Reprioritising

So, lately I took a three week break from the internet. (You can read why here)

At first it was really hard. I was so used to reading my daily blogs and checking facebook all the time. My hand would itch to click on the links it was so used to. As the days went on, I found it easier and easier, until eventually my only concern was that I would miss invites on facebook (I did), or miss important private messages (I didn't).

I didn't feel urgency to get back onto the net at the end of the three weeks. When I logged back onto facebook and the blogs this week I felt..... bored.

Yep bored. And it was the last thing I was expecting to feel.
The blogs I read were still great, but not worthy of my time at that moment. And they didn't quite hold the allure they once did. As for facebook..... it seemed like my newsfeed was full of stuff I didn't need to know. Superflous comments. Boring junk. (This is not a criticism- I am quite capable of producing some boring junk myself.)

I am still feeling like this a few days later. I think three weeks off has been enough time for the shine to dull, for the attachment to fade. They say it takes 30 days to break a bad habit, or form a new one, and I think thats what has happened here.

Having three weeks to reprioritise my attention, my devotion, my thoughts and my time has been immensely helpful. My mind has learnt a new habit, has shifted its focus onto things more worthy.

Again, I'm not saying the internet or Facebook is bad. Its just how you use it. I was using it all wrong. And I'm hoping this time I can get it right

Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Distraction is my biggest weakness right now.

I could blame society. After all we are the short attention span generation, the multi-taskers, the always 'busy', the ones who need the new, the fresh, the exciting, the ones who move on quickly.

That is probably part of it. Another part is that I don't even really attempt to really discipline my mind or my time. I get on the internet and its Facebook, blogs, recipes, pinterest, news websites, and BOOM, two hours have gone. Two hours when I really could have studied, cleaned the house, gone for a run, done some invoices, or even read a good book.

By wasting my time, by having an unfocused mind, I am wasting so many opportunities. I'm spending too much time on things less than worth of my time. These things are ok in moderation, and with purpose, but that is not where I am at right now.

Up and coming in our church is a fast for 3 weeks. Traditionally you would fast food of some type, and the purpose is to give something up, and spend time with God in the moments you would have been eating. To sharpen our minds, and let them rule over our bodies, instead of the other way around.

This fast I won't be giving up food, because giving up food won't be a sacrifice for me. Instead I aim to give up wasteful distractions for a few weeks, namely

-Facebook
-The blogs I love (Girls gone child, a cup of Jo, Picnic by the motorway and so on.)
-Wasteful internet sites like failblog
-All recipe sites except when I actually need a recipe
-And all other time wasting sites. (so, not email, or work/study related stuff.)
-Books or naps when I should be studying or doing other things
-I will continue with this blog, if I know my writing has a purpose. If I am doing it as a distraction, then thats a no go, so there may be less posts here.

This fast is only for 3 weeks, and I am excited and a bit scared. I know not having my time wasted will be so beneficial. Even if my church weren't doing a fast, I know I need some time out, to re-prioritise my time and where my mind is wandering. I feel like I need a mind cleanse or detox, to go cold turkey so I can decide what is important, to retrain my mind to be effective and useful, and to spend more time with God.

I don't know how the 3 weeks will go. I hope at the end I have a better perspective on how I use my time, and I will be able to wean myself back on in moderation. After all these distractions aren't bad in themselves, its just the way I am using them.

We are lucky to have free will, and choice in how to live our lives. It's time for change in mine. This process might take much longer than three weeks, but I'm ok with that. Breaking a habit and forming new ones takes time. In the meantime, my daily prayer will be;