The internet can be a huge time trap, especially for full-time homemaker I am finding. When I get on without a purpose, I am easily trapped in a time-sucking warp that leaves me feeling fuzzy headed and disappointed in myself. Lately I have been asking myself the following questions before getting online. When (when being a keyword here) I actually stick to this list and keep it, I find that I get much more accomplished and don't have to feel guilty about the way I spent my day. Again, I am striving to redeem the time! Here they are:
1. Have I read my Bible today? Spent quality time in prayer? Renewed my mind before filling it with the internet?
2. Am I dressed and ready to go for the day?
3. Are my child(ren)'s needs met?
4. Do I have a written plan of action and a time limit?
Number four is especially key. I make a list of the things I mean to do, and when they are all checked off, or if the timer goes off before they are, I log off. This prevents wasting time jumping from site to site, then later thinking, "Oh yeah, I really meant to do this instead!" Writing my list and a time limit on paper is so important- if you have these ideas only in your head, it is too easy to justify staying on later or doing more than you had intended when you were clear-headed and not staring your bright-screened temptation in the face. Numbers one and three help me to keep my priorities straight, and number four keeps me from descending into "bum" territory, still in my P.J's after noon.
I hope that these guidelines are helpful for you! They have been for me so far, I just really need to stick to them! One way I've found to be helpful is just turning off the computer when I'm finished. If I have to turn it on again and wait for it to boot up, I am a lot more likely to feel guilty and honor my original intentions instead. How do you balance electronic distractions?
Linked Up With: Teach Me Tuesdays
Such a great goal to strive for! I intentionally spent less time last week on the computer and it felt great!
ReplyDeleteThanks, i needed that! I've been thinking about that a lot lately, as I tend to get on to find a recipe or something and then...you know...and my kids are whining at me and I am in "the zone." NOT the kind of mommy I want to be! Thanks for the guidelines; those were really helpful for me, too. :) I used to leave my computer in the bedroom where Michael sleeps so I wouldn't want to go in and risk waking him up. It's time to start that again! My "to-do-online" list can form during the day, and at night, after the kids are in bed and chores are done, it can come out to play. :) Thanks for the swift kick in the pants that i really needed!
ReplyDeleteI totally hear you Domesti~babe on "the zone." And I keep thinking to myself, do I really want to be the kind of mother that my daughter remembers as always staring at a screen? That would be tragic. Glad that you are taking big steps in disciplining yourself in this area. I really need to do it myself!!!
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