I’ve been getting (and giving) huge support for health and fitness efforts over on Twitter. I love the community there and how it rallies around people, cheering them on for accomplishments, and lending a supportive hand when things aren’t going as well. I’ve found it to be something of a community OA sponsor, talking me down from cupcakes or lying on the couch when it’s time to exercise. I LOVE my Twitter community but sometimes… I find it hard to drag myself away. The thing about Twitter is that it’s going on 24/7, and there is always something to respond to.
This week the awesome MizFit wrote a very provocative blog post with the statement, “You are what you repeatedly do.” I contemplated this for quite a while. (update: the full quote is from Aristotle. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”)
I am what I repeatedly do.
In some areas, this is quite good news. I have been repeatedly working out and making (for the most part) good food choices. I have been mindful. This is all good.
BUT. I have also been repeatedly Twittering, quite a bit. And recently I’ve seen that it’s kept me from doing other things I need and want to do. And I realize that it’s been a bit too much of a good thing. So I have put myself on a Twitter diet, with the invaluable help of a (free) program called LeechBlock. (what a name, huh? So it blocks the leeches from sucking your lifeblood away??)
LeechBlock is a simple productivity tool designed to block those time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day.
I’ve added Twitter and Facebook to this program, and allowed myself five minutes per every two hours. I figure that this is equivalent to a “water cooler” break. I’m not going cold turkey, but it’s a good helpful reminder of what I want my priorities to be, and how I want to spend my time. And of course I can bypass it by changing the settings, but that’s like “cheating” on a healthy eating plan. I’m only cheating myself, so what’s the point?
That quote also reminded me, sadly, of what I am NOT repeatedly doing that I want to do more of, and that’s write. In my “other” non-Foodie life I am (or was) a writer, working on two novels, a book of nonfiction, short stories, a column etc. none of which have been getting much attention since I began this blog. So I am a blogger, but not a Writer. In my mind, these things are quite separate.
My day job is working up to its annual Big Event in a few weeks, and after that I really want to turn things around and spend more time writing. Keeping up the healthy stuff.
Tell me: who are you, based on what you repeatedly do?
foodfoodbodybody 
July 4, 2009 at 6:24 pm
twittering is about community–i am not sure what is “bad” about it, esp if it is a source of support for you. my m-i-l once told me to “stop writing” because i spent too much time writing and because she felt that it invaded her privacy…i disagreed with her, as I’m sure you do, too.
now if you’re using twitter to follow celebrities and it’s a total timesuck, well, then, you should feel free to question!
whatever i do when twitter takes too much time is…i just start unfollowing folks. makes twitter less time consuming that way. 😛
July 4, 2009 at 6:29 pm
The “bad” thing is that it IS a timesuck when I want to converse with any person who says anything. I love giving and getting support, and when I’ve got over 900 followers, that’s quite a hefty conversation. And I don’t want to unfollow people because I really *like* them! So I figure if I pop in and out for a few minutes every once in a while, I can still follow conversations with people who @ me, and I can catch people more or less.
July 5, 2009 at 3:39 am
Well! If I had 900 followers and I didn’t want to unfollow any of them..yes, I’d have no choice but to limit my tweeting and just accept that I may not be involved with every conversation. (Kind of like how Ashton Kutcher and Margaret Cho must manage things…even though they TOTALLY IGNORE my @ replies :P).
July 4, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I find myself getting sucked in on Twitter too. I also try to keep it to a couple of minutes at a time every hour or so. It’s tough though sometimes to drag myself away. I love the twitter community and I don’t want to miss some of the great conversations. I’ve found great blogs, great tips and so many supportive people. However, I also have other things that I need to be doing. It’s definitely important to have a balance.
July 4, 2009 at 11:21 pm
I think I have a healthy relationship with Twitter. It doesn’t keep me from other things I should be doing, but I’m sure I miss out on great comments. It just happens so I don’t sweat it too much.
Good for you for taking control though if you think it’s a problem for you..but I’m glad you’re not quitting it all together. 🙂
July 5, 2009 at 7:26 am
Like Kenz I have a healthy Twitter relationship, I read Tweets every morning and every evening and mostly at my lunchbreak at work. I’d rather like to read blogs like yours f.e.
Twitter doesn’t keep me from my work or exercising or other things I want to do.
But I recognize it because I write also on a Dutch woman forum and when I joined that forum I was online every day: as soon dinner was finished I was on the forum till bed time. It was insane! These days I still am a member, I moderate the forum, but I’m online about 2 times a day.
Good luck getting rid of your Twitter addiction 🙂
Fran
July 5, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I’ve been thinking about the same thing at the midway point of the year… There is so much I want to accomplish, but I spend far too much time on twitter. I love it, but it’s sucking me dry… I’m off to Leechblock!
July 5, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Me too. I need to cut back a bit on things as well. I really want to concentrate more on my blog and maybe spend less time on Twitter and Facebook. having to much of a good thing can be bad, just like a relationship with food. As long as it’s in moderation than it’s not to bad. Hope you had a wonderful and healthy week-end. I’ll try to be by more often. I sure miss commenting on my favorite blogs.
July 6, 2009 at 10:50 am
I do a lot of blog, but then that’s my writing and I love it. At this point it doesn’t feel like a time waste to me. Photography is my biggest passion and I try to do this everyday but really I take pictures when I am inspired by something I see. I think my hardest feet is finding energy, I rarely have enough energy on weekdays…
July 6, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I tried having a healthy relationship with Twitter, Facebook and other online hang-out spots. I kept breaking my own boundaries. So I deleted my Twitter account, unfriended about 100 of my 235 “friends” on FB, and began refusing new adds. I also have a rule that I only can log on to the internet between 1 and 5 pm. This is pretty hard to keep to if I’m around the house.
If I had a real job I could not follow the 1-5 pm rule natch.
If I am what I do, then I am definitely an internet surfer; also a worrier, a cook, and a laundry folder. I do write. Some…
July 6, 2009 at 5:41 pm
PS for support I have been phoning my IRL friends more. However, late at night when hubby refuses to stay awake to talk to me, I find self logging on for “just a minute” to see how my friends are doing on FB.
July 7, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Twitter can turn a few minutes into something much more. Next think you know, the time sucker has had its way. I like your water cooler approach and will start tomorrow!