Micro-managing

I started micro-managing my life yesterday.

Recently, I’ve found myself loosing time on my phone. I waste minutes, even hours, in embarrassing ways: scrolling through the hog pile of popular scandal articles on Facebook; watching Dr. Pimple Popper videos on YouTube; filling up imaginary “shopping carts” with clothes I cannot (and will not!) buy. What a waste of time! This lack of self-control when it comes to my phone is distressing, and it is impossible to ignore the fact that I am using mindless activities to numb myself from the world for some reason.

I am someone who actually enjoys the world quite a bit, so I have no excuse. This needs to stop.

A week ago, I started making a list of things to do. The list is full of little tasks that are tried and true ways to make my life rich and enjoyable. I don’t have to do everything every day, but the list is a reminder that I could be doing something productive with my time, and checking the little box is a nice incentive.

Yesterday, on my phone, when I had declined once again into mindless consumer mode, it occurred to me that there must be an App for making lists. I checked the “store” and, sure enough, there is. A colorful, musical App with swiping and emojis! I downloaded the free version immediately.

Now, I have yet another reason to check my phone on a regular basis– I can see that this isn’t a logical solution to my phone dependence issue. Still, I’m going to give it a try. Writing that long list by hand every day is no fun. And the App rewards me with a cheerful sound every time I swipe something off of my list. We’ll see if I can dog-train myself into being less passive with my free time.