Day 8 - Control the Cubicle in Your Pocket

{Managing time is a pervasive, widespread struggle.  Many of us walk around with a cubicle in our pocket, and we always have the feeling that we should be working, or could be working—or we actually are working! At home, this constant pull toward work can distract us from the people to whom we want to give our time and attention.

The real problem isn’t the switch on our computers, but the switch in our minds.

You have to make your own rules to control the cubicle in your pocket, because your work, family situation, and technology challenge is different from everyone else’s. But to get you started consider these suggestions: 

Create time periods each day when you don’t check email or connect to the internet.

In particular, don’t check email at bedtime.

If possible, do your most demanding mental work in the morning, before the day’s distractions kick in.

Give yourself a “quitting time” each day, after which you do no more work .That way, you give yourself a sense of true leisure.

Resolve to “Control the cubicle in your pocket.” Remember, technology is a good servant, but a bad master.}

I love this one!! I often find myself mindlessly going through the motions when it comes to keeping some silly habits. One of the big silly ones is getting on the computer, iPhone or iPad and doing. That's right just doing. . . something. . . .anything. I realized reading this that sometimes I'm doing it just to do it. I need to put it away and focus on the things that matter most. My husband, my kids, my scriptures, the Ensign, etc. Feed my head with good things, great things, happy things more. Sometimes the cubicle in my pocket calls too loudly. Sometimes it's calming and helps me unwind but sometimes (actually sometimes too often times) it's just a habit.  Today I'm dropping that habit and paying attention to the world around me better, more focused and resolved to feel the love and share the love (",)