Unplugging From Facebook

One of the hardest things I've ever given up has been Facebook. I've done little spurts of fasting from the network, and been successful, but as soon as I get back on I'm hooked again. Somehow though, it is hard to believe a time when I was not on the social network. I know that at one time I did survive without it, so I guess I will now survive again.
The benefits will include more personal time to read my Bible, engage with the Prayer Room, and work on new crafty projects like these:

Bright snugly baby blanket - free pattern here.

Little Crochet Duck Toy - free pattern here.

Roman Shades - for a friend - from this pattern.

That is why I have decided to get off the network, the net is just too much work. I sit down for five minutes and five minutes turns into an hour and a half. I have no self control. When I do walk away I've accomplished nothing of significance and I've only learned about people in the way that they want me to see them.
At heart I've always been a face to face kind of girl. So what has been the hardest parts to give up?

• The ease of making birthday party invitations and the ease of receiving them.
• The ease of receiving meal sign ups after someone has a baby.
• The joy of seeing mobile uploaded pictures after someone has a baby.
• The ease of receiving news on my small group, are we having it, or aren't we?
• The joy of talking to people back in Peoria via the new facebook video chat.

I find it funny that my list has very little to do with checking people's status updates or making status updates of my own. I pretty much use facebook as a glorified email, but it is so much more distracting than my gmail account. So, it has to go.

However, I will keep my account active so that I can still receive personal messages which are then forwarded to my cell phone. What a snazzy gift technology is, I can check facebook personal messages without even getting on facebook, and then reply via regular email. Coolness.

I will also keep my account active for the somewhat rarely scheduled, aforementioned video chats with family back home. Now that my mother has a job it is less likely that we will be chatting as often, but when we do, I still have the ease of facebook video chatting. Sigh.

You know what, I may even sneak on from time to time to look for baby pictures when I know someone is due. Especially all my Kansas City friends who I don't get nearly enough phone time with these days. Gotta be able to see their new babies.

For the rest of the time though, don't bother posting things to my wall, I won't see them.

Now I am wondering though if unplugged is an accurate term...... perhaps it is more like 'using the system' without being a part of the system on a regular basis. I"m going to use the perks and lose the daily addiction. There just isn't a cute quick way to say all that in the title of my post.

One more perk for losing the facebook addiction.....I will hopefully have more time to blog.