05 March 2010

broaden your mind online


the other day my mom and i talked about all our projects that are in the works. along with the amount of time we individually spend online regarding these endeavors. we decided that we are our own judge for what defines wasting time. for example, i know if i hopped onto the facebook bandwagon, you would not be able to pull me off. hours would go by, some of them productively communicating with old friends and most of them clicking away as the clock ticks on. for me in this stage of life, i might see it as a waste of time because i only have so much online time to spare.

in life i know that in making choices, consequence follows. this is a good thing to remember, always always. if i choose to do one thing, i am forgoing another thing. is the thing i chose the best thing for me at this moment? in this example, i would be choosing to click around to see if john jones ever got married, had kids or got a real job instead of choosing something more pertinent to me; planning new posts or finding design inspiration. in my heart of hearts i know i would prefer to involve myself with something else i enjoy more.

we have to be honest with ourselves. and we have to be careful of how we judge others' use of their time. what may seem productive to ourselves isn't going to match everyone's definition of productivity. we must carry on and judge ourselves accordingly. do not idle away your precious productivity time. however everyone deserves a break to peruse through favorite bookmarks. decide for yourself how to manage your online time in the best way for you.

my own awesome mom typed up the following guest post about what some may call wasting time online. she is a writer and spends a lot of time at her desk reading, learning, researching and typing at her computer. she uses her blog as a tool for fleshing out memories, jotting down stories she wants to pass on and getting in daily writing practice. marty says...

I disagree with the idea that being online is a waste of time. I'd call it a use of time. I get defensive when somebody else decides that what I enjoy doing is a waste of time. According to whom?

When I'm online I read book reviews, recipes, current events, and health tips. I am inspired, and my mind is expanded. I've learned computer skills, writing techniques, toured photo galleries, participated in therapy sessions, become familiar with different lifestyles and ideas that broaden my understanding. I don't see the difference between learning from bloggers, books, photography classes, college courses, or child psychologists. I don't think relaxing on a golf course, quilting or biking is a waste of time, but I don't think those activities are superior to unwinding in front of the computer. They're just different. To me, wasting time means doing something I intensely dislike doing when I could be doing something necessary and/or enjoyable.

- Travelin' Oma.
read why she loves to blog.


20 comments:

Tiffany said...

Amen!

Raejean said...

Thanks for affirming how I feel! My original comment was getting very long - so I'm turning it into a blog post. I also thank you for the inspiration.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Yes, yes and yes. I needed to hear this. I think I felt this way about how I spend my time but perhaps needed to be reminded of it for my judgements of how others spend theirs. Good Advice again.

Hil said...

I love what you both said, so very true.

swell.life said...

phew, i feel the guilt lifting off of me.

i agree--the internet can be more of a blessing than a curse.

i love your idea (yesterday) of setting timers and maintaining self discipline. very important.

Lee said...

Is your mum adopting? :) Enjoy your weekend!

Katherine said...

Wonderful perspective! I've actually had to tell myself before that I don't need to feel guilty taking two or three hours out of my day to blog, research, read, be inspired. Those things are important for meeting my goals and I shouldn't beat myself up for striving to attain them.

Sarah said...

Love the top quote and your Mom's. Perfectly said. I really feel I am making friendships and learning as I am blogging or looking at sites online. However... somethings can be wasteful (like when I get caught in tetris for 30 minutes.)

summer said...

too true! i've been thinking on this very subject a lot lately. it is amazing how being online has become one of my favorite ways to educate myself.

a big thank you to miss marta's mom!

Unknown said...

I love what your mother says in this article! It's so true, but I do have to admit that I do waste time on facebook, and yes, most of it is wasted! Twitter can be bad for me, too! ;)

Diane said...

I agree! For example, I read to relax and hide from the world (among other reasons). My husband watches TV to do the same thing. Is one better than the other? Not for us!

Unknown said...

Wonderfully said!

Alli (One Pearl Button) said...

Fabulous post - this is exactly how I feel about being online!

SewSweetStitches said...

Ahhh I feel so much better! Productivity is the name of my game, and I will admit that blogging and reading my blogroll does not feel very productive. Until now. (Well, as long as I stay off of Polyvore!) Thanks!

heather said...

I love what you said about doing anything means we are not doing something else. I think it is right in line with typical Mommy guilt...no matter how much we are doing in one area, we always feel like we are falling short in something else. Better to just make a choice, enjoy it, and do the other things (or don't for that matter) later!

Allison said...

That John Lennon quote is one of my favorites! After reading that, my friend told me "that makes my life so much more productive."

I've been having mixed feelings lately about how much time I spend reading blogs and exploring things on-line. Last night I attempted to organize my Google reader into folders to make things more efficient...not sure if it's working yet.

Katy Beau said...

Ahhh, you have no idea how long I've struggled with 'wasting time'. I've convinced myself that if I'm not doing chores or visiting people I'm wasting time. How Victorian of me! I'm only just working out that enjoying life is more important than keeping ontop of the ironing. And the wierd thing is, once I accepted that, I actually enjoyed some of the chores because life seemed like more than just drudgery.

Travelin'Oma said...

What I am doing is loving your blog. What I am not doing is sleeping. I feel totally justified at 1:53 am, but I'll be lecturing myself in a few hours. "So much to read, so little time."

Dawn said...

I have printed out that quote and put it in my journal! Although I spend alot of time doing things for the family and doing other things for myself (like reading books, going to the trainer & yoga)...I still feel bad about spending so much time on the computer. Now I won't be so hard on myself :) Thank you!!!

Kathy K said...

I've beat myself up some times after I realize I've been online for hours, because I think I should have been doing something else. But I too really enjoy finding things online that inspire me and I connect with. It isn't a waste of time.....I really enjoy my online time. Great post....thanks for sharing!

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