Online Mission Statement

I have been thinking and praying (and gratefully receiving your prayers on my behalf) for the past several days about how to curtail the time I spend online.  As I mentioned, I want to be more intentional about how and when I spend my time online.   Tapping my thoughts out on a keyboard (or spilling them onto paper if I am feeling old school :) is how I seem to think best.  So, I stared at a blank word document and prayed.  And I believe He helped me clarify the purposes of my time online and how these purposes fit into my more general beliefs and priorities in life.  Here's what we came up with:

I will limit the time I spend online so that it fulfills the following purposes:

• to enrich my real life

• to grow in my walk with the Lord

• to build relationships online and off

The use of my hours (online and off) will reflect my life's beliefs and priorities:

• building relationships

• loving well

• living a fully engaged, abundant life

I am convinced that the beliefs and priorities mentioned above are the reasons God has placed me where I am for such a time as this. I want those who are watching to see that my reality matches my stated priorities. 

With these purposes and priorities clarified, I came up with some guidelines for myself.  Taking a page from Michelle, I am posting them right in my sidebar to keep me honest.  I'm also setting my blog as my homepage on my web browser so that whenever I go online, I will be reminded.  As with any plan of action, I'm guessing I may have to adjust times or be flexible on certain days.  But having a plan feels good!

Now about that iPhone.  It still works- which is a blessing!  As with most material things, the iPhone is not the problem.  I am the problem.  So, I am going to change the settings on it so that it only fetches e-mail once a hour.  I am hoping that not hearing that little e-mail alert every few minutes will reduce the temptation to check it constantly.  So, while I will allow myself to check e-mail once an hour on my phone, I will not respond to any e-mails that are not time sensitive until my prescribed online times.   This should limit my internet time on the phone to no more than 5 minutes per hour- if that.

All the thinking and praying about this topic has inspired me to write a Mother Mission Statement like the one Kat at Inspired to Action describes.  But seeing as I am out of time for today, that will have to wait for another time :)

Please share if you have had victory in this area!  It is so encouraging to hear how others have navigated this path.  And feel free to share if you are working toward victory, too.  It's a blessing to know we are not alone on our journeys!