But after a few hours of contemplation, it occurred to me that I can declutter my time. Especially when it comes to superfluous distractions. So I took my phone, took a deep breath, and deleted Facebook and Tickld. I used those two apps literally hourly every day. And gained nothing from them. I also deleted about 10 apps that I never used and were just taking up space, but Facebook and Tickld were by far the hardest. They were my habits, they were what I turned to whenever I was not currently occupied, and often times when I was.
And I was the worse for it. There are things that I want to do, but every day would pass me by mostly wasted. Granted, some of it is because I'm the size of a small mountain and can't do what I used to. But most of it, and I mean a solid 90% of my time wasting was due to nothing more than distractions and letting time slip away.
The distractions kept me from productivity. They stole my focus, kept me complacent, and sapped my motivation. (In all honesty, and without pretense, if you've been following the blog for any amount of time whatsoever, you'll realize that this is not the first time I've blogged about this exact issue. I suck at managing my time and I'm grieved over it.) I'm wasting my twenties. I love my life, but am horridly disappointed with myself. I am capable of doing so much more. And every day I'm going to wake up and try. Especially because Haven is due any minute now. Especially because I adore Anthem. But just because I've come to this conclusion before, and fallen back into my old habits does not make me a hopeless case. It means that I'm not giving up, and trying again. And I'll keep trying until I get it. I'll always be changing. It's life.
As I write this particular part of the post, know I've been awake since 3am for reasons beyond my comprehension with a deep, deep desire to vacuum the entire house. Due to the fact that we do not live alone, that was impossible. Okay, not impossible, but extremely rude. So I had a few hours to occupy. It was difficult to not log onto Facebook immediately on my computer, or just start watching TV. But I persevered, albeit it's just for one morning, and yet I celebrate my small victory. Because for a few hours this morning, I just read a book. A good book. Just fiction. And it was glorious. And I want to continue.
A little encouragement can go a long way. So as I pray that this restlessness is a symptom of impending labor, I'm pleased with my baby step forward. My small morning of victory. Here's to praying it snowballs.
If this sounds good to you, I encourage you to take a few steps with me.
1) Make your phone smart again. Delete your time wasting apps and download some helpful ones for when you do want your phone to keep you from the mind numbing boredom of waiting rooms.
I highly recommend the app Duolingo. Also the Kindle app, or any reading app. The amount of free books you can get is staggering if you search. Bookbub.com is a great place to start, and gutenberg.org has most of the classics. Find apps that will enrich your life, teach you something, help you. I'm not saying they can't be entertaining. I kept Pinterest because I love browsing it for recipes and DIY projects. But delete time wasters. For me it was Facebook, Tickld, and Cracked. That way you're not nearly as tempted to look at your phone when your attention should be committed to what's right in front of you as the 'smarter' apps require more focus than browsing Facebook.
2) Remember something you used to do to occupy yourself before your smart phone, and if possible, before the internet and do that thing again. For me, it was reading. I was the kid who always had three books on her at all times. And a gameboy, but that's irrelevant at the moment. Reading is a true passion of mine that slowly got edged out by social media and memes. More importantly, it was something that was easy for me to start again because of how captivating I find a good book.
The second step (which I hope to pursue today) was DIY projects. But remember, start small. Don't take on a huge project to distract yourself. Slowly fill your free time with what you love and we'll get there.
3) Have grace with yourself. I want to watch less TV it's true, especially streaming (darn you Grey's Anatomy) but that doesn't mean I'm going to not watch the new episode of Game of Thrones. Everything, even distractions, have a time and a place. It's about being in control of your entertainment instead of letting your entertainment control you.
Speaking of, life is calling and today is pretty full for me. If you're joining me in this, let me know. I want to pray for you and encourage you and partner in doing this together. If you're already in control of your time, I applaud you and ask that you share with me and others how you stay that way.
And I was the worse for it. There are things that I want to do, but every day would pass me by mostly wasted. Granted, some of it is because I'm the size of a small mountain and can't do what I used to. But most of it, and I mean a solid 90% of my time wasting was due to nothing more than distractions and letting time slip away.
The distractions kept me from productivity. They stole my focus, kept me complacent, and sapped my motivation. (In all honesty, and without pretense, if you've been following the blog for any amount of time whatsoever, you'll realize that this is not the first time I've blogged about this exact issue. I suck at managing my time and I'm grieved over it.) I'm wasting my twenties. I love my life, but am horridly disappointed with myself. I am capable of doing so much more. And every day I'm going to wake up and try. Especially because Haven is due any minute now. Especially because I adore Anthem. But just because I've come to this conclusion before, and fallen back into my old habits does not make me a hopeless case. It means that I'm not giving up, and trying again. And I'll keep trying until I get it. I'll always be changing. It's life.
As I write this particular part of the post, know I've been awake since 3am for reasons beyond my comprehension with a deep, deep desire to vacuum the entire house. Due to the fact that we do not live alone, that was impossible. Okay, not impossible, but extremely rude. So I had a few hours to occupy. It was difficult to not log onto Facebook immediately on my computer, or just start watching TV. But I persevered, albeit it's just for one morning, and yet I celebrate my small victory. Because for a few hours this morning, I just read a book. A good book. Just fiction. And it was glorious. And I want to continue.
A little encouragement can go a long way. So as I pray that this restlessness is a symptom of impending labor, I'm pleased with my baby step forward. My small morning of victory. Here's to praying it snowballs.
If this sounds good to you, I encourage you to take a few steps with me.
1) Make your phone smart again. Delete your time wasting apps and download some helpful ones for when you do want your phone to keep you from the mind numbing boredom of waiting rooms.
I highly recommend the app Duolingo. Also the Kindle app, or any reading app. The amount of free books you can get is staggering if you search. Bookbub.com is a great place to start, and gutenberg.org has most of the classics. Find apps that will enrich your life, teach you something, help you. I'm not saying they can't be entertaining. I kept Pinterest because I love browsing it for recipes and DIY projects. But delete time wasters. For me it was Facebook, Tickld, and Cracked. That way you're not nearly as tempted to look at your phone when your attention should be committed to what's right in front of you as the 'smarter' apps require more focus than browsing Facebook.
2) Remember something you used to do to occupy yourself before your smart phone, and if possible, before the internet and do that thing again. For me, it was reading. I was the kid who always had three books on her at all times. And a gameboy, but that's irrelevant at the moment. Reading is a true passion of mine that slowly got edged out by social media and memes. More importantly, it was something that was easy for me to start again because of how captivating I find a good book.
The second step (which I hope to pursue today) was DIY projects. But remember, start small. Don't take on a huge project to distract yourself. Slowly fill your free time with what you love and we'll get there.
3) Have grace with yourself. I want to watch less TV it's true, especially streaming (darn you Grey's Anatomy) but that doesn't mean I'm going to not watch the new episode of Game of Thrones. Everything, even distractions, have a time and a place. It's about being in control of your entertainment instead of letting your entertainment control you.
Speaking of, life is calling and today is pretty full for me. If you're joining me in this, let me know. I want to pray for you and encourage you and partner in doing this together. If you're already in control of your time, I applaud you and ask that you share with me and others how you stay that way.
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