Going on an Internet Diet

So, as I mentioned on Monday, all of this week I’ve been trying an experiment. I’ve restricted my internet access to 1-2 hours a day. That probably doesn’t sound huge, but I spend a lot of time online and it’s a drastic change for me!

Why?

The obvious question is what prompted me to go on an “internet diet”. Quite frankly, I’m feeling a little crazy crowded in my brain space, and I’m pretty sure that most of that comes from being near-constantly connected, in one way or another, to the internet and the vast amount of people on it. That can be a great thing, don’t get me wrong – I love all of my internet friends, I love talking to them and hearing their thoughts, I love that I can ask a completely random-ass question and immediately get a response. (People who answered my Picard vs. Data question: I’m looking at you!) I love having so many different viewpoints, and hearing about things as they happen.

But at the same time, I just feel surrounded by noise. I want some peace and quiet!

The Goals

Right after “why?” comes “what are you trying to accomplish?”.

Well…

• Peace and quiet! Like I said. No more noise.
• I want more time for non-internet-y things. It’s a tremendous time suck, and even if I really want to do something else, we’ve all experienced that phenomenon that consists of “Just 15 more minutes!” and then suddenly you look at your computer clock and it’s fifteen ’til midnight. Or, you know, much later. I just discovered the wonder that’s the local public library (it has FOUR FLOORS, y’all. this is a huge deal for me!) and have a stack of books to read through, I’d like to get back to meditating more, I have things to write and draw, and I have a stack of DIY projects waiting to be done. If nothing else, it’s supposed to be nice-ish outside next week, and I’d enjoy walking around and checking out some of the local parks.
• I want to think about the direction of things. Some personal things as well, but a large thing I want to think about is where Wicked Whimsy is going as a website. I love writing about style and fashion, and it’s a huge part of my life, but sometimes I feel like it gives a very one-sided view of me. Style and fashion aren’t all I care about; sometimes I want to think or write about business, personal issues (like inspiration or lack thereof), spirituality…any number of topics. And obviously, I don’t always stick to just fashion or style topics as is! So I don’t know if I want to go even more “off topic” in some posts, or set up a new domain/site for other thoughts. Thoughts from you, as a reader or a fellow blogger, are appreciated!

This post was written ahead of time; I wrote all of the posts for this week and scheduled them before starting the diet. I’ll do a recap post sometime next week with my thoughts on how it worked and any follow-up I’ll be doing – I’m thinking about continuing it for thirty days, to try and make all of these things a habit. To get better at making time for non-internet things. I think it’s interesting that it’s possible, but sometimes I wonder if it’s such a good thing to be plugged in all the time! (Anyone else ever read Feed?)

Thoughts or comments? I’d love to hear them!