Beginning

At the beginning of each new year, I don't make resolutions, but have been picking a word to be the focus of my year instead. This year, I was really struggling for the word which would encapsulate what I want from the year ahead, as none of the ones I was coming up with were fitting. So I spent some time thinking about what it was I really wanted to change and focus on this year. It occurred to me that I seem to never have enough time for my family, my art, keeping my home tidy(ish), cooking from scratch, reading and a whole host of other things that never get done. Yet I always seem to have enough time in the day to check Facebook. I am very in touch with my addictive personality, and I realised that I (like much of the population) am more than a little addicted to Facebook. With the ability to now check it wherever I am due to having a phone with internet connection, this addiction has sky-rocketed. Yet when I am on there, I spend a lot of time getting annoyed with the content and feeling like it is such a massive waste of my time. I did a little experiment yesterday When I felt a compulsion to check Facebook, I didn't fight it and went ahead and checked it. But I also noted down each time I checked, and how long approximately I stayed on for. I am ashamed to say I checked it 17 times in a day. 17! Now, I don't believe Facebook is all bad. I have many friends who post interesting articles that I wouldn't otherwise see. I am part of a few great groups that are useful to me. I can keep in touch with friends who I would ordinarily have lost contact with. I can easily make social arrangements with friends I DO see on a regular basis. I can use it as a tool to publicise my artwork and exhibitions and make links with organisations who will enrich my world. But do I REALLY need to check it 17 times a day? The answer is clearly a big fat no. So, I am not going to pick a word this year. Instead, I am going to try and curb my Facebook addiction. Not shut it out completely, but use it more sparingly and make it a more useful tool rather than a way of switching off my brain. This blog will document my experience of UnFaceboking and all that throws up throughout the year.