What the 8 month break has taught me

As many of you know, I left Facebook back in August 2010. It had gotten to the point that I was a little LOT obsessed with Facebook. That's not easy to admit but I know it's true. I looked to Facebook as a wealth of not needed knowledge. And once I left, I was glad for the time I got back. I wrote two posts about deleting my account - Social Networking & Why?

Since August, a few things have changed. I have gotten much more into writing on this blog. And I have really enjoyed writing. It's good for me to get things out of my head. I've realized that Facebook could be used for good. What I mean is that it's merely a place to share what God is teaching me. I feel that I can spread my words to more this way. It's an easier place for people to read. So we will see how it goes.

In a nutshell - my mind has been changed. I will have to be very intentional that I don't get back to the way it was before. And I will still be primarily posting on my blog - but the blog will be connected to Facebook. And from time to time, I'll post thoughts, quotes, studies, questions, etc.

My time balance "rules"

It is so important that you be intentional with your time. As you know, our time is limited. We hear about this in Ephesians 5:15-16. I'm very goal/task oriented. So I write out goals and then back them down to the quarter, month, week, and day. I know that's a little crazy for some - but it works for me. And that's what you have to do. Find a system or no system that works for you. But the end goal is intentionality.

Today I wanted to share how I try to keep my time balanced. It's a challenge but I have a few rules to keep myself accountable. I long to be a great wife and mom. And the only way that can happen is if I keep my husband and family first. I also long to have time to grow a relationship with my heavenly father.

So here are the "rules" for myself...(again this is for me and doesn't work for everyone)

1-I'm not in more than one group at a time. For example-I'm in a mom's group right now, but I'm about to start training a team to go to Cambodia. So I will take a break from mom's group until I get back form Cambodia.

2-I try not to plan more than one outing for the weekends. This gives us time as a family and time to rest before the new week starts.

3-I keep a family calendar on google calendar. This way Greg and I can share it. We both can see what's going on at all times.

4-I set an etched memory for each quarter. I make one for family, one for marriage, and one for Finn and I. This keeps me accountable to do "stuff" that matters and not get lost in the tasks of everyday.

5-I keep a "life on purpose" weekly guide. On it I can write down goals for the week and my schedule. It helps me to easily see how I'm doing balance between all areas (Spiritual, Marriage, Family, Work, and Church) If you are interested in seeing this document - comment or send me an email and I'll send it to you.

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" Psalm 90:12

Social networking...

Twitter, Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, Myspace, YouTube...

The list could go on and on. Social networking, it's the thing these days.

Even though I have been playing along, time is causing me to think more deeply about this. Social networking takes time. Valuable time. Precious time. And it's stealing away my time. Social networking is stealing time from me my family my friends MY LIFE . And I don't like that!

So what am I gonna do about it?

I decided that I'm gonna make a change. Over the next few weeks, I will be cleaning up my Facebook page and phasing it out. Facebook is the one time stealer that I see no purpose for. So for those are you that have followed my blog from Facebook, please save the link to this blog and follow me here. http://www.walkupfam.blogspot.com

I will be updating more often so keep a look out. Some fun posts to come...

Can you believe we are 4 weeks away from this little guy being a year old? Wow, time moves too fast!

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" Psalms 90:12