Okay, hear me out: the modern conveniences of life have been great and helpful to many families. Grocery pickups, robot vacuums, and food deliveries just to name a few. I am a sucker for convenience too. If it’s faster, then I’m using it. If it’s far away, I’m probably not going because I don’t want to drive.
Over the past several years, I have been using these modern conveniences as a default as opposed to the exception.
I started to feel as if they were slowly making me lazy. I was becoming too dependent on them. It was taking away my daily physical activity and these conveniences aren’t perfect. After the 100th time having my grocery pickup order incorrectly fulfilled or my food delivery sent to the wrong house (or in some people’s cases, eaten by the driver!), I decided to make it a goal this year to limit the number of modern conveniences I was using in different areas of my life. After all, if you want something done right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself.
So here are the conveniences I am breaking up with this year:
Grocery shopping- Knowing I will get the correct item (unless out of stock) as well as being able to use the time as quality “me-time” by popping in some headphones and making it a more relaxing experience is worth the extra time and effort. I will also be saving money because it can get expensive to have groceries delivered is worth it. Plus, going to the store and shopping can help get in those extra steps!
Cooking– Eating less packaged food and trying more “cooking from scratch.” I know I have the time to limit our processed food intake and it is important to me and my family. It’s helpful when my husband or my kids are my “sous chef” and we can make memories in the kitchen. Not only does cooking with my children create memories, but it also allows for plenty of teachable moments, especially in math. Plus, cooking from scratch tastes so much better.
Outsourcing– Do it if you can, but don’t do it because you simply don’t want to be bothered. I was 34 years old when I first learned how to mow a yard…yes that’s right. As the kids got older, I had more time and asked my husband if he could show me how to do it so we didn’t have to outsource it whenever he got too busy. This simple step saves us money and gives me more physical activity. Win-win!
Now, is this going to be a 100% non-convenience change? No. There is nothing wrong with conveniences (you’ll never see me stop using a dishwasher or washer and dryer) as long as they are used to free up more time for more important activities, rather than simply enabling laziness, which is what I was noticing.
I will still use these things but just in moderation on an as-needed basis. Life happens and some of these modern conveniences are the greatest thing ever invented! Especially if you have kids. We are all busy. I know not everyone has the same amount of time to do these things in a day. For me though, I am taking the time to slow down and do things for myself that I once used to do.
What conveniences do you use that you have noticed changed your activity levels?
