It’s 4.30pm on Saturday and I just finally finished my sermon. There are probably a variety of reasons for this – one of which simply had to do with writer’s block this week. But sometimes I wonder if there is a direct correlation between my lack of productivity and my amount of engagement with social networking and social media.
I love Twitter and Facebook. I get them, see their benefits and importance in my own life. I love the connections and networking that happens through these sites, the way we can stay in touch with so many people and keep updated with people we care about or are interested in. I think there are tremendous benefits for ministry and the ability to create another avenue for people to connect and get to know one another.
And they’re just plain fun. Yesterday, Landon, Chad, Fritz, Shawn, and I (and many others) participated in the #replacewithpants fun on Twitter. Basically, just take a phrase or sentence and replace one of the words with pants. Of course, we were having some fun with scripture:
- “Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your pants.” Chad – View Tweet
- “Be still and know that I am pants.” Landon – View Tweet
- “Ask not what your pants can do for you, but what you can do for your pants.” Shawn – View Tweet
- “Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul and pants.” Fritz – View Tweet
- “Let the first one among you without pants throw the first stone.” Adam – View Tweet
Needless to say – Twitter and Facebook are fun.
But fun things can often be distracting. So I’m wondering how everyone is able to get work done while staying connected on Twitter/Facebook/etc. I feel like it’s an important part of both my ministry and my sense of community with other folks and colleagues. So I don’t want to shut it off, but perhaps I need to do that at times throughout the day to really focus on getting some work done.
Share your Thoughts
What have you found? How do you get done all the things that need to get done and still find time to stay connected through Twitter or other online social networking sites? Have you been able to achieve a good balance? Is there even such a thing? Or do we just need to “unplug” daily for times of maximum productivity?