I LOVED reading your responses over the weekend from last Friday’s post. Just loved them. They echo a lot of what I’ve been hearing, what I’ve been feeling and noticing myself and what I have been fearing too.
I have another question for you, if you aren’t already fatigued by my curiosity.
{And I’m nailing down an online survey I’d love for you to take and pass along to anyone else who would be interested. Again, I’m a firm believer in collaboration and I’m grateful for an online community that is willing to offer a short comment and five minutes of their online time to help someone like me. I should have that done by next week.}
That said:
I’m not that great at resting. I’ve written about that, especially recently as a direct result of my non-restful vacation last month. I wonder if, in our society, the only way to truly rest is to go digitally dark. This is what I mean: I tried to craft a getaway in April that would provide all the things I needed to rest and recharge. I didn’t blog for a week and took a rest from my normal “work” of producing four-ish hopefully decently crafted blog posts for this website. We retreated to our favorite beachside town. We took no one but our little family. We took books, crayons (for them) and bottles of wine (for us).
But I didn’t put down my phone. I checked twitter. I posted photos to Instagram. I checked twitter again. And I hit up Facebook once or twice. I should have, but did not, give up those activities.
It wasn’t hard for me to mess around on twitter when the kids were watching cartoons and I hardly consider it work, but in retrospect, it was work. It takes emotional energy to stay connected to the online world. It takes emotional investment too.
In order to have truly rested, I wonder if I really should have taken a complete digital sabbatical. No email. No phone. No text. No…nothing. It would have probably done wonders for my heart and my soul.
I recently discovered Gwen Bell and she writes about taking digital sabbaticals (where I found the term). I know we’ve all taken blogging breaks or twitter breaks, or whatever. But what about a complete electronic retreat? Return to paper. Return to phone calls and voice-to-voice pairings? What if? Not forever, but for a period of time to protect ourselves from whatever the digital world is doing to us.
What I want to know today from you has a couple parts to it.
1. Have you ever taken, been tempted to take or plan on taking some kind of digital break? Why? What were the results or what do you expect the results to be?
2. Besides taking a break, what other things have you done to “protect” yourself emotionally, mentally, or spiritually from the online world? (i.e. shutting down a social networking profile, hiding/blocking people, unfriending/unfollowing, creating personal rules of self-discpline, etc.)
Thank you for leaving comments today. I’ll share with you by next week, both the online survey and an overview of the project I’ve begun to work on.
1) I, due to numerous events and realities, cut myself off from internet, smartphones, TV, video games, computers, while at home. No electronic media of any type. The first 24 hours, were some of the worst of my life. Why was i so restless? Why did i feel unsatisfied? Why did i not know what to do with my time? It was then that the lines “Be still, and know that I…I am God..” exploded through my hard heart. It’s not that social media, entertainment, etc, is evil (although some i would argue is). It’s our own, stinking…wicked hearts, that become consumed with things other than God. I’m not an advocate of living a separatists life….(although, for their eternal good, some have to be ruthless in what they allow / don’t allow. For some, that means avoiding the internet. Others, double mocha Frapps….the point is to in another sense, “Know thyself” but in a “i know the wickedness and depravity of my own heart and cannot make concessions to my flesh…” In other words, to be thinking 3 steps ahead and making contingency plans to try at all costs, to avoid those specific temptations.
But, i think at the end of the day, a period of time, or call it a “fast” from digital stuff…helps us see our own selfish hearts, and hopefully will point us to Christ and the utmost importance of His saving Grace upon our weak souls.
I hope…i can emphasize as well, that (a reminder to myself) such fasts and avoidance’s can so easily tempt you into legalistic and self-pious views, which are just as problemsome perhaps as the thing(s) given up. Remember, to not just stop/or take a break from digital things (or whatever it is), but to fill….replace, with something, well, better. Something that is thee lifeblood and meaning. Spend it with your family. Spend it in worship to God. Spend it in prayer. And then, if it is something that can be “added” back into your life, do so with a restored and perhaps God-honoring view of the thing.
