We are officially on day 5 of our media break and if you haven’t joined yet, there’s still the weekend! Now is a great time to challenge yourself to take either the full weekend off social media or choose a single day.
UPDATE: Today will be our last new discussion thread but please jump on the previous threads and keep the conversation going! I’ll still be here to chat throughout the weekend.
DISCUSSION: Please share what have you learned from your media break. How will you reenter the world of social media on Monday? What will you do differently, if anything?
Over this past week, I have been surprised on how often I sat still and simply listened to the quietness around me. The sound of gentle rain, watching my dog stock squirrels in the backyard, and enjoying the stillness of my house, are just a few examples. I read more articles this week and a line from Slant Letter by Stephanie Duncan Smith really struck a chord with me:
"So this is a hard truth: no one can protect and preserve a writer’s creative source but you. Madeleine (L'Engle) knew what we would do well to hold close today: your “circle of quiet” is core to your creative life and it cannot be outsourced. No one else can get quiet for you. Somehow it is both daunting and empowering to know that we are the only ones who can set these terms."
No one else can get quiet for me. This is my big take away from this week. Social media is constant noise and it's up to me to set boundaries that protect my circle of quiet. I plan to reenter Monday with fresh resolve to hold the boundaries I shared about yesterday, believing and trusting those boundaries are what is best for my creative life.
I learned this week, that the less time I spend on social media, the less I miss it. The more time I spend on it, the more time I want to spend on it—I get sucked in and worry about missing something. When I’m choosing not to be on it, I just accept that I am missing stuff, but it’s ok because it’s not important. I think reentering on Monday, I might set the challenge to only check once a day and no longer than one hour. Also, as we are heading into the Christmas season, I may need to snooze or unfollow some shopping accounts so I don’t get sucked into buying things I don’t need. God is convicting me to be a better steward of my finances and time.
I think I too am surprised by how little I miss it - now, by the end of the week. I feel far more content in my everyday life. My plan is to have a 2 hr window from 12pm - 2pm weekly to check/ post stuff and a Sabbath on Sunday. I feel like that will be sustainable. Thanks again colette for initiating this! The best way to re-evaluate truly is to withdraw. This has been really helpful for me.
Over this past week, I have been surprised on how often I sat still and simply listened to the quietness around me. The sound of gentle rain, watching my dog stock squirrels in the backyard, and enjoying the stillness of my house, are just a few examples. I read more articles this week and a line from Slant Letter by Stephanie Duncan Smith really struck a chord with me:
"So this is a hard truth: no one can protect and preserve a writer’s creative source but you. Madeleine (L'Engle) knew what we would do well to hold close today: your “circle of quiet” is core to your creative life and it cannot be outsourced. No one else can get quiet for you. Somehow it is both daunting and empowering to know that we are the only ones who can set these terms."
No one else can get quiet for me. This is my big take away from this week. Social media is constant noise and it's up to me to set boundaries that protect my circle of quiet. I plan to reenter Monday with fresh resolve to hold the boundaries I shared about yesterday, believing and trusting those boundaries are what is best for my creative life.
I learned this week, that the less time I spend on social media, the less I miss it. The more time I spend on it, the more time I want to spend on it—I get sucked in and worry about missing something. When I’m choosing not to be on it, I just accept that I am missing stuff, but it’s ok because it’s not important. I think reentering on Monday, I might set the challenge to only check once a day and no longer than one hour. Also, as we are heading into the Christmas season, I may need to snooze or unfollow some shopping accounts so I don’t get sucked into buying things I don’t need. God is convicting me to be a better steward of my finances and time.
I think I too am surprised by how little I miss it - now, by the end of the week. I feel far more content in my everyday life. My plan is to have a 2 hr window from 12pm - 2pm weekly to check/ post stuff and a Sabbath on Sunday. I feel like that will be sustainable. Thanks again colette for initiating this! The best way to re-evaluate truly is to withdraw. This has been really helpful for me.