I know it happens to the best of us. We find ourselves wasting endless amount of time scrolling through the same newsfeed on social media, bouncing back and forth between Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. We sit in a room with loved ones and friends, yet our chins are down, eyes glued to our screens rather than having meaningful contact and conversation with those that are right in front of us. It's not just a personal problem, it's a society problem. Parents do it, couples do it, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances do it, and probably the worse part, is that were teaching and enabling our kids to do it. And the truth is, without focused effort to unplug and live in the moment rather than in cyber space, nothing will change.
Don't get me wrong, there are wonderful perks to technology. The ability to easily connect and stay in the loop with friends and family near and far is wonderful. My Grandma loves to log onto Facebook so she can see photos of us from our honeymoon, fun activities we did over the weekend, and the funny things our puppies are doing and learning. I equally enjoy seeing the funny videos or adorable photos of our cousins' or friends' children as they grow. I enjoy seeing and celebrating the successes and career advances of friends from high school or college that I don't get to see in person as much as I wish I could. I love that I can use my phone to save money on groceries or other errands because of the numerous apps at my fingertips. I love that I can make a bank transfer, pay a bill, or send money to a friend within seconds, even while I'm out and about. I love that I can run my business from ANYWHERE, and that people can reach me when they need. There are benefits, don't get me wrong. It's not the productive portion of a digital lifestyle that is wearing on me. It's when my husband and I spend two hours in the same room with reruns of Fixer Upper playing in the background, and yet we exchange maybe five minutes worth of conversation. That's when I know I'm not giving him my best.
So my goal is to reevaluate and reprioritize how I use my time when it comes to technology. I'll be making a conscience effort to schedule this use of time into my day. By carving out a specific block of time to do the things I need, or want, to do either on my phone, the Ipad or computer, I hope to find myself being more present throughout the day, and more appreciative of the things and people right in front of me. I want to share more moments of laughter with my husband, even if that means less "liking" the posts on Facebook. I want to share more memories and play with our dogs more often, even if that means I let a few emails or notifications pile up until later. At the end of the day, I don't want to be able to say "I must've missed that" because I was distracted by something of far less value. So that's goal number two; be HERE.
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