Great post Sarah…and if any encouragement, DO IT! even if it’s a day = )
Hi Sarah – I’ve been reading for quite some time and enjoy your blog very much. I hate being connected when I’m “off”. When we vacation we leave the laptops at home. I don’t feel compelled to check in at work or with other people in my life. Our little family just enjoys the break together. I love the thought of being unreachable by technology and I try to do it as often as I can. Generally, on the ride home from work I shut everything off. I can’t get there any faster than I’m already driving, so what’s the point? I once joked that I loved getting an MRI because I was stuck in a tube with nothing to do but just be. It was impossible to take care of children, wash dishes, do laundry, return emails, or feel guilty about it. I think that I should probably adopt that into my every day life. One thing at a time, completely engaged in that thing as it is happening.
I have taken a break for several hours during the day, and I’m amazed at how FREE I feel. When we take our July 4th vacation, I intend to take my “digital sabbatical” then. No phone or computer for 3-4 whole days. I’m sure it will be life changing.
I deleted my facebook 5 or 6 months ago. It was too much. I spent too much time obsessively checking it and comparing my life to others’ lives. Not to mention the fact that my husband hated the amount of time I spent on it. On a different level, I think facebook feeds our own narcissistic/prideful tendencies. I haven’t regretted my decision to leave facebook.
I am going on vacation with my family in early July, and I’m leaving my laptop at home. We will be in the mountains of western Maryland, where it’s nearly impossible to get any sort of cell phone/wifi connection. But those aren’t the kinds of connections I should be worried about that week anyway. I can’t wait.
I don’t own a laptop or a phone with Internet access. That’s probably weird to most people, but it is not a ‘need’ for me. Even when I worked outside the home, I liked the idea of leaving work at work… so that gives me more of a break than most people I know.
Even so, I still unplug totally at times to give myself room to ‘breathe’. Social networking has its benefits, but it has the uncanny ability to suck you in, so I feel a need to be intentional about finding balance.
I have done every last one of the things you listed in your second question… at one time or another. In addition, I avoid entering giveaways where the host has you jump through numerous of ‘hoops’ in order to gain extra entries… potential risk of information overload.
I’m a few years away from 40, but the older I get, the more I think it important to protect my sanity.
I dont’ think you’re crazy!
I think anything that we (who are nearer to 40 than we’d like) can do to keep our sanity is well worth it!!
I’m a social media marketer and blogger, so, like you, I spend a TON of time online during the week. That means that on weekends I usually completely unplug. I ignore my phone, I don’t touch my laptop and I only talk to people who are actually there in REAL LIFE.
It was hard at first, but now I relish my weekends as time to give my mind and emotions a break from an endless deluge of expectations and opinions and just rest in the real world for a couple of days. 
Hope that helps!
it does. thank you dani!!
Sarah, this is such a great post! I recently took a 30 day challenge to give something up. I chose social media. It was incredible! At first it was really difficult but after I got over that hurdle God began to show me so many things about myself and my walk with Him that I otherwise would have been too “busy” to see or hear. (I wrote about it here: http://moniquezackery.blogspot.com/2011/04/rest-for-soul.html … you’ll see in that post I state that it’s a “week long” sabbatical, but I decided to extend it to 30 days, which was a NEEDED decision to get the most out of it) I also discovered some other wonderful hobbies during that time of rest like crafting, sewing and writing. I realized that social media takes up so much of our time and it often makes me feel like I’m not present in whatever I’m doing.
This recently spoke volumes to me: “The surest way of spoiling a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction.”- C.S. Lewis. Woah! The other day I got in fender bender because I was pressing “send” on a text message. How stupid is that? That text message cost us $1200. (Obviously that’s an extreme example and I’ve learned my lesson.) I think that although we think we’re super satisfied with social media, if we examine it, we might find that it’s not always as satisfying as we make it out to be in our heads.
If you choose to unplug completely you won’t regret it!
Oh ya, and P.S. no one got hurt in the accident (thank God) and our car was the only one with damage. I know God was just teaching me a lesson and revealing to me my own foolishness.
What a loving God He truly is. For that I am thankful and I will not be making that mistake again.
I only befriend people who ask me. I have only on a couple of occasions asked someone to be my friend. ( I don’t even know why? Maybe fear of rejection.) I have hidden people that I love dearly because I couldn’t stand how I was grieving over their life choices that they freely share.
If we power down the computers, we have to watch turning on the tv. Ouch! The news can be the death of a person.
I am wondering what will happen to the opportunity to read great novels with all the writers blogging. Does anyone remember books?
On breaks from the computer, I find I slip into the world of books. Is one better than the other??? Questions, questions.
