I recently read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (fellow enneagram One!) and was completely convicted and challenged by it. I’m so grateful for the advice, wisdom, and encouragement I found in those pages, and for the several pages of notes that I took in my journal to help get the ball rolling on making shifts in my life.

I’ve made SO much progress in recent years toward simplifying and streamlining things in my life, but it’s truly such a journey and an ongoing battle against society to live in more meaningful, intentional, and life-giving ways.

"What you give your attention to is the person you become,” Comer writes. Our attention becomes our awareness, and those things make us who we are.

I don’t want to be someone who gives all of her attention to the internet and becomes a shell of a human in the real world.

I want to “live deliberately” like Thoreau writes.

I want my goals to be like those of Comer: “Be with Jesus. Become like Jesus. Do what he would do if he were you.”

I have a feeling if Jesus were living in 2019, he wouldn’t keep his iPhone plugged in by his bed for late night scrolling and first thing email checking. He wouldn’t text and drive, or check his phone at red lights, or be preoccupied while on the road. He wouldn’t work 7 days a week, or check email while waiting in line at the coffeeshop, or ignore the cashier because he was too busy tweeting. He for sure wouldn’t spend his nights binging Netflix shows or obsessively scrolling through Instagram stories.

SO WHY DO I.

Oof.

I’ve slipped back into old bad habits and I’m over it. Time to make some changes! Thanks, JMC, for this book that gave me the kick in the pants I was needing.

(Please keep in mind that I’m somebody who LOVES making lists and setting goals and trying to change/perfect ALL THE THINGS, so this is not a list to say I’ve instantly done all of these things!)

These are the next steps I jotted down as I finished this powerful book:

Set time limits on my phone
- 2 hours max for social media
Delete Twitter app
Delete email app
Set TV watching time limit for myself
- 3 shows/week
- 1 movie or documentary/week
Cancel Hulu
Cancel Amazon Prime
Move phone charger away from bedside
Adjust Do Not Disturb time window
- It’s now set from 9pm to 8am
Purge following list on Instagram
Purge email subscriptions
Put phone out of reach in my car while driving
Sabbath every week — seriously!
Meditate daily
- I use the Oak app and like it
Keep a small journal with me to jot down notes, thoughts, and to-do items
Bed at 10pm, wake up at 6am

I have since done about half of these, and have taken steps toward implementing several others. My focus is renewed and I’m motivated to continue making strides toward the most fulfilled, peaceful, and grounded life.

These are my goals now, thanks to inspiration from Comer: