So, why do we practice this with other parts of our lives? Like checking email every time we touch a computer, update social media status whenever we touch a phone, or check the stock market every time we look at a TV?
We sometimes do these things more often than needed and it takes away from what we really want to do.
Some of the reasons we check things too often is that we need a sense of control, do not have steps for keeping it all in order, or have our priorities out of balance. The good news is that this can be overcome. It may not be instant, but it will get better with practice.
First, Zig Ziglar talks a lot about the wheel of life and the 7 spokes: Spiritual, Family, Intellectual, Physical, Social, Financial, and Career. He says there needs to be balance in all of them or else you go through life with a flat tire. Too much in one area tends to cause not enough in another. Too much Career ends up taking away from Family. Not enough in Spiritual and you may end up with less in Financial, and so on.
The best thing to do for an out of balance life is to make daily deposits in each area. Read a few minutes of the Bible, tell your son you love him, write a few sentences about your day in a journal, walk to work or take the stairs, call a good friend and leave a message that you've been thinking about them and praying for them, look over your budget and see what isn't needed and could go toward paying off debt, and write down some ideas for working smarter and not longer (write your next day's to-do list right before you leave and get those done first thing tomorrow morning).
Try making small deposits like these in each of the 7 areas and you'll be amazed at how much more balanced life will become.
Next, work to integrate a few simple steps to keep your life in order. Learn about Workflow to process all your incoming email so that your email Inbox is not overfull, giving you the opportunity to deal with new messages in a calm and ordered fashion. This will free you up and make sure you don't have to check your email every time you touch the computer.
With social media, realize that it's like a river, and that there is no way you can drink it all. Just dip your foot in every now and then to see how the water feels and then get out when you're ready. No pressure or urgency, just enjoy your time in and also your time out. Also consider cutting down to just a few social networks, putting quality time into a few is better than putting poor quality in to many.
Finally, Max Lucado in his book Fearless discusses the idea that there are two kinds of people. The first don't believe in God and, therefore, act as though they need to control everything because there is no one else to keep everything under control. The second are those who believe in God and, therefore, know that he is in control of it all, from the smallest ant to the giant creatures of the sea. This leaves them in a place where they don't have too worry about keeping everything under control because God is already handling it and he just wants us to be obedient to the things he says are good and those he says are bad.
I don't believe God intended for people to do things too often. Whether that's checking email, exercising, working, or getting a hair cut. He wants us to live a balanced life where we spend quality time with Him and others.
Technology allows us to connect with one another like we have never been able to do before, but it's a tool that should help us serve to others and not get us caught in a cycle of doing less.
Technology allows us to connect with one another like we have never been able to do before, but it's a tool that should help us serve to others and not get us caught in a cycle of doing less.