Thanks Sarah. I am not powering down yet. I want to see what your up to
.
you know deanne, when i have the luxury of getting into a great novel or series, i often leave my phone in my purse, or neglect other aspects of social media.
the book is so much better.
I recently blogged about this over at 31 Rubies. Here’s the link: http://www.thirtyonerubies.com/2011/05/fast-and-not-so-furious.html
Our family calls it “Fast Friday” and I promise it will soon be your favorite day of the week. No TV, phones, texting, computers. Nothing digital. It’s beeeeautiful.
Enjoy!
I do tend to take short breaks from Twitter and blog reading periodically. I’m not nearly as involved/invested in the online world as some, so it really not that big a deal for me.
I don’t use Facebook much, but I do hide some certain people’s updates if they post things to which I react negatively. I also a Twitter client that allows me to mute some people for the same reasons without un-following them. I review my muted users every so often, and if I don’t have any other interactions with them, I un-follow them.
I think the key is that you should control your social media interaction; it should not control you.
what is that twitter client? i think that’s a really good idea. i love your input. thank you.
I do all my twittering on my iPhone with Twittelator Pro. It has a lot of very useful features, mute being one of them.
I think the Echofon app also has a mute function, and has both a iOS and OSX (desktop) app. It’s been a while since I’ve used this one; it would be nice if someone who uses it frequently could verify.
got it. i use Twitter on my iphone and tweetdeck on my laptop. i should look to see about the mute function.
I think more so than taking a break, I tend to avoid altogether. We have no tv, no cable (of course), we don’t do twitter, and we don’t go on facebook obsessively. I don’t have a smart phone, we don’t have a texting plan, and frankly, we do just fine.
My husband is a bit more involved than I in that his job gave him a smart phone with texting, so he uses it more than I do. But I think at least for us, it’s better to completely avoid certain things that we know will be too engrossing and addicting and will take precious time away from our kids and our family life.
Question 1: I have thought about taking breaks from certain things, but never a full break from the digital world. Its definitely something I will think about more now. It sounds so refreshing!
Question 2: The online world can be scary can’t it? It can also be so harmful emotionally and physically as well. When I was younger (in my teens) I chatted a lot in chat rooms. I even met two guys from one – one became my boyfriend and sexually abuse me and another one turned out to be not who I thought. He was older and could have caused me great harm if I hadn’t made the choice to flee! So thankful God protected me in this moments and no more harm was done! I no longer go in chat rooms – haven’t since those two guys. I think social media sites and even email can cause great harm as well. I blocked many people on facebook because they were causing harm to me (an ex who was completely nuts and his friends) and eventually just shut down my facebook all together. I think facebook and emails are a good way to be attacked without it being physical. Words sometimes hurt more than anything and people know that. I do want to say that young adults and teens make bad choices when online – I myself, clearly did. They need guidance and I believe should be advised as when to step away from certain parts of the digital world. I think it involves a lot more explaining than just oh, you shouldn’t go on here or you shouldn’t do this. In depth conversations need to happen about why!
1. I have taken little online “sabbaticals” here and there, but nothing too major. This summer, though, we have a couple of trips planned, and I’m tempted to leave my laptop at home. Doesn’t it sound pathetic that I wouldn’t just automatically leave it at home anyway? I’m also hoping to institute computer-free evenings in our home this summer; I find myself drawn to the computer during my free-time at home, and you know what? I’m on my computer ALL DAY at work. I think my poor eyes and brain need some time away. I’d love to be able to focus more, to relish in other hobbies and human relationships, to dwell in the present.
2. After giving up Facebook for Lent one year, I decided to try to get off completely. I haven’t been on Facebook since March, and I love it. I was spending too much time browsing the profiles of people I barely knew, and I found myself comparing my own life to others’ — never a recipe for contentment. It’s been so freeing physically (I’m not tied as much to the computer), but probably more so emotionally. Ignorance, as it turns out, really is bliss. (And it makes me wonder if my other online outlets should be cut out as well.)
I relate. I don’t have a smart phone, which is a good thing, because I’m connected enough to my laptop/internet/Facebook, that I really don’t need to be connected at the hip everywhere I go via my phone…which I know I WOULD be.
