I’ve been hearing a term more and more recently. A term that can be one of the biggest barriers to simplicity and one that you might have without knowing it. FOMO.
What is FOMO?
FOMO is an acronym for the “fear of missing out”. FOMO is why we compulsively check email and Facebook. It’s why we get up early or stay up late for reveals and releases. It’s why we scour stores (online and off) for what’s new on the market.
While FOMO isn’t new, the Internet has changed how it impacts us.
In 2014, it’s quite easy to stay permanently tethered to the cloud. But as many have written, along with that comes feelings of disconnection and even loneliness. FOMO today stems from this hunger to reconnect, to feel a part of something.
The problem with satisfying a FOMO urge is two-fold. The satisfaction fades quickly and we feel “in lack” again, creating a endless cycle. And worse, each jaunt down a FOMO rabbit hole takes time.
How can FOMO hurt your scrapbooks?
I hear often that it’s hard for you to find time to scrapbook, and when you do it’s too easy to get distracted by the Internet. Sometimes, this is caused by FOMO. FOMO is stealing your time and your mojo. It’s keeping you lost in your head and not creating with your hands.
Fortunately, there is a way out!
While it is just one part of the bigger puzzle, being mindful of FOMO behavior can help you feel more accomplished in scrapbooking.
Here’s how that works: A simple awareness of not using your time effectively is important and helpful. But understanding why you’re fiddling around on Pinterest or browsing that new catalog takes it even deeper – and is the first step towards shifting your behavior.
The next time you find yourself off track, ask “Is this FOMO?”.
For further reading, The Easiest Way to Stay Motivated to Scrapbook offers a simple idea to help you foster real connection instead of using FOMO as an ineffective surrogate.
Does FOMO ever affect you?
FOMO—- electronically, yes! I’ve got the tv running or a dvd playing. I have to make sure whatever is on, I’ve seen many times. Otherwise, I sit and watch the screen instead of paying attention to my scrapping at hand. I check my email about 7 times a day. I read my favorite bulletin boards, blogs, and feeds nearly as much. Making time for scrapping— well, I’ve just been toooo busy!
I’m off to read the article now 🙂
You raised a good point here, and one that I know has helped me. If media tends to distract you while scrapbooking, choose an old favorite to put on. Sometimes I’ll put the Sound of Music DVD in my computer and just have that running while I scrap.
This article speaks to me! When I get a few hours to scrap (like right now), I tend to “find” other time wasting things to do. Search the web, watch Hallmark Movie Channel Movies! Aargh! I completely agree with you Barb. I definitely scrap better when I have a movie (noise) on that I have seen TONS of times before. I do need the noise so I don’t get distracted. I am not sure if I am suffering from FOMO or ADD. Ha! Probably both.
ALL. THE. TIME.
This post really got me thinking. So of course I wrote a long response and my iPad ate it. Let’s try again.
There’s no doubt that FOMO has been a real problem for me my whole life. I’m a pretty extreme introvert but I can remember leaving my dorm room door open so that if people were gathering to do something fun, I wouldn’t miss out. So in my case I’m not sure that the Internet has made it worse, just different. Recently I have gotten better on some of this. If I take more than a couple days away from social media I’m better at just picking up where I left off and not “catching up”. (Better! Not perfect!)
Lately though I’ve been thinking a lot about Internet connection and the real value of it. As an introvert living in the suburbs, it’s the only way I can really connect with people that have the same interests or just get where I’m coming from. I really value this. But I’m struggling to figure out how much of what I’m doing is real connection vs surface connection and time suck.
Part of what I’m struggling with now is not the reading/consuming time suck of FOMO but the need to give back. I think replying to something like this post can create genuine dialog, so that is probably a good thing. On the other hand, why am I pinning things on Pinterest? It’s not for my own inspiration — my stuff is preserved in Evernote. I’m doing it because I have Pinterest followers. Followers I don’t even really know but still I feel like I have to share interesting stuff because that’s what makes the Pinterest “community” work. I think posting all my scrapbook layouts to galleries might fall under the same category. It’s time-consuming and it’s not like I’m promoting a blog or business that requires suck efforts. Yet if I back off of all of this, I feel disconnected.
Not sure where this is really going, other than to say I’m still sorting this out. Thanks for the thought-provoking post.
Thanks for sharing so many different examples here. You raised an important point about feeling a part of a large “thing” that makes the social part of the Internet work. We do some things because they’re expected and the norm. I think where the emotional disconnect happens is when we stop using words to follow through and only use likes and pins. It’s like replacing hugs with a pat on the back.
Totally me. My husband has called me out on it, but the behavior is so hard to change. I had started doing better until I got sick and with no energy to tackle anything the cycle began again! I also have a start/stop schedule that makes it hard to get anything done anyway! Huge trigger right there.
I’m very new to computers and social media , I’m a late bloomer at 56 I’ve had the from ……… been very sick with major black outs blabla blah… anyway hve been confined to home not being able to drive .I feel that I maybe a little hooked with it . my phone started with 1G and laptop 2G now I’m up to 3 and 10 and I may not last till the 18th. I’m a card maker, scrapbooker, art media, art Journaler to name some and the only crafts I have done is cards and scour over so many craft sites oh ! don’t forget cooking sites and pinned I have a preety impressive Pinterest boards now but no layouts no off the page stuff my reason to pin was there is not much going on here in Adelaide shops and classes folding anyway i’m rambling now ,but I get what FOMO is and I must start doing and not envying things I can’t have ,……
oh my gosh Barb in AK! That is *exactly* why I re watch the same DVDs over and over. They’re all like old friends that I like and that I know very well so I don’t get caught up in watching the movie per se—but after having raised 4 kids, quiet is not an option for me! This entire FOMO really gave me an epiphany as to what has been happening with me. I have been over-organizing (I recently realized) so I can stay in ‘touch’ with all my supplies, and FOMO has been zapping the rest of my creativity! Wow — maybe this was the catalyst I needed to get my mojo back.
Thank you for a GREAT article. Most everything applies to me, too. Somewhat worse since i’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia with other severe complications. Within a few months of me not being able to go anywhere because of the pain, almost all of my “friends” dropped contact with me. So chasing after the latest in scrapbooking has taken over my life. If i could walk , i would go and get FOMO Tattoo’d on my forehead! Lolol. Instead, i will journal my thoughts on this and other topics like i always meant to do instead of chasing after more good deals. Bless you for diagnosing such a commonplace, yet terrible syndrome.
P.s. You should do a followup in 6 months to see if any of us were able to reduce our FOMO. 🙂
I hear you as I have fibro also.
My online pages automatically open with this timer (I went to settings and added this link under On Start Up open to this page…
It Goes off after I set it for 15 min. Very good to keep me on track:http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/