(From instructables.com. I love this picture. The ultimate weird Snuggie-like thing.)
We're a few days into March now, people. In case you haven't noticed. Here in Charlottesville, that has meant freakish good weather and, in my house, teething and fevers. Monkey has four teeth coming in up top. Chicken just got struck with some fever virus that makes her want to sleep all the time. (Ask me if I'm complaining about that. Nope.)
I've really gone back and forth about my March goal. Two front-runners:
1. Get in bed by 10:00 and get up by 6:00.
2. Curb spending, limiting all financial transactions to Sunday.
Here's my thoughts about these:
1. With a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, I prioritize getting rest. Getting up at 6 gives me an hour or more head-start on my kids, allowing me time to shred, eat my breakfast, shower, etc etc-- all before they're up and making me crazy.
2. The money idea was totally not mine. Lisa was the first person to pitch it to me, and I heard through the grapevine that she and hers might be embarking on this goal during Lent. I love it. I love the idea of thinking outside of the box for how to entertain ourselves and, also, noticing how much thoughtless spending I do on a regular basis.
However, neither of those goals really grabbed me enough to commit for the month. Maybe another month, but not March.
So that brings me to my goal for March:
To limit my internet usage to an hour a day.
Yes, I realize I am announcing this via a blog. That you are reading via the internet. Allow the irony to wash over you. Really embrace it and roll around in it. It's quite potent.
I get sucked into the vortex of the interweb waaaay too much and for waaay too long. I open the old laptop to do a quick email response and 45 minutes later my eyes are glassy and I am shushing my children so I can just refresh Facebook one more time.
Don't get me started on how much I know about random hipster Mormon moms. Please. Their blogs alternately make me want to have seven more babies (which I would homeschool) or just give up because I will never be able to furnish my house in wall to wall Anthropologie.
I would like to contain this a bit. One hour doesn't seem like much. I think it will go quickly. I will probably miss out on...status updates. And if that Mormon mom in D.C. added any new pictures of her baby and bulldog that are soooo cute.
But I'm interested to see what else I do with my time when I'm not refreshing fb and reading blogs and whatever else I do on this here laptop.
Because I make the rules I also hereby decree that watching shows on the interweb does not count. We don't have a t.v., so watching 30 Rock happens on hulu the day after. (Or Parks and Recreation, or the Bachelor). For vague mysterious reasons that you will never understand, watching shows online does not count in my 60 minutes per day.
YesItypedthisveryfastsoitdidnottakemelongerthan60minutes.
How will you hold yourself accountable? Will you use a timer? A log book so you can keep track of how long you've been online?
ReplyDeleteOne hour seems like such a short amount of time. Which means I spend way too much time online.
Now I'm really curious about this Mormon woman's blog...no, don't tell me, its best that I don't add another. PS- Dad now knows you have a blog. It will probably be like fb, but just fyi. xoxo
ReplyDeletehmmm... i'm thinking a microwave timer would do the trick- 15 min increments, then shut it down when the timer goes off.
ReplyDeletebzzzt- i could send you a ton of mormon blogs. i don't know how i find these women but they are writing and i am reading.
this could be my favorite post yet. i'm excited for the month of march. and that sweater-thingy picture is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit humiliated that I know that bulldog's name is Kingsley.
ReplyDeleteIf you need motivation to pry yourself from facebook during your hour online a day, you can read these articles:
Facebook as Information Junkfood
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/07/eli-pariser-facebook-google-ted_n_832198.html
Facebook is making is sad
http://www.slate.com/id/2282620/
How did I find these articles? Hours on the web.
Print them out; it will kill a tree, but save valuable online time for you!
pirtle- that DOES motivate me to leave fb alone more and more. algorithms that have me seeing more and more of what i "want" to see, based on what i have clicked on in the past-- that makes more sense out of what is showing up in my newsfeed. and why i don't have much balance in my newsfeed, or in my google searches. interesting. i feel like i'm being duped, somehow.
ReplyDelete