The good and bad time stealers!

I was brought up to make the most of every minute by filling it ‘with 60 seconds worth of distance run’! As a result it had taken me time to come round to apps on my phone. Now, I have days where I can’t seem to drag myself away from it! What do those days have in common? Well, they usually follow a period of time, it could be a day, a week or a month where I have pushed myself at work and I need a break. In that sense, you could see even the least worthwhile activities as necessary. However, I am aware of my feeling of frustration with myself when I have spent an inordinate amount of time on an activity that I realise does not contribute to my overall development. So, I will start with things I lose track of time on and which don’t contribute to my personal growth, then move on to those that do.

The Bad

Social Media is the obvious culprit and one I am guilty of. My main addiction is Instagram which sees me scrolling endlessly at times, looking at endless videos about teaching and cats (!), and occasionally being drawn into purchases that are not necessary! Facebook and Twitter (its proper name!) are far less important now than they used to be but it is still not unknown for me to spend ages on there to no real effect. Now, using these platforms to contact people or to discover new music artists and other creatives or to use them to investigate something like a show or a hobby can be positive, but I will be honest when I say that this isn’t what I do!

A subsection of above is dual screening which I am increasingly guilty of these days as my daughter is very fond of pointing out! This has two effects, taking your full attention away from either phone or TV and completely robbing you of any sense of time. I find I am worst when watching sports. I don’t concentrate on the game, it just serves the purpose of moving wallpaper, and I don’t concentrate on the content of the phone and scroll increasingly mindlessly. I am doing my best to rein in this behaviour but I have a long way to go.

The Good

Happy Colour is a delight! I go back to this app every day and enjoy filling in the colours from the palette so much that I feel like time ceases to be of any consequence. Most days I will start, and often complete, at least two or three pictures and once I get into the colouring all my frustrations and stresses just wash away. Below you will see four of my most recent pictures. You will probably be able to see why I get so engrossed.

Blogging

Yes, the great time waster, and I use great in both senses of the word. Blogging has transformed my written communication and has enabled me to express myself in ways that had never been possible before. I can spend three or four hours drafting and redrafting a book review, gig review, music review or a piece of social/personal history. As with Happy Colour I end up with a final product that makes me feel good and makes me feel as though I have achieved something. Yes, my least read blog posts often end up in single figures and, no, there is no telling which fate will befall which posts. Memories of Singing Together has had over 700 reads and it’s one of the posts I am proudest of. Keedie by Elle McNicoll – A Personal Reflection one of my most personal reviews has 11 reads to date, but I am also incredibly happy with it. I long since accepted that the number of visitors and pages viewed will impact upon my sense of self, but because I get so much pleasure from blogging I regard that as a small price to pay. Having said that, if you have got this far, perhaps you may want to give Keedie a go. It’s well worth it I promise!