10 Reasons for Paring Down to Free Myself Up
Renay Intisar Jihad
Reason 1 — Managing my time in front of a screen requires navigating a vast vortex of online venues: Zoom, webinars, YouTube videos, Facebook posts, Tweets, and Instagram to name a few. There are also mounds of email or text messages to read daily for work, play, or to survive.
Reason 2 — Logging on to the computer means making second-by-second focused and conscious decisions. Skim this. Scan that. File this. Delete that. Asking myself — Is this a need to know or a nice to know column, blurb, blog, or tweet? Is this urgent or can it wait? How can engaging with this material help me become a better wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, friend, or person? How will this improve or preserve my cognitive ability as I approach the septuagenarian stage of life?
Reason 3 — Like me you probably read, sort, categorize, file, recycle, mute, or ignore your marching band of online data? Mental clarity versus mental clutter relies upon dealing with this cesspit of junk daily. Don’t get me started with the books I wish time would permit me to enjoy. I love, but haven’t got the time, to fully enjoy the litany of Podcasts, movies, documentaries, and talk shows available today. My fast-forward button is worn out.
