Hey Bloggees and a Happy Belated New Year to you. Once again, life decided to happen and the blog got set aside for other things. During that time I’ve been doing a little bit of house keeping (narrowing down my decent size T-Shirt collection, reworking my home schedule, etc). I’ve also been reevaluating how I prioritize my time and how I use it. Two things that I spend a lot of time on are “design” related activities and tech (watching Netflix, Social Media, etc…). Now, before you think I’m going to denounce my design interest or use of tech and go live as hermit, that is not where I’m going. I enjoy design. I enjoy sitting down and enjoying some great shows on Netflix. Where the issue is how I use those things and why. For this post, I want to be open and honest about letting go of design and tech, and what my game plan is for a more balanced usage of both…
A major use of my time is design, or should I say, design related activities. That includes perusing Pinterest for ideas, designing side projects, and studying up on design related news. This doesn’t sound bad, and to be honest, it isn’t. Where the problem has been the heavy drive in this area and why. You see, I feel like I need to do something “productive” (i.e. design related), otherwise, I’m wasting time. What’s worse, I feel like that design is my identity (something we guys struggle with). I identify myself by what I do, not who I am as a person. This drive and personification has resulted in me desperately working on something design related to feel complete. This dependance on design goes right into the next area, tech.
I enjoy technology. I like the fact I can catch up with friends and family on Facebook, laugh at a great show, or catch up on art and design. The question arises though, am I a master of the technology I use, or a servant. Am I so dependent on being entertained that I miss out on life. These points were brought home from two completely different sources. The first came from an article in Communication Arts by Ernie Schenck (you can read the article here). In it he shares how, if we are not careful, technology could effect creativity, but can cause us to lose “awareness of the real world”. In essence, technology, if used incorrectly, will cause us to miss out on life, not enjoy more of it. The second came from our Church’s youth pastor. His message, which you can hear (here) made me think of how dependent I have become on it (and not in a good way). So, how do I get these two areas sorted out? By learning to let go and step away.
Learning to step away from these areas is tough. I’ve come to be dependent on both areas for major portions of my life. I have to do this though for a couple of reasons.
1. My identity is not jobs or possessions, it’s who I am. It doesn’t matter what I do or if I’m aware about the latest gossip. What matters is what makes me unique (personality, interests, hobbies). Most importantly, my identity, as a Christian, needs to be Christ. My identity (who I am) needs to be found in Him.
2. Too much of a good thing can be harmful. My over-obsessed drive for creative could be hampering my ability to create new ideas. My tech driven focus could cause me to miss out on quality time for myself, loved ones, and God
Here’s my gameplay for stepping away…
Design - Limit my at-home design time to no more then an hour in the evening and remember that it is okay to rest and enjoy…
Technology - Limit my TV intake daily and to unplug from all tech entirely for a day or two each week.
I hope my honesty is an encouragement to you. I’ll keep you posted on how this goes. ‘Till next time Bloggees!
