Internet Independence Month
July is going to be Internet Independence Month for me. While I appreciate technology and use it as a tool for my ministry and personal life, I’ve noticed something lately: down time has been hijacked by a constant need to check-in and reconnect to the electronic communications grid that I’ve started to need like life-support. And in the process, my personal margins are getting shot.
Little by little my soul has been compromised, not by any untoward concessions that can be given to the enemy in this realm, but through a slowly growing lack of focus on what is essential. I find myself being less than disciplined regarding the time spent twittering, blogging, checking email, and surfing the web.
A personal confession: I can feel that I’ve worked hard all day, when in reality what I’ve mostly done is function distracted by emails or the internet, and accomplishing tasks that could have, and should have, been handled in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, when I get home the arrangement continues: I open my laptop and surf the net or “do” email and neglect giving my family my full presence. Something in the fabric of how I address this needs to change.
There have been times in my past when I’ve stopped doing things that I felt were getting a bit out of control. A couple of times I’ve given up
coffee and/or caffeine for a month. Once it was no TV for a season. Right now I’m on my 6th month without soda. I am not talking about fasting (that is a different issue that is also an important part of a believers life) but about focusing. I need to reestablish a healthy framework regarding how to use my time wisely even as I continue to pursue the appropriate use of important and relevant communications tools available to me.
So here’s the plan—I am taking a break from my constant need to stay connected. For me to hit the “reset” button on my patterns, I’m setting a goal to submit myself to the following conditions for the month of July:
Twitter: I’m going off twitter. For one month I’ll forgo the pleasure of staying instantly connected to the quips, thoughts and whereabouts of my friends.
Facebook: Same thing for Facebook (maybe I’ll let Deborah check my account a few times?)
Blog: I won’t update my blog for the month. Even though I only update it once a week (roughly) anyways, I want to spend more time this month reflecting deeply, rather than simply posting quickly.
Email: I plan on disciplining myself to check and respond to my work email only three times a day. Once when I get into work in the morning, once after lunch, and once before I leave for the day. I will allow myself to look at work email on Saturdays, if necessary, but not at all on Sundays.
WWW: I’m going to use the net for work and research, not just to “browse”. If I’m using it for personal research—where to eat, movie times, update on news, generating directions—then I plan on getting only what I need and then getting out as quickly as possible—like a man shopping at Victoria Secret for a gift for his wife.
The funny thing is, though my palms sweat a little when I think about this (is that a sign of addiction?) I can remember a time, not so long ago, when I didn’t have a smart cell phone and laptop for work, and email was only for fun. And I still got a whole lot done. Maybe even more. So I’m not giving up on technology (I’ll be back in August) but looking for a healthier embrace of it. What are your thoughts? Am I a Luddite for attempting this? Could you do it and would you want to? Why or why not?
Oh…if you are in Oregon, I’ll be speaking at Westside Faith Center on July 26 and East Hill Church in Gresham on August 1 & 2. If you have the time, come by and see me.
For the rest of you, I’ll be “back” on the grid in August.
Grace!