My Experience with "7" by Jen Hatmaker--Week 4 (Media)

I have to admit, I was really dreading this week.  I knew that Jen was going to crack down on internet and media use, cutting her family off of seven devices (TV, video games, the internet--with exceptions for basic communication and work--etc.)

And I didn't need to read this chapter to already know that I am seriously addicted to media!  All day I look forward to sitting on the couch, knitting and watching Netflix while Benji takes a nap.  I break up long stretches of "baby time" by checking Facebook or reading Time magazine.  I listen to podcasts while I run...and the list goes on.  My life is constantly filled with this background "noise".  My theory is that I am craving adult input in my life because most of my daily social interaction comes from one-year-olds--but this is no good excuse.  The truth is, I chose to be home with my baby and I am so thankful that I can be!  Shouldn't I be giving him (and the other babies I watch) my full attention?

Since I don't think we even own seven devices as a family, this week I decided to turn off seven specific websites/types of media that are problematic for me:

• Netflix (or Hulu, or PBS.com...couldn't even watch Downton Abbey this week)  :-(
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Podcasts
• Distractions at the table (phone, magazines...)
• Pinterest
• TV, other than the news that's always on in the gym

 So, this week was indeed difficult.  Every time I turned on my computer, I reflexively started navigating to Facebook; at nap time, I found myself craving Netflix much as I craved sugar in week 1.  But as the week went on, I began to find my new, quieter rhythm rather refreshing--not to mention productive!

I got so much done that I had been putting off: I updated Benji's baby book and our photo album, deep-cleaned rooms of our house that I'd hardly touched in weeks, organized Benji's closet and my desk, wrote five blog posts, and finally cut Jonathan's hair (yay, we can see his ears again!)  Jonathan and I played board games in the evening and got to bed at a reasonable hour.

I wish I had a "before" picture to go with this "after" picture of our clean bathtub...but believe me, it was really dirty!  As I was helping Benji get into the tub that night, he looked down and said "Yucky all gone!"  If my one-year-old notice how dirty the tub was, I guess I put off cleaning it WAY too long!

Besides productivity, I found that I had more space inside of my head...without the constant noise, my thoughts could flow and wander and take in new ideas at a natural pace.  I felt more at rest and more at peace than I have in a long time.

What will this week mean for me and my family long-term?  Well, I'm back on Facebook, but with a browser extension that limits my time on the site to 15 minutes per day (and I haven't even hit that limit yet; turns out I can live with much less Facebook than previously believed!)  I am back to watching Netflix, but with a greater appreciation for watching it one episode at a time and turning it off before 10 PM (and a realization that binge watching Grey's Anatomy really intensifies my hypochondriasis!)

Media has a place in our lives, but can easily distract us from what is most important: time with God, time with our family, face-to-face time with a friend, and time just to sit and think.  I believe that much of the modern-day stress that we feel would melt away if we simply created more noise-free space in our lives.