I’ve had a couple forced sabbaticals when my computer crashed, one of those times just last week. While inconvenient in many ways, it WAS a breath of fresh air to go un-wired for a couple days, and I determined to create more spaces in my day with the computer closed and put far, far away in another room, and also periodic self-proclaimed sabbaticals of several days.
Here’s a link to a post I wrote about my own Facebook rules: http://www.felicitywhite.com/2011/02/with-facebook-as-my-witness/
I’ve taken digital sabbaticals in connection with travel. For example, I decide not to lug my laptop on a weekend trip and simply enjoy being connected only to where my feet stand. Phones keep me available to my family but I ignore the social networking apps. It is a healthy break.
i love the term you used “connected to only where my feet stand.” beautiful.
Q.1: I’ve taken a few digital sabbaticals, especially on our trip last year where it was often weeks before I was able to get online… and it was really really hard. I felt completely disconnected from “everyone” although, at the end, I had to ask, REALLY, why I felt so “disconnected” when, if I was honest with myself, it was generally a one-way street. i.e. I felt disconnected b/c I couldn’t check facebook and read blogs all the time even though when I did those things, I rarely interacted with the people involved! I felt disconnected b/c I didn’t know what people were having for lunch? or that they were at Starbucks? It made me realize a few things: my big fears were/are becoming *obsolete*, “losing” my REAL friends, losing my blog readers – but in truth, the people who really love me, still love me when it was all said and done even if I hadn’t commented on FB, left comments on their blogs, hadn’t called them. And more and more I started to realize that the only way I could prevent those relationships from failing was to actually nurture them more IN PERSON – with personal phone calls and emails and skype chats. Simply lurking on facebook and blogs was making ME feel like I was “connected” even though there was no interaction at all, it was such a LIE, a DECEPTION to myself. In the end, I think I’ve learned to trust my friends more, to realize that the ones who are really important won’t forget me if I don’t go on facebook, don’t read their twitter, etc. And, if I’m so concerned about being forgotten, then it is up to me to get offline and invest personally in those relationships, as that is where the true satisfaction lies.
Q.2: That said, I still check facebook everyday and read a few blogs. I have cut WAY back on the blogs though b/c I found myself comparing myself and my life to a lot of them and being left with a feeling of discontentment instead of feeling inspired or encouraged. I started to doubt my own gifts and talents because they didn’t measure up (maybe it’s more that the people I was reading about were actually spending time working on their gift/talent whereas I was reading celebrity gossip!) anyway, I was left feeling bad about myself. So, I’ve stopped reading all of those blogs and have tried to spend more time doing things I once loved (that I had sort of forgotten about) – reading, knitting, writing, etc. I have considered giving up facebook sooo many times but can’t bring myself to do it. Selfishly, it is such an easy way to keep in touch with people without involving too much of your time or self (but how awful is that?!?!) *sigh* I also haven’t written on my blog much lately because it seems so self-aggrandizing to think that people want to read about my silly life. I know my family enjoys it, but it makes me feel guilty when friends tell me that they “got caught up” with me by reading my blog. Is that really what some of those friendships have come to? What *I’ve* come to? Relying on my blog to update friends and family instead of me calling them myself? I read in Psalms the other day about “clinging to worthless idols” and the internet is a “worthless idol” for me. I’m still working on figuring out what it looks like to USE the internet for all its wonders but not to WORSHIP it with my time and emotional energy like I have been….
thanks for raising this discussion. i think it’s a real problem in our society (that I’m a part of!) and I often wonder about what it means for relationships that are now built around twitter & facebook & texting instead of in-person interaction, and I worry about what i’m turning into and how relationally lazy i’m becoming and also what it will mean for our kids. what will they learn from ME about friendships if so many of mine are simply made up of random online comments? so, thanks for opening up this forum…
1. I would love to. I am going on a week long vacation next month and that might just be the time I should take a digital break.
2. I have gone through Facebook and deleted people who I don’t know, but at one point added them just to add them. If I start reading things on Twitter or a Blog that take a toll on me emotionally or spiritually, I cut them out of my list. And when spending time with my husband, phones are off limits. I really try to keep a healthy distance between the real world and the online world.
One of my favorite vacations was taken about three years ago, in my senior year of college. We were camping in Cayo Coasta, Florida (my first and only time to Florida) with the rest of the Outdoor Adventure Club. This was the week that Governor Spitzer resigned amid a sex scandal.
But we had no idea.
No one had their computer on them. There was one fellow with an Iphone, back when they were new. It just had the weather, and it was usually inaccurate. Between the temperate weather and the lack of any work and the gorgeous scenery, I went back after break and was so relaxed.
I do limit the amount of media that comes my way. My husband and I do not have a television set. We watch shows off the computer, if we watch them. We listen to “This American Life” (a radio show) or other radio shows more often. I absolutely refuse to acquire a smart phone. I sufficiently distracted by my thoughts that I do not need electronic connection to exacerbate the situation. When traveling, I do not go on the computer. I disconnect, and find it vital to keeping myself centered.
LOVE this american life. so much.
i agree. i love times when there really isn’t any connection from the outside world.
1. I have actually taken a month off from facebook, twitter, blog – any social media before. It was difficult for the first week or so, but then much easier. It was a true break and I enjoyed it – spending time with family, reading a real book (lol), studying, hanging out with friends. I now do it for a few days at a time when I feel I’m getting too involved in the social media world.
2. I have several people blocked and/or hidden in my twitter/facebook accounts. Also, some people I keep in ‘friend purgatory’ (that’s the place on facebook where they request to be your friend and you don’t ignore nor accept their request. so basically they can do nothing and you do nothing. . . .)
i love it that you named it “friend purgatory.”
so funny.
Yes, I have considered it. Especially in the past week when the enemy has been at work attacking. I need to do it. I haven’t totally done it yet but I think it’s overdue.
I have blocked many people, even before they’ve stirred the pot on Facebook. I have blocked folks from my website as well. I have a fairly low tolerance for mean. If folks want to be mean, they can go do it on their on FB page and their own blogs but they are not welcome to do so on mine. I have also ignored emails where someone was upset I blocked them. Sometimes it’s best to just let it go and move on. I just removed some folks from my friend list on FB. If they never interact with me at all, what’s the point?
Blessings,
Mel
Please feel free to stop by: Trailing After God
I tried doing Facebook breaks, but I couldn’t stop checking it on my iPod Touch. (I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but it’s the truth.)
So….I finally took the plunge and deleted my FB account. I’ve been on FB since 2007, so this change was drastic for me.
Here’s my blog post about it: http://lifeasamycaton.blogspot.com/2011/05/goodbye-facebook.html
I immediately noticed my anxiety and stress levels decrease after I left FB. I still have access to email and my blog, but I don’t have everyone else’s thoughts filling my mind all day every day. It has been WONDERFUL. I love when I have conversations with people in real life, they are actually updating me on their lives without me knowing in advance due to my “status update” addiction. (Before I quit, I found myself getting embarrassed about how much I knew about people from FB.)
I miss knowing people’s birthdays, picture tags and certain FB friends I talked to every day through statuses. BUT I think the trade off is worth it for now. I may go back someday, but I’m at least taking the summer off.
When I find I’m more interested in reading about/experiencing other people’s lives and accomplishments rather than living my own life, then I know there’s a problem. I first discovered this with TV. What actor spends hours each day in front of the tube? Not the successful ones. They’re out and about, on set, rehearsing, marketing themselves, etc.
Same with social media. I can spend all my time reading up on fantastic diy projects that others are doing, or books they’re writing, or blog posts they’ve written, or trips they’ve taken – OR I can do a project, start writing, or have an adventure myself.
I haven’t gone to the lengths of a complete digital fast, but I have taken some steps to fix things. I have a no TV Tuesday (but am going to extend that to social media aspects as well). I have unfollowed/unliked some entities that were busy-ing up my time, but not adding any value to my life. I need to do that more, but it will take time to weed through all of it. I’ve cut back on the number of blogs I follow.
I’m sure there’s more I could do, but for me, I don’t want to go as extreme as a complete fast.
love
love
love.
well said.
I sold my iPhone.
It sucked. It is still hard. I have a countdown until October when we’re eligible for an upgrade…not that I know for sure that I can get a new one then. I might wait until December to make it a full year without it. It’s hard for those of us who blog and connect with our readers/community through FB, Twitter & email. I still am working on boundaries with the computer now. However, I have learned lessons through this last six months:
1. When in a conversation with someone, texts/alerts/phone calls can all wait. Leave your phone in your purse, pocket, wherever and mute it. It’s rude and distracting to treat the person you’re face-to-face with as though there might be something more important going on than them. The person calling/texting/emailing/whatever can wait until your conversation is over.
