I realised recently that I spend an inordinate amount of time on social media. When I wake up, I check Facebook. At work, I check for Facebook notifications several times a day. And at night, I spend hours browsing Facebook, Tumblr, 9gag and many other frivolous internet sites.
Last Saturday I realised that I had an incredibly busy week ahead - the first chapter of my Masters thesis was due, I was starting to lecture a new module and my first years would be handing in an assignment. I couldn't afford the time-suck that was frivolous internet use. And so I put myself on a week-long experimental ban. The purpose of the ban was threefold: 1) Would staying off pointless internet sites mean I got more work done? 2) Would I find other things to fill the time in the evening? And 3) would the lack of updates on popular news and my friends' lives really impact me in a negative way?
Here is what I discovered...
1) Staying off pointless websites = getting more work done
Because I could no longer check Facebook at work, I had no excuse to turn away from my daily tasks. I spent more time preparing slides and notes for my lectures, I answered emails promptly and I did indeed manage to finish the first chapter of my thesis on time. I felt that my time in my office was used more productively than before.
2) Staying off pointless websites = reading more
Since I wasn't being distracted by sites like 9gag and Tumblr, I had to find another way to fill my spare time...and so I rediscovered the joy of reading. When I was at school (before I became a Facebook addict), I spent almost every free waking hour reading. I read while I ate breakfast. I read between classes. I read after finishing my homework, and I read before going to bed. Now, with this internet-free time looming before me, I started taking my e-reader with me everywhere I went. I rediscovered old favourites, and discovered new and exciting stories. I also found that reading fiction trained me into reading long pieces of text again - after years of skimming through three-line Facebook posts, being forced to read longer texts helped me to relearn how to focus and not let my attention wander. This was possibly the greatest result of this experiment.
3) Staying off pointless websites = spending more time with my pet
Rather than spending hours on 9gag in the evening, I started taking my cockatiel Romy out for more playtime. While trying to find new ways to get her to play, I found that she loves shredding toothpicks, throwing beads onto the floor and watching her reflection in my cellphone screen. I also found that she became even more affectionate than usual, and would run across my desk and push herself against my hand when she wanted cuddles. Spending more time with her made me feel loved and appreciated, and made me love and appreciate her even more.
4) Staying off pointless websites = missing birthdays
The one negative outcome of this experiment was the fact that I didn't wish several people happy birthday (and almost forgot about Mother's Day!). I'd become so accustomed to Facebook reminding me about important events that I completely forgot to send good wishes to those who were celebrating. While the Mother's Day one may have been a problem if I hadn't remembered in time, perhaps the birthday ones are not. I know the birthdays of the friends that I see on a regular basis, and the birthdays of close friends who may be far away. But is it really a disaster if I don't say happy birthday to the girl who used to sit behind me in Science in highschool? Probably not,
In short, staying off social media and other entertainment websites did increase the amount of free time I had and forced me to find new, more creative sources of entertainment. While I won't be staying off such sites permanently, I do intend to keep my use of them to a minimum - perhaps checking Facebook once a day, and sites like Tumblr only on the weekends. Will I be able to survive on such tiny doses of internet-based social interaction? Watch this space...
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