New Year’s Resolution #61 (the final frontier, I promise!)

I’ve been working for several months now on putting this final resolution into practice, which, ironically, is why it’s taken so long to blog about it.

My final resolution for this year is…(you’re thinking a drum roll for me in your head, aren’t you?)

 

…to be more DELIBERATE with my computer time.

 

Whenever I’m asked about television watching I say that I don’t watch much tv.  We’ve been cable/satellite free for many years now and it’s more of an effort to keep track of what’s on since we only have 1 tv with a digital conversion box.  But I always follow up with the comment that even though I don’t watch tv I have other poisons.

I know that I am capable of spending way too much of my life on the computer.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—there are really good and valuable things I want and need to do on the computer.  For example:

• pay bills
• work on the budget
• correspondence/email
• work with pictures I’ve taken
• scrapbook
• blog!
• make slideshows
• make a new blog book

And I’m sure that’s just a short list.

 

On the other hand I have a house full of responsibilities that need (even demand) my time and attention.  A couple of weeks ago Russ, Josh & I watched a CES broadcast by Elder Bednar from 2009.  At the end of his talk he asked the following two questions.

1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?

2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?

Those questions made me stop and think for a while.  Sure, I may not be immersed in a virtual world killing as many aliens as possible.  I may not be (like the example in his talk) creating a virtual life with a stranger and ignoring my real family.  But I know that it is possible for me to blog about my family so much that I ignore and become irritated by my family.  The same could be said about anything else I do on the computer—instead of being a tool to serve my family, it can become something that prevents me from loving them and interacting with them like I should.

 

I had/have no desire to give up my computer completely.  It’s a valuable tool and it enriches my life daily.  Right now the computer is enhancing our meals because I’m addicted to food blogs and so we’re having lots of new food.  It holds zillions of pictures and helps me interact quickly with people everywhere. 

 

I decided that what I wanted to focus in on was the “checked-out-on-the-computer” times.  Random surfing in any form.  I want to stay off of the computer at the wrong times (times when I should be doing something else) and be careful & deliberate about my computer use at other times.  I know for me being tired makes it much more likely to aimlessly sit at my computer reading who knows what, and I want to decrease that too.

 

So far it’s going pretty well.  I’m doing better being careful in my computer use.  Sometimes that means I blog less, or it takes me longer to get to something, but so be it.   My real world needs to be my priority—both in word and action.