2. Capturing the moment (especially with kids) is fun and special, but receiving and living the moment is vital. I didn’t realize until I got rid of my phone how many special events my kids had were watched through the screen of my phone or camera. It’s nice to have a picture or a video to share and remember, but it’s more important to be present and look them in the eye so they can see how proud you are of them.
3. Blogs, email devotionals, and FB/Twitter statuses cannot replace quiet moments spent in the presence of God, reading His word and worship and prayer. Yes, you can get encouraged, inspired and wise through those other sources, but don’t reach for your iPhone first thing in the morning, reach for your Bible.
Ok…this is getting long…I might need to write a post of my own and link it up…
melissa. . .i think #1 and #3 are especially pertinent points for me. the silence button should be used more often and i need to be reminded to stay present. otherwise, God may have to ask me to sell my iphone too
i know you sold your phone. you are amazing.
i loved your comment. thank you so much for adding your story.
Meslissa,
My hubby and I attended a home show this evening in our small town. I couldn’t believe what happened at one booth. We started to chat with the seller and his phone rang – and he said,”Excuse me” and got the phone call instead of finishing our conversation. It was so rude.
So when you say, “It’s rude and distracting to treat the person you’re face-to-face with as though there might be something more important going on than them. The person calling/texting/emailing/whatever can wait until your conversation is over”, I totally agree.
Blessings,
Jan
I need breaks. I don’t twitter right. I know I’m “supposed to” but with 3-4 blog posts a week, a personal and professional FB page, life and such…that’s just what I can do. The thing with being a writer and speaker is that there is always something more to do…and I don’t want my legacy to my kids being that of seeing the back of my head, facing a computer screen. I’m such a lunatic evaluating my blog and FB statistics that I’ve had to set up a schedule of when I’m permitting myself to do so…I know crazy in a whole other way!
1. Have you ever taken, been tempted to take or plan on taking some kind of digital break? Why? What were the results or what do you expect the results to be?
Answer #1
I am considering taking a digital break, mainly because I want to do something for myself that might be more fruitful. I have thought about it before, but at that time I didn’t. Later I realized the enemy, Satan, was trying to prevent me from the ministry that took place through social media that I and others benefited from greatly.
2. Besides taking a break, what other things have you done to “protect” yourself emotionally, mentally, or spiritually from the online world? (i.e. shutting down a social networking profile, hiding/blocking people, unfriending/unfollowing, creating personal rules of self-discpline, etc.)
Answer #2
Yes, I have done all those things you listed, for the purposes you listed. Except for the self discipline part. I have been given/chosen a life that allows me to do what I want to, when I want to. I don’t have a problems putting responsibilities first.
I hope this is helpful.
Dawn
i deleted my facebook. yep, about a year and a half ago, after it became a major stumbling block for many reasons. one night, i just hit delete. and i haven’t gone back. and it has been a very freeing thing.
at the same time, i have twitter and i blog. i think the biggest thing for me is keeping a balance. my biggest struggle is feeling tied to my blog at times. i love the teensy community there and i process so much through writing it is definitely a good thing but at times i feel the weight of needing to write or having to write at the end of the day. recently, i have tried to just give myself grace on that. if i blog 4x a week, great. if i only have something twice, that’s okay too.
with twitter, i have protected my tweets. that way i can control who is following me which is a huge thing for me. if i haven’t ‘met’ you in the online world and shared some shred of something then i very graciously don’t accept the request. this is certainly not a vindictive thing by any means, but for me i don’t want twitter to ever be so overwhelming that i miss out on what is happening in my online community’s lives.
as far as reading blogs is concerned i have a rule. no computer until after spending time with Jesus. and while i never want to become a pharisee, this rule has been helpful in keeping my priorities in line. {even though more days than i would like to admit, i break my own rule}.
1. I have taken a break from social media/digital world. In all honesty I could see how much my husband was bothered by the amount of “work” I put into my facebook, twitter, blog and he definitely felt put aside. Plus, it became exhausting having to come up with material or pictures or whatever for the digital world. When I took the time off I actually loved it. I had more time for me and for everybody else. What a concept!
