Still Living Digital

       Last January I wrote about my commitment to utilizing digital apps and living what I called a “digital life.” I promised to set aside my beautiful bullet journal and use my phone and computer to organize things. I know that you’ve been waiting with bated breath to hear how my experiment concluded. (Humor me here.) Well, after a year of going digital I can decisively say that I am not going back to analog living. Some of the same issues I experienced while bullet journaling followed me into my digital life. Things like failing to immediately put things onto my calendar then finding myself double-booked or making a task list then failing to consult it. The only up-side to these failures is that I wasn’t spending time creating the calendars and lists then failing to use them. Occastionally, I was intimidated by new technology, but after a year of experimentation here are the pros and cons I noticed.  
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Pros:

1. Convenience - I had been using a bullet journal, pens, and stickers that I carried with me which were clunky and required space to work. Using Google calendar to plan things on my phone made it easy to add events to my calendar immediately without choosing appropriate pen colors or stickers for the event. Also, because I depended upon it so heavily I didn’t lose my phone as much. I’ve reduced the size of my purse which alleviates shoulder and back strain because I’m not carrying around a journal, pens, and accessories. 
2. Compatability - Jason was thrilled with my desire to go digital. Our house was already wired with wifi light switches, surround sound, a smart thermostat, and a wifi garage door opener. Since then we’ve added a Nest camera and security system. Having access to all that on my phone makes so many fabulous things possible. Like opening the garage from across the country when a family member needed to get in while we were gone, sharing a shopping list with Jason, or, my favorite, scheduling joint activities on our busy schedule by sharing events through Google Calendar. 
3. Clarity - I use Google/Android apps that integrate my phone, computer, and car. I love that when I schedule an appointment using Google Calendar, I can enter a location as well as the time. When I’m getting ready to leave and I plug my phone into my car and Android Auto comes up on my infotainment screen. Then Google Maps automatically generates the address I need to go to or if it doesn’t I know the address is in my calendar and I can tell the car where I need to get without spending time searching or getting lost. This is brilliant because - you know me - I’m usually running late and I’m directionally challenged. 

Cons: 

1. Confusion - Some of the apps still aren’t perfect or they don’t connect in the way I wish I could. I love my shopping list app, but it doesn’t connect with my voice-activated system. Occasionally, I get frustrated when an app goes down or doesn’t work, but most of these issues were solved relatively easily by contacting the app for support and researching the issue. 
2. Connection - This isn’t exactly the word I’m looking for, but I’m really deep in the C alliteration and can’t stop now. Last year, I was frustrated because I didn’t always put tasks on my calendar or follow my to-do list despite my beautiful journal. Using digital, I found out that the medium isn’t the problem. I have a problem with keeping my thoughts together and going digital didn’t magically fix that. I still sometimes ignore my task list and forget things. I suppose I can say that I sometimes fail to connect with my calendar and task list. (There now it works. Alliteration saved!)

       Undoubtedly, the pros have significantly outnumbered the cons and I don’t intend to go back to analog living. There was one interesting outcome that I did not see coming. The journal was my creative outlet. A way to be creative and untangle my brain from the frustrations of the day. That being gone, I took up other projects and was able to be a blessing to others in my free time. (I’ll write about my craftiness another day.)
​       Last year I defined intentional living as following Ephesians 5:8-10 "Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." It is making deliberate choices rather than being swept along with a crowd and doing what it takes to survive a day. It requires a great deal of self-knowledge and knowledge about the One you are lining up your life to follow. I don’t want to survive life. I want to live and live to fulfill the mission God created me to complete.
       What about you? What are your tips and tricks for productivity and accomplishing tasks? Do you live your life with intentionality and purpose or have you settled for mere survival? Do you have any favorite apps to help you function and grow? Comment below and share!

Photo credits to the incredible Google Pixel 3.