Monday

Tchau for Now Facebook {1 month mark}


Well...my facebook fast began
 11 days into the New Year
(there wasn't anything magical about that day, it was just the day I finally made a decision)
...today we sit squarely on February 11th.
One month later.

I have to admit, when Mr. H suggested I stay off of the big f
for one full month, I was not convinced I could do it.

I had become accustomed to checking FB first thing in the morning on my phone, 
throughout my day on my phone/ipad/desktop...
--whether at home or out & about--
those tags, updates, requests, & messages
called my name.

I couldn't wait to see the comments 
when I posted a new photo of my day
and somehow the need for that world to shower me with affirmations overshadowed 
some of the littlest needs of my real world.


my three monkeys--last night in our kitchen         02.10.13

I've had lots of questions over the last 4 weeks...
so, here's a Q&A for ya:

Q: Why did you deactivate your account?
A: To de-clutter my life, my mind, and my spirit--to create space & time for the requests, comments, & moments in my own family.

Q: How long are you going to be off of fb?
A: Originally, I had no definite timeline. (ha--timeline) Mr. H suggested 1 month, so here we are 1 month later. Now...I have to decide. I think I'll stay off for a bit longer...

Q: Have you finished many big projects since you are saving more time?
A: I have done a few extra things but mostly I have enjoyed a more balanced sense of being without the extra distraction and *need* to see the updates & such. I have made a more concerted effort to be a more present parent and enJOY more of my daily adventures.

Q: What do you miss the most about fb?
A: Seeing friends photos, sharing ideas & uplifting/helpful advice/links & feeling connected!

Over the last month
I have updated my blogs more regularly, 
typed more journal entries, and felt more freedom from being tethered to social networking.

 This article is an insightful read for anyone 
wondering {Moms, in particular} if their online devotion is
become too consuming of their time. Thanks to Kendra--my friend who initially gave me the most fuss about deactivating but who now has deactivated her FB account as well--for sending me the article. 


I guess I need to make another goal for how much longer
to stay on 'deactivated' status
I do love it for the good things it brings to my day
and the ease of connection
and spreading the word 
(my blog readership is significantly lower without the news-spreading through FB!)
Maybe 'till my birthday, then?

We shall see. 
Tchau for now.




Side note: I did re-activate my account today, 
since I made it to 1 month. 
It was good to see familiar smiles, check up on a few stories, 
& most especially: drool over photos of my newest nephew, Mr. G! 
I spent some time deleting friends that I don't need on my list--
not that we're NOT friends but de-cluttering that list 
is an important part for me if I'm going to re-activate my account.
 Mr. H said I will make people upset/offended by deleting friends.
It was easier to do now that I've been off for awhile, 
and I figure they might not notice since I 
de-activated again after I finished the task 
(I'm over 100 "friends" lighter now!)
I don't want a clogged up news feed,
and I need FB to be what I want it to be...not what others expect of me, right? 


4 comments:

Miles said...

loved the article; thanks for sharing!

Kendra said...

Nice job! 100 friends less is a lot! Way to go. I need to do that. And seriously assess who even cares about me being on their feed, and who I care about. I should do an update on my experience. Keep going strong, lady!

Miles said...

I had my FB account deactivated all last summer, then got back on for a month or so then deactivated for good in September. Then, I realized that there was a difference between deactivating and deleting so I deleted my account a few weeks ago. The sneaky little FB won't officially delete until it's been 2 weeks (I guess bc they KNOW how addicting they ARE), but I finally got the email that my account has been deleted. For good.

I've been thinking more and more about that article and I loved it so much that I linked to it from my blog. I love her term "hands-free" but I think I'll call my new goal "screen-free" which is what I've always strived for as a parent with no tv, no cell phone, no fb, homeschooling so my kids are ALWAYS with me.. I think I've hit the other extreme that come with their own vices, ha!

Lisa Puga said...

Congrats on achieving your goal!

There is nothing you can't do!