The D.I. Pile

I just came across the following quote in Daughters in My Kingdom.  It is from Sister Belle Spafford, (9th General Relief Society President).  She said, "The average woman today, I believe, would do well to appraise her interests, evaluate the activities in which she is engaged, and then take steps to simplify her life, putting things of first importance first, placing emphasis where the rewards will be greatest and most enduring, and ridding herself of the less rewarding activities."  It is dated 1974.

What was distracting in 1974?  According to the omniscience of Wikipedia, the major television shows were things like M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore, The Price is Right, All in the Family, The Odd Couple, The Young and the Restless and All My Children.  (Really America, how did the game show and soap opera outlast The Odd Couple?)  I am sure that there were other things that took time away from doing what was of most importance and, to be honest, television is not really an issue for me either.  The internet is another story though.  So many times I get on my computer to just look up a recipe or do something and I get so distracted with other things that, before I know it, an hour (or naptime) has passed.

Yesterday, Doug made a long overdue trip to D.I.  We had been piling stuff up for way too long and there were things in there that needed to be passed on to someone else but I had so many issues doing so.  The silly sentimental nature of that one shirt that you wore to that one thing where you had a great time.  However, the cut isn't quite how you like it so you don't wear it...but you might wear it one day.  It somehow is able to get out of being tossed and, before you know it, 5 years have passed and you haven't worn it once.  (Okay, so it was more like 9 years.)  Are you confused by how these topics are related?  Do you think I forgot the point?  I wouldn't put it past me to get lost on a tangent but there is a connection.

I think sometimes we need to make a metaphorical D.I. run with some of our habits and time-consuming activities.  Facebook is by far my worst one and the one I try and try to decrease my time using it but I struggle.  Facebook...ugh!  You fiend!  Why do I feel the need to check you all the time?!  I don't spend large chunks of time there but way too many short stints.  (Ironically, I will be there momentarily in order to post this.)  The best success I have had is to only have particular "Facebook okay" times of day.  That seems to help.  While I was pregnant or nursing and couldn't fast for church, sometimes I would fast from Facebook for the weekend.  It was hard but oh so refreshing to not think about it.

What would you put in your metaphorical D.I. pile?  (Or if you need to commiserate about an item in your actual D.I. pile, feel free.)