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JBJ was right...
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| SYSTEM-J |
I'm in the process of moving property at the moment, and to cut a long and uninteresting story short, I'm currently living in a house that has no Internet, no TV and no furniture, which is how things will be for all of June. This may sound like a pretty grim existence, and it's true that being in a completely bare house with no connection to the outside world gets old pretty fast, but I've already noticed some fairly massive changes:
1. I've become much more creative. With no more distractions and more time in my own head, I've noticed the creative juices have really started flowing again. I'm reminded of being a child, when I used to be extremely imaginative and could get lost in my own mental creations for hours. I've started work again on some old projects that were basically shelved out of apathy.
2. I've started reading again. I used to read a huge amount, especially as a child, but that has steadily dwindled off and I've never really figured out why. It seems to be because I've shifted all my reading to articles on the Internet.
3. I'm doing more stuff. With no entertainment in the house, I'm spending as much time as possible socialising face to face, and have much more interest in actual activities with other, real people. Anything I do in the house is basically productive, and without distractions I get things done more quickly and with more concentration.
4. I'm more punctual. I've been getting pretty bad for turning up 5-10 minutes late for things, to the point where people expect me to be late so they say "So yeah, you'll be 10 minutes late" and then I turn up ten minutes late for that time. Suddenly, I'm actually starting to turn up for things early.
I'm starting to realise I'm actually quite addicted to the 'net. Not in a desperate, "I need the Internet" way, but definitely in the sense that surfing the Internet is a compulsive habit that eats into my free time. I've tended to get locked in a cycle of listening to an endless stream of music while finding loads of articles to read and loads of discussions to post in, to the point where I can stay awake for hours playing one more tune on Youtube until my sleeping pattern is ruined. So little of my time spent on the Internet or watching TV actually feels rewarding, there's nothing tangible at the end of it all. Now, everything feels much more fulfilling.
I'm trying to figure out a way to create a balance when I move into my new place. Obviously, I need the Internet - it's an unescapable dimension of modern life and has many completely useful and benign functions. But me, it has actually been ruining my life to a notable extent. |
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| Vector A |
Boom!
Yeah, fits my experience. I have also found that I developed off-line time wasters eventually, but they are not as much of a complete off as just watching a bunch of YouTube videos. |
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| Silky Johnson |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
I'm trying to figure out a way to create a balance when I move into my new place. |
It may sound stupid, but buy yourself a calendar and hang it somewhere you will look at it/see it often. Now fill it with projects you want to get done, places you want to go, appointments with people you want to see, etc.
Since I've finished school I spend far less time on the internet, simply because I don't need to be on my computer any more doing homework or researching. I always knew it would come to this...one of the many reasons I couldn't wait to graduate. :p |
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| Watts |
I haven't got Internet access either and the only piece of furniture I have in my apartment is a folding chair and a desk (I sleep on the floor).
Even though I spend all of my time at work, I don't even bother using the connection here for more than 15 minutes of personal time. |
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| Lira |
Tried that already once, didn't work for me :p
I'm too much of an extrovert, and I need human contact either online or offline. If I spend too much time internetless and alone in my place, I either get out (which I usually do anyway) or become really annoyed.
And you don't read much!? How "little" do you read nowadays? :conf:
Edit: Except for the TV. Lived 2 years without it and now that my fiancée brought hers we only watch it during meals. |
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| meriter |
| great time to get some exercise too |
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| Meat187 |
| No internet? What a stupid idea. Where else would I find adorable cat pictures then? |
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| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by Meat187
No internet? What a stupid idea. Where else would I find adorable cat pictures then? |
What if he owns dozens of cats? :p |
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| zyklon-jay |
| lira, just curious...do you have pubic hair? |
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| zyklon-jay |
| lira, just curious...do you have pubic hair? |
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| Lira |
Of course I do! That's the rule in Brazil :p
(someone seems to have fooled New Yorkers years ago) |
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