So what did I learn?
I wasted A LOT of time on facebook! I realized that I probably wasted hours each day on facebook! I have up on my computer. I have the app on both my phone and my tablet. It was so easy to just jump on to distract me from doing other things that needed to get done.
I didn't miss anything! Although in the beginning I did feel like I was really disconnected from everyone as the month went on I realized how much more time I spent in actual conversations with friends instead of just reading their status updates. It was a real eye opener to see how my friendships can suffer due to social media.
It was a lot harder than I anticipated! I really though "Oh it just a month without Facebook. It can't be that hard." It was! I really felt like I didn't know what to do during my down time throughout the day because I had created this habit of getting on Facebook whenever I had down time or when I was trying to avoid doing something (like dishes, they just never go away!).
I don't need to share everything! We had a tough month for February and even though the month is over we have some back lash of what has happen that is continuing in to March. I would have shared some of what was going on through facebook and asked for prayers during this time. I don't believe that this would have been a bad things because prayers are good but instead it made me reach out to my support group through texts and phone calls asking for support and prayers. This was a wonderful things because I was able to get better encouragement to keep going and work through what we actually needed than just posting on facebook.
So what changes am I going to make in my social media life now that I'm back?
No apps! Yep! I'm not downloading the apps on my phone or tablet! It is too easy to get sucked into the facebook time suck this way. I will only be using facebook on my desktop. That way I have to consciously decide to sit down and look and read.
I will NOT get on the social media when my boys are up! I noticed how much our relationship changed when I was always available to them. When I'm looking at my phone or tablet I did not appear to be available to them. I know there were times too when I could hear them need me in the other room and I would ignore them because I just had to see what someone said. This is not the parent I want to be so I will make this a Golden Rule in our house.
Be an example! I didn't realize until just yesterday how much our children are learning about social media at such a young age. I was watching a you tube hair tutorial because I'm tired of the boring hair in ponytail look and when the video ended Monkey said "Twitter too!" because at the end of the video the lady had a link to all the ways to follow her blog. I had to follow up with questions to see if he knew what twitter, facebook or you tube was and he didn't completely understand but he will very soon. I want him to have a balanced life and I know the power that social media can have on me and I know that kids today are struggling with social media in their lives. I've read articles about bullying, depression and anxiety all because of social media. If I can set healthy examples of how to use it but not sucked into it than I believe my boys will be better equipped when they reach the age of entering the social media atmosphere.
What positive changes I noticed during the month?
More one-on-one time with my family! I was more available to sit on the floor and play with my boys. Monkey and I enjoy playing board games after rest time when Pilot is still asleep. And our reading time became greater because I had more time to say yes to stories!
Personal Growth! I was able to read personal books more! Personal growth is important especially when you're not out in the workforce because you can get so use to just doing the daily Mommy tasks that you don't challenge yourself to grow. I have plenty of parenting books, life books and fun books on my list to read. Giving up time on social media created extra time that I can put into my reading list!
Business Growth! Having more time available throughout my days allows me time to study up on how to grow my doTerra business. Not only by sharing the products with others because I'm connecting more one-on-one with people but also it gives me time to read. Read about the science behind the oils, read books about growing a business, time management, and organization which I struggle with. Plus I have the time to send out emails and learning materials to my friends and clients so they can use their oils more effectively.
The month of February was a rough and tough month for our house and giving up social media during that time made it a little more difficult but it was SO worth it! I'm glad I did it! I'm going to keep myself in check and if I notice that I'm getting sucked in again I will once again give it up because it is more important to be present in my boys lives, have time to read books to help improve how I manage my time and how I parent, and growing my business so I can help people take ownership in their own health!
On a side note, why do we capitalize facebook?
Comments
Post a Comment