solve problems. Serve customers. Build something that mattered. Don't let social media become the master when it should be the servant.

The brutal truth is this. Whilst you're busy posting your fifteenth inspirational quote of the week, your competitors are out there running their actual businesses. They're building relationships. Improving their products. Serving their customers properly. They're not losing sleep over whether their latest post got enough hearts or whether they should be on TikTok too (In case you are wondering that, you don't unless your target audience is 15-year-old kids or chavs with a drug problem)

I realised something else. The constant pressure to create content was making me view everything through the lens of "Will this make a good post?" Couldn't enjoy a meal without photographing it. I couldn't have an insight without immediately thinking about how to package it for Facebook, or do a decent workout at the gym without getting a snap of me there to add to my Instagram story. That's not living. That's performing. And performing all the time? It's absolutely exhausting.

Social media isn't the devil. But it's definitely not the saviour either. It's just another tool in your business toolkit. Use it wisely, don't let it control you, and for the love of all that's good, stop treating your followers like they've signed up for a minute-by-minute commentary on your business thoughts and life.

Speaking of tools in the toolkit. I need to add one, and that's LinkedIn. I'll admit, I've got some nerves about LinkedIn. I never really used it much. But people keep telling me that's where the business conversations happen. So as I venture into that world, the same principles will apply. Quality over quantity. And if I can get over the nerves, this very blog might not just appear on my Facebook page and blog, but on my LinkedIn feed as well.

But back to posting too much. Your business will thank you for it. Your sanity will thank you. Your family will thank you when you stop interrupting dinner to reply to comments. And your followers? They'll most definitely thank you, too.

Right then. I'm off to do some actual work instead of thinking about what to post about doing actual work.

Take Care

GB