Day 119- Whoa, read that number backward!

Day 119. 911. Didn't even plan that one.

Now, to business. 

6 days ago, I sat myself down for an honest talk. Turns out, I've been frittering away a good deal of my time looking at Facebook. Sure, I only am on it for 3-5 minutes at a time, but multiply that at 6-8 times a day, and that's wasted time just waiting to be reclaimed. 

So I did. I now only log on once a day for 5 minutes or less, to post my blog and laugh at whatever George Takei has posted. 

I am astounded---freakin' astounded--at how much I am getting done without the FB. 

Really, I reclaimed 30-40 minutes of my day, but let's just say I only was using Facebook for 20 minutes a day. What can you do with an extra 20 minutes in your day?

• Clean out your purse. The top shelf of your pantry. The shoe closet. Your car.
• Declutter something for 20 minutes a day, and it WILL add up, trust me.
• Read your favorite book. 
• Practice your instrument.
• Go for a walk.
• Knit.
• Clear out your email inbox.
• Clean your hard drive. 
• Make a menu plan for the whole week.
• Grocery shop online.
• Start your blog. 
• Clean the old condiments out of your fridge.
• Go for another walk. 
• Call a relative or friend you've been meaning to call. 
• Pick a part of your house to clean for only 20 minutes. Stop when time's up. A different area cleaned daily means you never give up a day for cleaning and your home stays pretty neat. 
• Make a batch of cookie dough, scoop it onto a wax paper-covered baking sheet, freeze the dough balls for ready-when-you-want them hot, fresh cookies. 
• Lift weights.
• Have a bath. 
• Wash some of the windows, but only for 20 minutes!  

Looky at all the things I can get done without lurking on the Face. I feel awesome. My morning workouts are consistently getting done now that I'm not plopped in front of the 'putey with a mug of joe and my mouth hanging open until it's too late to get that workout in. 

I had a somewhat profound realization this weekend, camping in the woods and marveling how I was already enjoying my Facebook/computer freedom: email, Facebook, Pinterest--none of it really is real. If the power grid shut down, none of that stuff would exist. But your health, your skills, your brains, your stamina, your abilities---all those things would still be there to help you in your daily life. Instead of putting practice and effort into an electronic life (says the woman writing a daily blog about her walks), and more into a real life, perhaps we would all be more focused on what matters, and what we need to keep this world on track. 

Just maybe, 
Dani