Saying No To Facebook

For the next 30 days I am giving up Facebook. It's been a long time in coming, but it wasn't until yesterday that I realized I have a completely ridiculous Facebook obsession that is eating into my time and productivity.

It's not that I think Facebook is bad. It's not. Facebook allows people to share all kinds of useful things: links, photos, thoughts, special announcements, Farmville requests. However, I've begun to notice a pattern in my life where if I'm not connected to Facebook, I feel alone and out of the loop. This usually means I'm checking Facebook every 20 mins or so all day long! It's so easy because it's just right there on my computer, and I can casually glance and see what's going in my own little friend bubble. It's addicting...too much so.

It also tends to stir of bouts of jealousy and discontentment which just aren't really all that favorable. I've started to notice myself putting way to much thought into what other people are doing and where other people are going.

So basically, what it boils down to is this: I need a break from Facebook.

I looked at the calender and noticed that exactly one month from today is John 3:16 day (March 16), and I have decided to abstain from Facebook until then. No checking messages, no positing pictures, no looking creepily though other people's photos from 3 years ago and wondering when they gained all that weight...Nada.

However, I recognize that just cutting Facebook out of my life for a time won't actually solve the root problem because the root problem is that I allowed something to become more entertaining and important to me than spending time with God and caring for my family.  However, that is a problem a will have ample time to work on this month when I'm not checking Facebook or spending copious amounts of time on the internet.

I have, however, decided that I am going to keep blogging (and checking my email). It was a tough decision, but I just don't feel compelled to give it up. However, I won't be able to link the posts to Facebook (I am linking this post though because otherwise it's a proven fact that nobody will read it!). So, if you want to be notified when there is a new post you can either "follow me" through Google reader or whatever RSS feed you keep up with, OR you can follow by email which means that you'll receive an email in your inbox whenever there is a new post. Of course, if you think you can live without me for a month then by all means don't do either of those things and suffer the consequences :)

So here I go...off the grid...into the unknown...just me and Jesus...and my husband...and Rooster...without Facebook.