Technology is so tricky for me. I have this blog, Facebook, Instagram, follow a couple of online communities and LOVE me some Pinterest. I have learned so much and really have grown as a person with the ability to have research, ideas and inspiration at my fingertips 24/7. On the other hand, I get sucked into the vortex so easily! I will open my Safari browser to google something or check my email and before I know it I'm reading articles about celebrities that I honestly couldn't care less about in the grand scheme of things. In the moment I just can't help myself and I know that I am not alone here. If I were, none of it would be there and blog posts like this would have never been written.
I am proud to say that I do a good job of giving Ayden the undivided attention that children need and deserve. It is so important to me and I make a point to do it everyday. It's the "me" time that suffers at the hand of the technology life suck.
Instead of spending 20 minutes mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook feed I could have used my hands to make something from raw materials or read a chapter in my current novel that I haven't opened in months. I could have made a phone call to see how my sister in NY is doing or could have planned a super fun activity to do with Ayden. I could have crossed a couple of things off of my to do list. I could have gotten that much more SLEEP. There are so many REAL LIFE things that could have been done instead of reading about what other people are doing or have done in their lives.
I am not against any of these things by any means. Like I said, I have grown as a person in one way or another from all of them. I have made some delicious meals and made our home more homey thanks to Pinterest. I've also found inspiration for so many home made gifts that brought me much joy to make and give to my loved ones. I have been able to keep in touch with old friends and share Ayden with distant family through Facebook. With most things, there is a time, a place and a purpose for all of this stuff. But as someone who gets sucked into it easily, I am just trying to find a way to maintain the proper balance. Some way to log in, get what I need then log out. I'm not sure what the solution is at this point but something is going to change. One thing that I did tonight was change my Safari home screen from Yahoo! to this quote in hopes to be reminded to stay focused and not get sucked in:
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| Which, of course, I found on Pinterest... I figure I'll change it up every now and then. |
Saying goodbye to my iPhone and reverting back to the "old fashioned," basic kind could be an option perhaps? I could snap pictures on my little point and shoot like I used to and be forced to sit at an actual computer to check emails, peruse social media sites and Pinterst. That would greatly decrease my "screen time" and would also save us some money. Then again, I really love having my phone, video camera, photo camera, GPS, etc all in one pocket-size device. And that's not to mention my ability to write blog posts from my phone.This idea seems like the answer but the iPhone addict in me has a bit of a panic attack when I picture life without it. Maybe I'll take a week where I keep my phone turned off and store it in my car. That way I'd have it in case of an emergency when I'm away from home but wouldn't have constant access to it all day everyday. Maybe I could do this long enough to establish better habits then reassess?
In so many ways technology simplifies my life but in others it takes it away. What did people ever do without it?? I suppose they just LIVED and didn't worry about the rest. Just something to think about...
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| This is what LIVING is! Talk about fulfilling! |
Anyone else struggling with this dilemma? How do you find balance and avoid the technology life suck? Even though I am so tired of wasting moments I'll never have back, I still have so much trouble putting it down...
~Sarah
Flashback! Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Turn That Frown Upside Down"
~Sarah
Flashback! Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Turn That Frown Upside Down"
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I dont have a facebook account for that very reason. I become way too addicted to reading posts from people. Total addiction. My mom is even addicted to facebook. I refuse instagram and pinterest for those same reasons. I know if i had facebook ir any other media, i would be too invested and my daughter would be ignored. Its hard i know.
ReplyDeleteSelf control is definitely an on-going area of focus for me!
DeleteI struggle with this myself. Mostly it interferes with me at work because I start brainstorming dinner recipes while I am reading a boring brief and then sneak in a quick (15 min) session on Pinterest. Haha. I'm pretty sure I can't give up my phone but I have had to put it in my purse in a drawer when it has gotten particularly distracting. Good luck finding your balance!
ReplyDeleteDavid feels the same way with using his phone at work. He's always checking to see if I've sent a new picture or refreshing feeds to get the latest news. He started leaving it in his car for a while. I do want to find balance as I don't do well long-term with extremes.
DeleteI struggle with this especially at night. I have a hard time putting my phone down before bedtime. It's terrible! I know I'm addicted to Facebook, but without it, my family on the other side of the world would never see pics of my son or know what's going on with us and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way about Facebook. I love sharing with family and friends but hate getting sucked in to reading all of the status updates. I'm working on sharing what I want to share and leaving it at that.
DeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! I really sruggle with this as well. when I first started bf , I would use my phone. Its amazing, because you taught me how to use my moby wrap, I have developed an online community of moms, learned about health, wellnes and have significantly by some of this technology, just like you said. However, my habitual phone use changed when my baby looked up at me with her big, beautiful eyes while bf and I was on my phone! I thought this is not how its supposed to be especially while bf. I constantly feel overwhelmed by all the infomation. The only thing that works for me is to leave the phone and not take it with me everywhere. Its hard but important, I dont my daughter to remember mommy glued to a screen, after all I wouldnt let her do it.
I am with you 100%! Glad I am not alone here. I stopped using my phone while nursing cold turkey a few days ago because we are moving into weaning territory and I really want to cherish the bfing time I have left!
DeleteI have this internal conflict with mysellf too! I usually get on my phone or computer after my son goes to sleep ao its not like I'm missing out on family time, but beacaue I wait til he goes to bed I'm up really late because I fee like I need to catch up on Facebook, pinterest, blogging, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe blog post you mentioned was how I used to feel whenever I'd see parents on their phones. To be honest, sometimes I feel like my husband misses cute moments when he's on his phone, reading the news or on Facebook. But I saw a response to a blog post about "Parents, on the Phone" that mentioned that maybe they're a WAHM and they NEED to answer that email NOW, or that they went to the park so their child could play independently and they could get a break after they've been interacting with them all day. I am having a bit of trouble separating from technology, but the past week I've made an effort not to turn on the TV until the end of the day and to read (or use my iPad, shh) so my 20 month old son was not watching TV all day. And he asked my MIL yesterday to turn it on! He'd never done that before and then asked me today! I don't love that even though he was requesting the "Signing Time" shows. We need to rein in the TV watching for sure
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Sarah. While you make use of the wireless technology often, you don’t let it use its trick on you. Like everything else, I think the key here is your own sense of balance, discipline, and time management. Technology has tons of benefits to offer, but in the end, it’s up to us to determine if we're gonna put them to good use. I think you’re faring well in setting a good example. Have a good day!
ReplyDeleteClara Brooks @ TelcoWorld