Another Lent, Another Social Media Fast



Remember when I said that I was giving up running for Lent? I also said that I was starting Lent early. Well, Easter came early too because I'm back on the roads--at least for now.

My only problem is that there are those who insist that Lent actually begins this Wednesday. I suppose that means that I will need to select something else to give up for six weeks.

So I'm going to take a rest from Facebook and Twitter.

I did it last year and my relationship with social media improved as a result. The time away taught me that I didn't need to be tethered to my laptop or phone throughout the day. For a while after my social media fast, I stuck to a schedule where I only looked during certain times of the day.

But then the primaries happened. And the general election. And college football. And a list of other excuses that I can deploy in justifying my bad habits.

I need to do better. Never have I imagined drawing my terminal breath and thinking "Gee I wish I would have watched more cat videos and taken more quizzes about Saved By The Bell."

Sigh...

The hope is that the break will restore some sense of social media balance. To be clear, I'm not leaving Facebookistan permanently. This is just a vacation, intended to allow me to return with a fresh perspective on how I can best use this tool. Social media can bring real value to my life, if I control it instead of it controlling me.

Still, for as much as I look forward to opportunity to reset my boundaries, I will miss my friends both new and old. It is telling that I have never physically met Paul Putz or Chris Beneke. And yet, because of social media, I teamed up with both of them to write some stuff about things.

As for this blog, I will keep posting at least once a week if not more often. However, I expect that fewer people will be reading it over Lent, since the bulk of my traffic comes from Facebook and Twitter.

Accordingly, if you would like to keep up on my posts over Lent, please join this blog's email list...

Between Jest and Earnest Email List




And if you want to get in touch with me, please email, call, or text.

You will still also see me on Strava and Untappd over the next few weeks. The former keeps track of my runs, while the latter keeps track of my beers. Priorities. I know mine. It just takes six weeks away from Facebook and Twitter to figure them out.

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