General Conference Quotes: Elder Ian S. Ardern - A Time To Prepare

There is much that is good with our easy access to communication and information. I have found it helpful to access research articles, conference talks, and ancestral records, and to receive e-mails, Facebook reminders, tweets, and texts. As good as these things are, we cannot allow them to push to one side those things of greatest importance. How sad it would be if the phone and computer, with all their sophistication, drowned out the simplicity of sincere prayer to a loving Father in Heaven. Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text. 

I know our greatest happiness comes as we tune in to the Lord (see Alma 37:37) and to those things which bring a lasting reward, rather than mindlessly tuning in to countless hours of status updates, Internet farming, and catapulting angry birds at concrete walls. I urge each of us to take those things which rob us of precious time and determine to be their master, rather than allowing them through their addictive nature to be the master of us.

This is a very relevant talk to most of us, I think. Especially you, since you're reading my blog, which means you're spending time on the internet right now. Using the internet, like he said, is not bad in and of itself. It's using our time unwisely that is the problem. You'll have to decide if my blog is a good use of your time or not. =)

I am a blogging and Facebook addict, I think. But I'm working on it. I try to post as relevantly as I can. As far as Facebook, I have found a tool that helps me, and I wanted to share it with you. Stay Focused is an extension for the Google Chrome internet browser that keeps you from visiting websites that you have designated as time-wasters. For example, I have designated Facebook as one of my blocked sites. I can still get on Facebook, but after I have used it for twenty minutes a day, I'm kicked out, and can't get back onto the site until the next day. You can have it be more or less minutes than twenty, that was just what I chose. And you can block as many websites as you want. I currently am only timing/blocking Facebook. I really like it, because it helps me realize how much time Facebook can actually take out of my life, if I don't control myself. Anyway, feel free to try it if you would like!

I'll probably be posting more about this talk later. Such a good one!