By now, if you are on Pinterest, you've discovered it's great usefulness, ease, and potential for endlessness. What can be a wonderful cataloguing tool has proved, at times, to be an opportunity for discontentment, anxiety about all the projects you don't have time for, and even a full-blown case of over-stimulation. Just like any other online social media tool that promises inspiration and "connection," thoughtfulness about how to USE Pinterest will keep IT from using you.
Here are some things I keep in mind to keep my Pinterest-ing in check:
1. Determine what you use Pinterest for, and schedule time to be on it accordingly.
2. Resist the temptation to browse perpetually by not keeping your homepage open on your computer.
3. Limit the number of people you follow: The more folks you follow, the more images come to you, the more rabbit trails you chase.
4. Put yourself to the test: Do you feel content when you Pinterest, or more anxious?
5. Make it a point to do something with the fabulous ideas you find! Pin things you will actually use.
6. As with any social media, Pinterest serves as either a personal tool or self-promotion in some form or another. KNOW thyself, and stay true.
7. Remember that in 15 years, all your boards will be dated, and will be pinned on boards titled: "When We Thought Birds, Nests, and Owls Were Cool," or "Do You Remember The Handmade Rage?" or "When Anyone Could Be A Photographer." :)
8. Pinterest should make you want to live your own life better, rather than live vicariously through others.
9. Coveting, envy, and the love of money can find fertile soil on Pinterest. If you desire to be free from these, be mindful of where you sow.
10. Your kids determine what you value by how you spend your time; Pinterest wisely.