Category Archives: Facebook

Social Media Fast

choices, Facebook, priorities July 29, 2016 Leave a comment

Sometime in June I listened to a podcast that discussed Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. The podcast resonated with me. I often feel distracted by all the social media apps on my phone. I have turned off notifications, deleted apps, hidden people that annoy me. I realized that I was spending way too much time and putting way too much emotional energy into these gathering places. I needed a break. I have very important work to do and I was tired of being distracted and not being able to put full energy into it.

I made the decision to quit all social media for the month of July. I didn’t announce it. I just deleted 6 apps off my phone and haven’t been on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat for the past month. How has it been? 99% glorious and 1% irritating. I have realized a great deal about myself and my relationship to social media (and my phone) in the past month. For the first 6 or 7 days I found myself still mindlessly picking up my phone where I would stare at it and cycle from checking the weather, to looking at photos of my kids, to checking my email. I’d put it down after a minute or two and have to face the fact that my pacifier wasn’t giving me the instant gratification it gave me before.

The 1% irritation? I was trying to have a garage sale and I needed to hop on Facebook so I could announce that. It was a waste. I shouldn’t of even spent those 5 minutes. I made $30 at the sale. The other irritation is a genuine need to acquire information from our homeschool group or church youth group. Many of today’s groups use social media as their first and foremost mode of communication. Which is understandable. The latest statistics show that about 91% of people use Facebook on at least a weekly basis. BILLIONS of people.

What I have learned about myself is that it will be better for me to leave social media(especially FB) off my phone. I am on my computer at least once a day if I feel I “must” check it. I may have to restrict myself to certain times I’m allowed to check it. It’s too distracting.

Two weeks after starting my social media fast, I felt a different kind of peace and strength. My mind felt much more clear and focused. I decided to take that peace, strength and focus and apply it to another area of my life that needed attention. More on that in the next post.

Go ahead – unfriend me…

Facebook, humor February 15, 2012 1 Comment

I have this love/hate relationship with Facebook.  I started using it whenever one else did a few years ago.  It was getting on my nerves so bad that I actually stopped using it for almost 8 months.  Well, then some great info was being passed around regarding BHEA and the stuff my kids are involved in.  And it was fun to follow different blogs on there and share You Tube things, etc. 

So I started back again and I thought I pretty much had a handle on it until recently.  I know you can hide people and only see the “important” stuff they say (which how does Facebook know what’s important and what’s not?).  So that’s what I do when someone keeps posting about their cat’s bowel movements or uses language that I would rather not have my kids reading over my shoulder. I just hide them. Because I don’t want to be rude and actually UNFRIEND them. Wouldn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings or anything.

I also fall into the “comparing” trap.  I start to get frustrated that I too, haven’t been able to leap tall buildings in a single jump or save a special needs child from a burning porta-potty.  I haven’t lost 23.6 pounds in 3 weeks and I am not finishing up my 3rd Ph.D at the end of this month. Actually, what I have done today is change 5.3 poopy diapers, used 4 spit rags (including my own shirt), made 17,465 peanut butter and honey sandwiches and had the never ending type of conversations that are so mentally stimulating (i.e.”no we don’t eat that just because it’s brown and soft and looks like chocolate”)

Anywho,  I love Facebook because of it’s perks and I detest it at the same time.  When I checked Facebook this morning the detestable score just went up by a few.  Come to find out – I have been UNFRIENDED. 

My intial reaction was “Really? Really? Did you have to unfriend me? You couldn’t just hide me so I wouldn’t know that you don’t like me and I get on your nerves?”  Noooo…that just would have been way too civil.

My lucid, post 3 cups of coffee, reaction is “Go ahead – unfriend me…see if I care.”

Oh and “unfriend” isn’t even a real word.

So there.