...someone ground me from screen time...
- Kari Thomas
- Jan 14, 2023
- 5 min read
8:30am : …snoozing through my second alarm…
8:55am : Wake up and realize I am already starting my day running late. Good thing I don’t have too much to do before work today! Make myself get out of bed ; give each of the kiddos a little rub down, and the Babe a kiss on the forehead - and make my way to the coffee pot.
9:30 : Finally start getting to the digital meat. Once I have a steamy black cup of my current favorite blend, I snuggle into the coziest chair, and grab my phone. (I know I have a bit of homework to get done today…still have to start reading the Ramayana (⅔ of it is due by Tuesday,) and I saved the best assignment of the week for last - this blog post!
…But I gotta wake up a little bit first. Clear the brain with a bit of fun, and sometimes useless nonsense.
First I check my daily transits natal chart with TimePassages. This is becoming a routine thing for me, everyday first thing when I open my eyes ; well, as soon as I have my coffee... Today it tells me, (first and most importantly for the day,) that Mars is finally moving direct. It has been in a retrograde period since October ; and I don’t know about you, but it has definitely been shaking up some things for me! It is transiting now through my first house, as I am a Gemini rising ; and that basically means for the next few weeks my focus will be more on myself. Time Passages says it is a time, “when [I] exploit [my] nature as a unique individual in order to get ahead in the world” (TimePassages).
After that I spend a bit of time scrolling Facebook, (the only “social” media I ever really use these days.) The reels - as always - have me cracking up.
Check a few emails, and send back a few replies.
Kill some slugs for a bit. (The game BestFiends has had me totally hooked for almost 4 years…definitely one of my longest relationships.)
At this point my Babe got up and out of bed , and I still haven’t started homework. Apparently we are just procrastinating on adulting today…
11:15(ish) am : Babe realizes how late it is, and she starts getting ready for work. Since she’s not here to distract me anymore, I have two options. Pick up my phone again - or get to work. I chose the phone. Facebook, here I come.
11:30(ish) am : Feed the kiddos, and let them outside. Kill a few more slugs. Decide I need to stop putting off my homework.
11:45 am : Log into MyASU , and read the details of this assignment. Realize I need to track my entire day of media use … spend the next little bit writing out the first few hours of my day.
But not until I turn on some background noise. I have been hooked on Disney+’s, National Geographic channel recently. Especially if it is about Space, or Ancient Life. (Worlds, people - Atlantis, Aliens. All of it.) Today I go with Kingdom of the Mummies.
2:00pm : Finally caught up with writing this “Media Diary,” after getting side tracked with more reels while trying to copy links for this post.
2:15 pm : Off to Read The Ramayana, by R. K. Narayan for my Honors History of Ideas course. It is an Ancient Indian epic - and while the synopsis sounds incredible, and it is a translated and shortened copy, I am still incredibly nervous about reading it … Wish me luck!
4:00 pm : Didn’t get as much reading done as I was hoping to, but it’s time to get ready for work! (Maybe I should try to find an audio version of this translation so I can listen while I drive.) Unfortunately, work is not a media break for me, as I spend my hours DoorDashing and having to constantly check my screen for orders. Not only is it not a break, but it is my most heavily used few hours, in my opinion. While I drive, I am always streaming something. Most usually music or a podcast on Spotify, or -like today- a book on Audible. I am currently about halfway through Tracy Wolff’s Crush, which is the second book in a four book series. This series is a play on both the Harry Potter and Twilight series - set in a supernatural school ; where the students are witches, vampires, shifters (werewolves and weredragons,) and more! (12/10 Recommend reading this book!) So while I do stream something in the background while I am doing homework, I am not really paying attention to what is on - I am focusing more solely on my computer, or book, or whatever - HOWEVER, when I am DoorDashing, I am actively utilizing multiple media at a time.
But before I leave, I turn on HBOMax for the kiddos so they aren't sitting in silence the whole time they are alone. (Utilizing media, even when I am not home to be using it myself.) I have found that HBOMax is the best option to leave on for them because, (as long as it's a TV Show you turn on, and not a movie,) it will play continuously until it is manually shut off. (Just a little tip for all the other FurMommas out there who are trying to entertain their babes while they are away.)
10:20 pm : Made it home from work, and it's time to decompress with some Netflix binging of The Circle, and slug killing while I wait for the Babe to get home. Then it will be Pressure Cooker, dinner, and bedtime.
8:00 am : Becky’s So Hot by Fletcher wakes me up with my first Spotify alarm today. Time to get rolling.
With the exception of an hour(ish) in the morning that my Babe and I just spent chatting with each other, and enjoying each other’s company, (and not hooked to a screen) - every other moment throughout my entire day was spent with a screen in front of me.
(Can I ground myself, and lose my screen time?)
Through this 24-hour diary I have learned that I spend entirely too much time with a screen in front of my face. I am literally using media before I wake up, (with music playing on my alarms,) and after I fall asleep, (with movies streaming throughout the entire night.) I think that this needs to be a New year, New me kind of moment - and I need to remember to take some time each day to focus on something besides media.
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