2. I do put up certain standards/disciplines. I won’t follow certain people. I don’t read certain blogs because they aren’t edifying (for me). I don’t follow every single person that follows me…especially business and random folks.
This is great Sarah.
We have an 80 year old log cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains. There is no signal there. If we want electricity we run a generator. Some of the most restful times we have are just short weekends away without the noise of other people and the buzz of electric life. This last weekend we were there for four days and had about 20 people join us for a b-b-que. It was great. No one checked email or twitter or FB or answered a single call. Loved it!
kinda sounds like heaven to me right now.
Yesterday I closed two music blogs (bongobells and bongolong land) after 5 years of sharing some wonderful music and other stuff. While I loved doing it, it was just soooo time consuming! It was sad to close them… I got some very nice comments from followers and visitors thanking me for what I did, giving me a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling. Gee… now I have more time for Facebook!! …Oh NOOOOOOO……..
Love this, Sarah. Sounds refreshing. Funny thing, my sermon prep is going through a season where I’m using colored post it notes to brainstorm and writing out my sermon outlines with a real, live pen on a crisp sheet of paper. It’s been so refreshing.
ohhh. real live paper?
i didn’t know that existed. =)
One thing I do to protect my time is that I’m VERY careful of who I follow on my blog. There are only about 10 blogs that I have that I consistently read. I know many people “follow back” all their followers. But I don’t have the time to read 81 blogs every day. I can read 10 and be off Blogger in a good 30 minutes. I would love to follow people back that follow my blog, but I expressed on my blog that I simply don’t have time. I can’t stay inside cooped up reading for hours a day when I need to be out there living. If what someone says makes me laugh, resonates within me, or teaches me something new then I follow their blog. But it’s a careful choice I make with each blog, because I only have so much time in each day.
I’ve never taken a fast and I’m not sure that I will. Since getting my Blackberry last year, I’ve realized I do need to be intentional about my time with others. I leave it in my purse when I’m out with friends, and especially if we’re at dinner. While I occasionally post a status update, I’m trying to let the rest of it wait. I will unfollow or unfriend people who are negative and/or offensive. I don’t accept every FB request- do I really want this person to know all about my life? Is one math class our sophomore year of HS enough to keep our virtual friendship going? I like the networking component of Twitter but I try to limit how much time I’m spending on there. It’s all a work in progress but definitely worth thinking through. Social media should be an asset, not a drain.
Hey, I just want you to know that I love your blog. Reading your blog posts always make my day! Love you!
Every time I think of you I thank God for you. (Phil. 1:3)
Ditto.
Oh Sarah, I know it makes so much sense . . .and the times when my computer was down, I found I had so much more time! ha!
How timely your post!
I don’t have a laptop, no FB, no twitter. I have a job out of town this weekend and scheduled posts to go up while I’m gone.
It will be my digital sabbatical.
Thank you!
I can’t wait to read the comments from Fri/today.
I take digital detoxes often and I replace with a different activity – like going to the beach alone, art journaling or even sleeping!
It’s a time of refreshing and refocusing. I do that at least once a week for as little as half a day or a couple of days.
I also have a general rule of thumb: As much as I can help it, when I’m with my family I try not to be online at all. Although in my attempt to be present with them, sometimes my mind races wondering when the next email or feeder update will come through!
Due to our budget our family only has 1 cell phone and my husband uses it for work. So that has helped a lot in terms of not being distracted by the phone. I used to have a BB and I was on it 24/7. No bueno!
I have NO discipline, so I ask my husband to block times when I can’t access the internet. These set hours are time to focus on getting housework done, etc. I only have access first thing in the morning and just before we go to bed so I can check email…because it’s SOOOOO important. haha!
Because of my tendencies to waste time online, I chose to not get FB or twitter. I have a FB account that has just my mom as a friend, but use it because I’m launching the social media/website for our women’s ministry and I need to run our FB group.
I have told my husband before that being online for long periods of time (2 hours consistently) drains me and even makes me feel physically blah! It’s awful. I manage my online time sooo much better than I did when I first started blogging.
so glad you are putting our attention on all of this. Good, good stuff. After cultivate and then my husband’s media conference, there was still an overall sense of knowing the value of connecting IRL. as much as social media is part of our lives, it needs to be managed and moderated. i’m trying my best and need to continue toward healthy social media habits.
Yes! I am ready for a digital sabbatical myself. I’ve thought about shutting down my twitter account. I’m on not nearly as much and all I see is people talking to each other. I just checked – the last time anyone replied to me was on May 17. So why would I sit around and watch others talk to each other if I’m not part of the conversation?
I have been on facebook more lately, but only actively talking to a handful of people out of all my “friends”. It’s crazy to me that I should invest myself in something that only makes me feel more alienated.
For now, I’ve decided to keep my accounts open. I’ve just quit using them as much. Because social media is such a part of our culture now and I have a feeling that I may need to use it for business purposes in the future.
We’re taking a family vacation next month. We’ve already agreed that all computers will be left at home. The only technology we are bringing with us is my cell phone (which is used for voice calls only. I don’t even have a texting plan!). My hubby is planning on leaving his work phone at his office so there’s no way anyone can call him and so we can’t be tempted to check email, etc. on his phone. I have a feeling that we won’t even miss it.
Hi Sarah – love these questions
I am no a huge fan of having my cell phone as a permanent attachment to my body (like my husband does). He panics when he doesn’t have his phone. When I am home after work and on weekends, I actually prefer to turn my cell phone off – and only turn it on if there is a need to check on something specific. Most of my family and close friends know that when I am home – CALL ME AT HOME! When I am at work, CALL ME AT WORK. My cell phone is a MOBILE PHONE for when I am MOBILE and must be reached. My husband kindly requested that I not join the throngs of people who twitter or use facebook (even tho his entire family sent me friend invites). I admit that there are times I feel like I am missing out on some good info (or maybe a connection of an old friend that might be looking for me) – but for the most part, I understand how he feels and also understand his fears about being hacked. So I don’t do facebook —- or twitter —- ever. If I need to contact someone, I will call them.
That’s my story, hon – plain and simple.
1. I took a ‘media’ break for a month once. No magazines, TV, newspapers, online stuff – just personal email. I did feel cleansed and refreshed from what I call ‘the voices.’ Sometimes there are just TOO MANY voices talking, talking, talking to me (that’s what’s happening when I’m reading what they’re saying, right?) And honestly if I met a lot of the people writing, I probably wouldn’t take on board much of what they said, so why do I do so just because it’s in print or online? The medium of mass media / internet gives legitimacy to so many things that are just not legit at all, although of course there is tons of good stuff too.
2. I have blocked on Facebook a guy I used to like so I wouldn’t keep checking his page. I don’t let certain very distant family members see ANYTHING on my Facebook profile, just so they can’t snoop on my other family members (sigh). I have blocked one family member from emailing me because she’s a passive-aggressive emailer (I told her I was doing this, and we still speak, but we now have to deal with our issues DIRECTLY). I’ve hidden all updates from certain people who post on Facebook way too prolifically, for my tastes anyway. Wow I sound really mean. Oh well, I’m happy
Sarah,
Anything that gets in the way of God’s plan is probably not a good thing. So if we spend too much of our attention on social media we could be missing something He wants us to do or see.
Balance is key.
For Lent I shut off Facebook. I turned off the computer the weekend the kids and families were coming. I try to not check anything on the computer on Sunday until the evening.
I don’t own a cell phone with Internet. I am not on Twitter (yet).
God has priorities for us – do that FIRST, then spend time on social media.
Blessings,
Jan
Ok, so this just hit me.
“It takes emotional energy to stay connected to the online world. It takes emotional investment too.”
So when I spend and hour (or four, who are we kidding) a day online, on FB or wherever, and I’m giving all my emotional energy, being emotionally invested in that, then what am I giving my kids, even though they’re playing at the park or watching PBS. Because I know they come in to ask a question or just say hi, and I don’t want the interruption, I am “busy”. Too busy, apparently, for them. Wow. Convicting. Thanx!
I love this topic and reading these comments. I thought I was the only one to experience discontentment as a result of comparing my life to others. I think social media has its place in the world, but I think it can easily become an addiction. I once heard someone say that there really is nothing more antisocial than social media. I think that can be true if we spend our time investing in “online relationships” rather than real life, face to face relationships. I turn off my compter promptly at 10pm each night, sometimes earlier. Also I do know turn on my computer at all on Sunday. I take one day off a week and I spend that day in worship, rest, and family time. It’s very refreshing to be unplugged even for a short time. Looking forward to more info about your project.