simplify. part 2. {about online life}

I'm on a mission to simplify.  To focus on completing what needs to be done, I need to focus less on items that don't need or shouldn't require my attention. I'm going to take a few posts to talk about the steps I'm taking to simplify; and then move on to the task of doing. 

.....

Alright. Imagine this.  You sat down at the computer and caught up on high school and college friends on Facebook.  You checked email, returned a note back to your Mom or best friend, maybe checked out movie times.  

Simple? Yes.  A time in the past?  Yes.  Probably about four years ago. 

Now a sit down at the computer takes upwards of a few hours at times.  I can literally sit down at 1:15, when I get J#3 off to nursery school and J#4 down for her nap, and keep myself busy until 3:15 when its time for me to wake up J#4 and go pick J#3 up.  TWO solid hours on the internet.  

And you know what?  A good solid hour or more of that time is taken up reading about people I don't even know.  Through their blogs or on Instagram.  People I've never met and likely will never have a chance of meeting.  

I LOVE blogging and the community of it, don't get me wrong.  There are some fabulous ladies that I communicate with pretty regularly here and on Instagram. And I plan on continuing to do that.  

BUT there are folks that I'm not even sure why I started following; and there are some that constantly make me feel like I should be comparing myself to them {not their fault, of course...just the way my mind works}, which doesn't lead to anything good.  

So, here is my plan. 

1. Instagram: I've limited the people I follow to {keep in mind this is still a large group, but feels a bit more manageable}:
• people I know personally, 
• bloggers and other online friends that I communicate with quite a bit, 
• of course a few celebrities, {because I MUST know what color nail polish Kim Kardashian is wearing. bahaha.}
• and some of my favorite 'popular' bloggers like Kelle Hampton.
2. Blogs: I got a bit more cutthroat on the blogs.  I've subscribed via email to some of my favorite favorites.  {Note to any blogger reading: please add this as an option to your blog!} And the few that don't have the option that I want to keep up with will still be available in my reader.  BUT I except my blog reading to be cut down by 50% at least.  Maybe even more.  
3. Twitter: I've deleted twitter from my phone and iPad, so if I want to check it I have to do it on my desktop computer.  Which means-it won't happen often and I'll likely just check in with the few people that I really want to keep up with {again mostly people that I have met}.  Honestly, I've never caught on very well with Twitter.  I'm sort of 'on and off' with it, so there is a good chance it'll find its way back, but for now its just on the computer. 
4. Facebook:  Ah, Facebook.  I'm trying to cut down the number of times I go on it.  That's all I can do there.  That IS mostly people I know, and have known for quite a while. Its my link to 'home' for now.  

What is this really all about?  Limiting my time with media.  Increasing time focusing on my family and my passions, like writing.  And writing more than just a status update.