Lent

I have never given anything up for Lent before but our church encouraged us to participate in Lent this year so I decided to do it. I wasn't real certain what I wanted to do but I prayed about it and yesterday the Lord revealed to me what I should give up and that is my phone. And not really give it up, because that would be impossible honestly, but just limit the amount of time I spend on it.

After I had Wells my screen time went up significantly. I blame it on all those accumulated hours of nursing and doing nothing but sitting there and holding a baby. I asked a friend of mine who also had her third baby, just a few short weeks after me, if her screen time had increased or if it was just me. She made me feel better by saying yes! And encouraged me that it was just a season and to not feel guilty. Unfortunately, the screen time just hasn't decreased but by about an hour. Every Sunday when I get my weekly screen time report I feel terrible about myself. I am spending way too much time on my phone and when I look at my detailed report to see how exactly I'm using my phone, social media does not rank high on my report. I actually don't spend that much time on Facebook or Instagram. Safari is my downfall. I do SO much on Safari. And a lot of it really isn't "bad." I read a lot of articles on my phone....that are educational and informative! I spend time on emails and texts. I also shop. I make grocery lists. I take photos and videos of my kids. I put stuff in my calendar and ask siri to remind me of things. I make notes. This little device is almost like a lifeline and I would be a little lost without it in some regards.

So I decided I would cut my screen time and only allow myself 2 hours a day on my phone. I'm going to be honest, it's challenging. I legit just got on my computer, like the days of yore, to look at Facebook. Hahaha! And Scott came into my office and told me I was cheating. But I haven't gotten to look at Facebook today! Zero mindless scrolling. No Instagram either. I used up my two hours texting, emailing, doing stuff on my paypal, and spending 10 minutes to get the "perfect" photo of Wells. It's amazing how quickly 5 minutes here and there adds up.
I'm kind of into it though and I'm doing my best to be super disciplined and not go past my two hours. I'm hoping to break the habit of spending too much time using my phone. I'm still trying to navigate how to do the things I actually need to do on my phone while also having leftover time to use my phone for fun and pleasure (social media, pinterest, etc). I quite enjoy social media and keeping up with my friends and family. I know a lot of people view it in a negative light but I honestly never do. It brings me delight to keep up with people that I wouldn't necessarily keep up with. And I find Instagram really inspiring because I follow a lot of photography accounts so seeing these beautiful photos inspires me to work harder and get better as a photographer.
So all of that to say--I'm not limiting my screen time because I spend too much time on social media. I just all around apparently use my phone too much. I have little babies who need my full attention and I haven't been doing a very good job of giving it to them. I have a lot of guilt in that. Yesterday, instead of looking at my phone, I played Candyland with my kids. And it was a lot of fun. Today I started reading a new book. May lent break my phone habit and remind me that looking out, instead of down, will bring me a lot more joy, make me more productive, and take me back to a simpler time where life didn't revolve around the smartphone.