Tuning Out

Fingers in EarsSometimes you just need to take time off and check out.

I can’t remember the last time I checked Twitter and tried to read most of the tweets. I can’t remember the last time I checked out one of my favorite blogs. I haven’t written a whole lot lately, either. And all of that is OK because I think sometimes we need to take breaks from all the information overload.

I like to be a part of the edublogosphere and keep up with my colleagues and friends on Twitter. But sometimes it can be overwhelming, and the sheer volume of information can be daunting. So, I have been on an information sabbatical, and it has been wonderful. I have learned how to make soap, and it has become a satisfying, engaging, and interesting hobby for me. I have been reading a little. I watched the entire first season of Doctor Who and a few episodes of the second, so now I’m totally hooked. I have been busy with the start of school in my new position.

The move from Georgia to Massachusetts was mentally and physically exhausting, and I think I just needed some time to recharge my batteries. I didn’t unplug right away, but I would say it’s been about a month since I really kept up with all the social media I usually use. I am beginning to feel recharged. I think once I get my bearings at my new school and find myself settling into the routine of the school year, I will be able to engage in social media again. As for right now, if you’re wondering where I’ve been, well, here I am. I am not the kind of person to announce a hiatus or quit altogether, but I recognized I needed to tune out the cacophony for just a little while.

It’s been a wonderful vacation, and I know in my heart I’ve missed some really important things, but stepping back can be important, too, and I think many of us hear the message that we need to be continually engaged in the conversation or people won’t read our blogs or will not follow us on Twitter. I decided not to worry about that a long time ago. If my blog is good, people will visit when I post. If they are looking for quantity, they probably won’t. If what I tweet is helpful and interesting, people will follow, and I don’t need to worry about losing folks who think I don’t tweet enough. This is great advice to anyone who wonders how to juggle it all. The fact is, I’m not sure anyone can. You have to set priorities based on your goals. Right now, my goal is to settle into my job and enjoy my new home. So far, so good. I will be in touch soon.

Image via Roxie’s World

6 thoughts on “Tuning Out”

  1. Thank you for articulating something I have been thinking about recently as well. It can get very loud out there, particularly, I find, on twitter. I've decided it's just not possible to keep up with all of it, and I view it more as a stream of info that I can check in to at anytime I am bored or have a few minutes to kill. I still view my RSS feeds as essential reading, and I try to delete ones I tend to skip over constantly as I add new ones, so it doesn't become too unmanagable. There just needs to be that healthy balance. I am glad your hiatus worked for you! And welcome back…

  2. The pace of Twitter sometimes mistakenly gives the impression that everything that is happening on it is important. It is not. Sounds like you have been getting the big stuff done. That's success in my book. Twitter, blogging, internet PD will be there when you are ready. (Best thing that happened to me this summer was my mom's knee replacement. It is more important now that she and I are missing each other since school started than that I am tweeting all my cool blog posts about lessons.)

  3. I love unplugging and tuning out, but it's easier for me because I have fewer social media plugs to pull. Find your own balance — Mass. and Ga. run on different wavelengths!

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