I saw an update on Twitter this morning that asked plaintively: what is social media good for?

It is so easy to get buried in the daily details, drudgery and distraction of social media that it is very easy to lose sight of what you hope to achieve with it.

The simple truth is this: you have to identify your desired outcomes and then focus with great discipline on achieving those outcomes with social media tools and techniques. Ignore everything else. Ignore check lists that say “you must do X of these on Facebook and Y of those on Twitter otherwise you are doing it wrong!” because usually only a few of those tasks are relevant to your goals.

If you are creating value for your desired outcomes with social media then you are doing it right in my book.

If you aren’t creating value (or can’t tell!): take a break. Take a few steps back. Redefine the goals you hoped to achieve and then look at your current activities with new eyes. Focus on just those things that are likely to advance you toward your goals and drop the rest. You’ll be more effective and do so in less time.