Wednesday, February 7, 2018

The Pinterest Rabbit Hole

Forget Google, Pinterest has become my go to search for almost everything. Recipes, cleaning, organizing, journaling, homeschooling, you name it, I've searched for it. When I decided I wanted to change our curtains in the dining room, I searched Pinterest for "yellow wall dining room" and let the inspiration wash over me with pretty pictures. Whatever idea pops into your head, it's likely that someone has tried it and written about it.

The issue with Pinterest versus Google is the rabbit hole. If I Google a question, I find my answer, maybe click a few links, and I move on. I read what I need to read, and then I'm done. 

But if I search on Pinterest, I've got pins and pins to look at, with images beckoning me. If I click on one, Pinterest adjusts and gives me MORE pins that I might be interested in, and then on and on and on until I look up and realize that many, many minutes (cough, hours, cough) have passed and I haven't done anything except pin and look and pin and look.

It's social media without the social, so I forget that it is JUST as big a time waster. No, I'm not taking quizzes to figure out which house I'd be in at Hogwarts or arguing with someone about why people should JUST BE NICE, and I'm not browsing someone else's vacation pictures, so I don't think of it as a social media time waster. I am learning how to be a better teacher/housekeeper/cook/organizational master/decorator/parent. It's fine.

Google (typically) keeps me focused, but Pinterest leads me down that winding path. I start off innocently, looking for a recipe for the Instant Pot or how to get gum out of a car seat, and before long, I'm reading about how to best deep clean your oven and how to make your own dash cam. And I'm getting inspired. Instead of thinking about the time I wasted, I'm thinking about how to turn my old planner into a scrapbook for the girls so they can remember every detail of last year.

Now this is where any logical person would tell me to take Pinterest off my phone and go back to boring old Google. And I, like the junkie I am, argue that it's totally not a problem and I am merely keeping it around for inspiration for my JOB. I need ideas.

And if you'll excuse me, I just realized that there's something I need to search right now. And, to be honest...I'm just not feeling very Google-y.
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