It’s like Christmas in April! Yep, I got a
new phone. She sure is pretty in her pretty pink and gray case. I
definitely feel more “together” now that I have a sophisticated smart
phone keeping me on task!
Am I excited about our new journey
together? ABSOLUTELY! I am just imagining all the videos I will take of
my children, the fun food picture collages I will make, the lists I will
make to keep me organized…ahhh, the possibilities are endless!
I’m
a little scared though! That I’m too close with my phone. The constant
checking of Facebook to see if I have a new like or comment from one of
my friends. The scrolling through the newsfeed. Getting
caught up in
looking at someone’s engagement photos or child’s first birthday…or even
looking at pages of others who aren’t even my friends. Sounds a little
obsessive compulsive, doesn’t it?
The truth is. I have an unhealthy relationship with my phone. I love that it keeps me on task with my favorite apps like
Habit List and
Myfitnesspal.
Those apps so happen to be on my phone to keep me focused on the
activities that are important for me to stay on track and get the
results that I’m looking for. On the other hand, my phone is exactly
what I DON’T want in my life. I have enough on my plate. And, quite
honestly, getting caught up in what everyone else is doing is a little
exhausting…and at times depressing! Why do I let Facebook and other
meaningless activities on my phone jockey for first place in my life?
The reality check for me was this morning. When I was ready to sit down with God and my
YouVersion app, but I had to check
Facebook, just one more time.
The point is, God is number one…and he deserves so much more
from me. My family, too! Shouldn’t they get my sole focus and attention
when I am with them? They need to feel my presence through my
interactions with them, not a half hearted response while I’m distracted
on my phone. I know I am not the only one who struggles with this. So
often I see parents with their children out to eat in a restaurant where
the whole family is buried in their electronic devices. I don’t want to
be one of those people. It’s a very slippery slope.
Problem identified. What am I going to do about it?
I’m
going to hit the “reset” button on my evening schedule. No phone from
the hours of 5:30 – 8:30 pm. This starts when I pick my kids up from
school to when I put the last one down at night. It’s very hard to do
this. I’ve done it before and fell off the wagon. But I am going to add
it to my
Habit List
app as a daily activity “NO CHECKING PHONE FROM 5:30 – 8:30 PM”, so I
can hold myself accountable. Realizing I cannot do it alone.
Will you join me? Check in and see how I’m doing?
This is my start!
I just returned from Summit. For those who don't know what that it is, it's a bunch of awesomeness and Beachbody craziness all in one place.
