Every so often I make a resolve to say “No” to some things so that I can say  “Yes” to what’s truly important…to me. But despite my best intentions, I tend to get lost in the fray that is social media. Fueled by the energy of other educators, and the “fear of missing out” (FOMO), I end up filling my plate with lots of seemingly great things, but with little to no energy to carry them out. The result is frustration, a sense of failure and a lot of wasted time and money.

So, lately I am back to being more discriminating in the projects I take on, both online and off. Because of the times we live in, it’s become easier to say “No” when money is involved. I tend to pick and choose more carefully when I have to pay for a conference or a workshop even when there’s a sliding scale, which I truly appreciate.

It feels good to say “No” so I can dedicate my time to something else that will fill a need I’m experiencing at the moment or in the long run. That means I need to be clear about what’s important to me and go with those things that amplify what I care about. And, in order to be true to myself and find my focus, I have decided to stay out of what I call Twitter Wars.

Some things people say on Twitter go against my belief system and I want to respond. Sometimes I get into arguments with strangers because rather than learning from each other we are more invested in having the upper hand. It would be better to engage in a debate about an issue that we both care about, but it doesn’t seem that’s what people are after. We want to be right rather than help each other learn. I am embarrassed to admit this, but it’s true. Furthermore, though kindness won’t save the world, it won’t hurt it either. There’s too little kindness on social media right now.

Needless to say, these exchanges are exhausting. So, I am disengaging from threads that are about sowing conflict. Instead I have started looking for people who are sharing what I think are important and relevant information and ideas. They are out there!

Because every so often I review my social media involvement I know this may not stick forever, but I’m going to try to make it work as best as I can. Instead of reverting back to old habits (like getting back into Twitter Wars), I will make tweaks and adjustments to what I’ve committed to here. That means I will prioritize a few blogs, podcasts, Instagram accounts, tweeters, and FB pages (that’s already a lot!) to follow and engage with in order to address my professional learning needs.

I’m sure I’ll be writing about this again and not just on my blog. Maybe you want to join me.

Cross posted to Two Writing Teachers Tuesday SOL Challenge.