4 Good Things I Don't Do (Plus 4 Best Things I Do!)
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Between my faith, marriage, parenting, homeschooling, blogging, and hobbies, I have a lot going on in life. In order to make room for these valued things, however, there are a lot of good things that I've chosen to give up in order to make them possible.
Each one of us will have to make decisions between good things and best things - unfortunately, we simply can't do everything or take up every opportunity that comes our way. While my list of "good vs. best" won't look identical to yours, here are 4 good things I'm currently opting not to do and 4 best things I find valuable enough to include in my day!
Surveys
Between hospital and surveys that we receive for Turbo's medical visits and the online surveys that random companies ask me to fill out, I get quite a few "opportunities" to complete information requests for a wide variety of people.
While I think surveys can be extremely helpful for the senders, generally speaking, I don't fill them out. I simply don't have time, much as I'd love to help the senders improve their customer satisfaction.
So, I simply toss those I receive in the mail or delete the ones in my email and move on!
My Facebook Profile
If you've been around the blog a while, you know that a couple of years ago, I gave up social media for personal use. It wasn't the easiest decision in the world, but it's one that has ended up being a blessing to me.
I still use Facebook for blogging and business purposes, but I no longer have "friends" I connect with via this particular social media platform. The extra time and inner peace I've gained from setting aside my FB profile have been worth it for me.
Social media is still a part of my life, as I'll explain later in this post, but not having to deal with the pressures I felt from my Facebook profile has been a blessing!
Giveaways
I used to participate in giveaways. After all, most of them only take a few minutes to complete, and they only require an email address or social media follow! I've even won at least 4 giveaways, so I've actually seen a return on the small time investment.
However, I've begun to be more conservative with giving out my email address, not from any privacy concerns, but because of the overwhelming number of emails I've had to deal with as a result. While filling out a survey may not take much time, often the inbox influx is enough to make me want to pull my hair out!
Giveaways can be fun and occasionally rewarding, but these days, I just skip them.
Podcasts
I'm not sure I've ever listened to an entire podcast episode! I know, I know, I am SO behind the times. But most moms report that they listen while doing the dishes or folding the laundry. For me, I need these times free for either decompressing my own brain or having conversations with my little ones.
As a result, I've just not made podcasts a part of my routine.
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While I don't participate in surveys, use my personal FB profile, fill out giveaway entries, or listen to podcasts, there are a few valuable things that I do make time for that others may not feel are necessary.
Online questionnaires for blogging friends
While I may not fill out surveys from hospitals or online companies, I do try my best to fill out questionnaires from my blogging friends. As a blogger myself, I understand the value of receiving information like this from my followers, and I love being able to help others in this way.
Some people don't fill out questionnaires for the same reasons I don't fill out hospital surveys, and that's perfectly okay. Each of us will need to determine what things are important and what good things need to be skipped in order to accomplish only the best things.
After declaring war on social media for personal use, I've gone back and begun using Instagram a little. While I don't post many of my own pictures, I do appreciate this (mostly) uplifting platform as a way to stay in touch with family and friends who aren't nearby.
My decision to reinstate Instagram isn't a perfect solution, and I still get dragged into wasting time on it just as I did my FB profile. But I appreciate that the posts are usually fairly light-hearted and that I don't often see political rants and polarizing images. (And have I mentioned that I have the cutest nieces in the world and this is one way I can "watch" them grow??? Priceless!)
So, for now, I'm using it with caution.
Reading
Although I'm a slow reader, reading is one of my very favorite activities. I don't have large chunks of time to sit down and consume a book, but I do get little snippets of time here and there to tuck away a few pages of my current book stack.
Slowly working my way through a few books a year has been a great thing in my life!
eCourses
With the discovery of Ultimate Bundles, I admit that I've become a bit of an ecourse junkie! I love, love, LOVE learning, and if I can snag a really good course for a very reasonable cost (usually through Ultimate Bundles), I'll jump.
I'm still figuring out how to make ecourses fit into my schedule, however. I don't want to be on the computer all day, and since I already do my blogging and emailing from my computer, an ecourse only adds to my online hours. But I have found a few very worthwhile courses that I'm extremely glad I've taken (you can find some of my recommendations in my resources link here).
Bonus
The one thing I need to make room for but haven't yet figured out how to is exercise. I definitely need to improve in this area! I'm not sure yet what good thing in life will need to go in order to add in this great thing, but it's an area I need help in. If you've had success in this area and feel inspired to share some tips, please do so in the comments below!
Choosing to set aside good things in favor of the best things isn't easy, and it won't look the same for everyone. You might choose to give up an ecourse in favor of an excellent podcast because it fits your needs and lifestyle. My husband Jon hasn't read a physical book in years, but he inhales online articles and blog posts like no one else I know!
Share with me: what good things do you choose not to do, and what great things do you include in your life? Even if your lists look completely backward compared to mine, I'd love to see what things are most important to you!
