Not counting using my phone to check Facebook notifications (one time) and email (about 10 times), I spent yesterday Internet free. I mean I never used my computer to connect to the Internet.
Here’s what I did instead:
- Gave a real live, in-person presentation to approximately 40 people about PDF accessibility with a woman I’d met via Twitter and my PDF accessibility blog (my first talk to that many people in 8 years not counting the brief one at a funeral)
- Drove back and forth to Rockville twice
- Watched my son’s wrestling team win their meet
- Visited with son and husband while they packed waited for their ride to Snowshoe for two days of skiing and male bonding (2 adult males & 3 male teens)
- Leafed through [every page] of the used copy of Jeff Smith’s Frugal Gourmet I recently picked up at a library sale.
- Made and ate croque monsieur (and half an avocado with balsamic vinegar) for dinner (oh, yeah, and some red wine too)
- Watched 2 movies (I Love You Man & The Yes Man — [was I missing my men?]) on Cinemax which we get free for 3 months because Verizon hopes we forget to cancel and then they can charge us even more money than they already do
- Went to sleep at 9:30 (possibly result of red wine)
And you know what? Nothing bad happened. I didn’t get any important emails that I had to answer by last night. No one had a pressing question about PDF accessibility on my accessibility blog. No one had an email that had to be sent immediatly on my neighborhood email list. The wrestling coach didn’t have a post that had to be put up ASAP.
Will I do it again soon? Probably not.
Was it refreshing to stay away from the Internet for a whole day? Eh, it was fine. I didn’t really notice until this morning.
Did I accomplish more than I would have done had I been online some of the day? Not really. Maybe. I don’t know. Maybe.
Do I have a problem and am I addicted to the Interenet? No comment.
You don’t sound as though you went into withdrawal, so I’d say you’re not.
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It wasn’t bad at all.
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When I first saw the title of your post, I thought “Aaaaaaaaargh!”
Then I read the first line … “Not counting using my phone to check Facebook notifications (one time) and email (about 10 times),” … I’m amused you think these don’t count!
But glad you got through the day. I know how hard it is to do!
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Kudos to you 😉
Glad you didn’t miss it very much. I’ve been having trouble visiting because Mozilla keeps crashing (It seems I have a faulty WLAN card) … but I’m doing what I can this morning catching up in my reader before clicking over to comment. Loved your post about Carl Sagan and on hoarding … I see myself in both.
Hugs and blessings,
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Do you have yslow enabled on firefox? Mine kept on crashing too (after update), but when I uninstalled that add-on it worked fine again.
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I rather think the Facebook/email bit disqualifies you! Although your non-internet activity level was admirable.
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Wow, I look mean.
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Helen & Mali: Using limited apps to check email and facebook notifications on a tiny phone screen is a lot different from checking on a widescreen monitor, in my mind. I could have said I didn’t use a computer all day, but I did for the presentation.
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Perhaps Helen and I should lead an intervention?! You need a day in the wilderness, cellphone and internet free. You’d find it surprisingly restorative.
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