Living In The Moment
It's pouring down so I'm quite content to be warm and cosy indoors today. I don't have any plans for the day except to drift through, doing whatever grabs my attention.
My iPad had breathed its last! It was a gift from Ced about ten years ago, has been well used and will be missed but ... I'm not sure that I will bother to replace it. My first thought was that I need to rush out and buy another tablet but, after a little thought, I'm not sure that I do. If I'm honest with myself having the iPad in the living room, while both useful and convenient, was also a major time waster. I repeatedly found myself scrolling through the iPad while I was 'watching' a TV programme or 'reading' a book, but the truth is I wasn't doing anything properly so satisfaction suffered as a result.
I've been thinking about this for a while but the loss of the iPad has brought it to the fore. It's about being in the moment which often I'm not. The iPad stopped working properly on Friday morning so since then I have been fully focused on whatever activity I've been doing ... and that full focus makes every activity so much more rewarding. I've shocked myself with how frequently I've interrupted whatever I've been doing to reach for the iPad when there was nothing in particular I wanted to use it for ... it's become a habit, and not a very healthy one.
I have the laptop in the playroom upstairs so there is no real need for a tablet downstairs and I think, once I've got used to it, I will feel happier and more fulfilled as a result. I'm convinced the change can only improve my mental health which will have a knock on effect on how many and what type of activities I choose to do. Time will tell, but for the next few months I plan to focus on living in the moment and see how it goes!
I suspect that you are right and will find life more fulfilling and satisfying without one but cold turkey isn't easy, is it?
ReplyDeletexx
So far it hasn't been too bad, but I suspect that's because I've just started and am feeling righteous about my decision. I have a feeling the next week or two is going to be much more challenging!
DeleteI don't think we realise how much we reach for things like that until we don't have them any more. It's amazing how much time we spend on electronic gadgets. It's always quite freeing when I go to visit Mum and my phone doesn't work. There is no excuse not to spend time in that moment with her and I enjoy it all the more.
ReplyDeleteIt's raining here again today. Sigh. It seems it rains every Sunday, the day hubby and I usually go out somewhere for a walk. I think it might be a day inside. The rain doesn't look to break any time today!
I was surprised at just how often I was reaching for the iPad. I've always thought I was a 'light' user of electronics but clearly not!
DeleteI think for those of us with iPads we all are guilty of reaching for them at every given turn, I know I do and I am trying to be a little stricter with myself about just how much time I spend on it.
ReplyDeleteMitzi
I've decided to be more proactive in thinking about how I want to use my time. It's easy for me to feel busy when all I'm doing is wasting time on the iPad!
DeleteYes, good for you, and I concur. I finally succumbed and got one a year or so ago. It's very handy for certain things, and much quicker than firing up the laptop, but I too have recently found myself idly mucking about with it, even during interesting tv programmes that I actually want to watch. (I'm glad I don't have a smartphone for the same reason!) For some things, the tablet actually takes longer, e.g. typing mails, posting or commenting on blogs etc. Too often mails go unanswered for too long because I think I'll do it later on the computer ... whereas if I had made the effort to go and sit at the computer in the first place I'd be way more efficient! Let us know how the change works for you.
ReplyDeleteI had to put the iPhone in another room last night as I kept reaching for that instead!
DeleteChoosing to live in the moment, to be fully present in the here and now, is a very good thing, I think. I don't have an iPad (never did), so my laptop is what I reach for, all the time! The good thing about a laptop is, unlike a desktop computer, one can carry it around from room to room, as needed.
ReplyDeleteMy laptop was bought with photo editing in mind so has a 17" screen so is too big to use comfortably when I'm curled up on the sofa downstairs. The iPad was convenient and was originally bought for that reason when I was caring for my late partner so its demise has left a gap, which at the moment I don't want to fill with more of the same. We'll see how I get on!!
DeleteI am guilty of both! However it does keep awake. The number of times I relax back to watch a favourite programme and fall fast asleep! It is worse on commercial channels because my concentration slips. I am pretty exhausted by the time evening sit down comes!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that less time on electronic gadgets, especially during the evening will lead to better quality sleeping.
DeleteYES. Through our community, there was a push on a couple years back about putting down the cell phone, turning off the computer & saying no to a lot of social media forms; Mr Man & I jumped in with both feet. I think you'll discover quickly you made an excellent decision
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm hoping!
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