Priorities with Media

Priorities.

BYU. Google photos. Spotify. Kindle. Chick-fil-a. Instagram.


These are the top apps on my phone. What I spend all of my time on. From what I've seen, it doesn't look like this is uncommon. 


Sometimes, this overtakes my time for other things- when I scroll during institute, order food while my roommate is talking to me, dance party instead of meal prep, or do anything else besides my homework. 

I noticed my habits were stimulating a lack of motivation in studying and causing the time to do anything even remotely productive to double. Not all was bad... but there is a need to see what was "good, better, and best". I had been budgeting out time and was stressed because there were never enough hours in the day to do what I needed to get done. I didn't realize how much time was being wasted. Trying to do the "best" things, I started to tune out and later turn off the noise (of notifications, stopping all music, avoiding any/all distractions) and realized I had soooo much more free time than I thought. 



I realized my borderline addiction and allotted time each day to scroll- but the rest of the time had to be spent doing what I had planned to do. Every minute was supposed to be accounted for. 

I wasn't great at this. So I decided to try again. 


Every day I decided to place a sticky note on my planner with my top 5 priorities (usually homework) and determined until those were completed, no media could be watched. This was MUCH better. 

I have a long way to go- I hope to eventually combine the two ideas to maximize what time I do have. Maybe I should try to do the 24 hour media fast recommended...



For now I'll look for ideas to make better media habits and manage my time- any ideas? 




Image from: https://www.post-it.com/3M/en_US/post-it/ideas/articles/tips-for-the-most-seasoned-master-planner/





Comments

  1. AmandaOctober 24, 2023 at 1:36 PM

    Having a high screen time or even screen addiction does totally take away my motivation as well. It is hard to get my homework or other things done when it is easy to just keep scrolling on instagram. I love your sticky note habit of the 5 most important things, I want to try that!

    ReplyDelete
  2. adelaideOctober 24, 2023 at 1:57 PM

    I really love this!! I feel like it is so important to be honest with yourself and see where you really are wasting time. I love to be efficient with my time, so I have a habit of getting all the things I have to get done in a day first and then reward myself with something. And then I move on to my next category of priorities. It has helped a ton! I have realized how much time I can use in a day if I really put my mind to the task and have the control to get rid of distractions.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brooke's BlogOctober 26, 2023 at 9:28 AM

    I really like the insights you shared Kate! I too could make a greater effort to minimize my daily screen time. I think I could really benefit socially and academically by being on my phone and various apps less. As of late, my phone is my biggest distraction during school and church. If I set clear limits and participate in a social media fast, I could improve my habits.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Liesel FauxOctober 30, 2023 at 12:40 PM

    Love the sticky note idea!! For me, time limits on my apps are super helpful as long as I stick to them. It's really easy to say "add more time", but if you can be disciplined enough to stop whenever the limit goes off, then go for it! It's taken me a long time to get good at this and have the self control not to add more time, but having the set limit makes me pause and realize how much time I've already spent on media!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Briella SmithOctober 31, 2023 at 8:47 AM

    I really like how you didn't give up on the goal you made in limiting media. I often find myself doing the same thing where I will get everything done I need to but in the wrong order. I'll spend a lot of time on media and rush to finish my homework and do other important things. However, this is totally backwards and I should focus on the most important things and then enjoy a limited amount of media. Thanks for the sticky note idea!

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