Limiting computer time

I only spent about an hour on the computer today, and amazingly enough the world did not come to a screeching halt! My blog readers didn't disappear, my friends on twitter survived without me (most of them are at Blissdom anyway!), and there weren't any urgent e-mails that lacked a reply because I was gone.

Instead of sitting at the computer, I...

::cleaned my house. Glorious! It was slightly ridiculously messy.
::played with my daughter, who WALKED around the house all.day.long. It really is amazing to me to see her walking around. How did the last almost-year go by this fast? How did my little, teeny, helpless newborn become a "big girl" in the blink of an eye?
::hung out with my hubby. He's really an amazing guy, and I always love getting to spend a day with him. And, with all the snow on the ground, it was a great day for snuggling up at home.
::made dinner. We had pasta with homemade sauce, steamed broccoli, and homemade (from freshly ground spelt) braided cheese bread . I have been cooking more meals at our house this week instead of eating with Ben's family almost every night. I love their company--don't get me wrong! But, I also love being able to cook yummy, healthy food I know my husband loves.

Today really helped me to see I could accomplish a lot more with my time online if I focused on the things I needed to do, knowing I had a time limit. It was also a reminder of how all I can do when I'm not on the computer for hours, and of how much I really enjoy doing those things! Not to mention, there is such a satisfaction in sitting down at the end of the day after spending most of the day serving my family. When I spend a whole day on the computer? Definitely not quite so satisfying. Limiting my computer time is going to be a permanent habit for me, I hope.

My plan is to limit myself to two hours during the day  while Katie is asleep, and perhaps a little more when she's down for the night. I want to spend her wake time with her. She's growing up way too fast! I'm going to try to discipline myself to keep a to-do list for when I'm online so I am sure to accomplish the highest priorities first.

I'm hoping limiting my computer time will help me to focus on the finer things in life, and pour myself into glorifying God first and foremost in my tasks of wife, mama, and homemaker. It's amazing how fast the hours go by and it's way too easy to forget all you're NOT doing when you get wrapped up online.

How do you manage your time on the computer?


Photo by laffy4k


This post is linked to:

• Finer Things Friday