I have always loved technology. From early video game consoles to smartphones, I have thrilled to the latest trends. If I had more money, I would upgrade constantly. But lately I have begun to feel a bit trapped.
This actually has less to do with the technology itself than it does my habits. I have gone from checking Facebook a few times a day to leaving the program up even when I'm not at the computer. Suddenly, I've stopped having those quiet moments of introspection that I used to enjoy. If I am watching television, I pull out my phone during commercials--I need to check my email, or Facebook, or...I've run out of things to check. Oh no! I've even started doing this between book chapters while I'm reading. What is going on?
I am not trying to say that Facebook is bad. In this case, I am the problem. I have let myself be pulled in. I have allowed these habits to form. And other things are suffering. I've found it much harder to resume writing. It turns out that those moments of quiet thought were also moments that my brain chewed on plot lines and story angles. How can I hear my characters if I don't stop filling my head with constant inputinputinput?
I declare tomorrow to be Social Media-Free Day. From midnight tonight until midnight tomorrow night, I will not log onto Facebook. I won't check internet forums or blog. I will only check my e-mail for the online writing workshop I'm taking. If there is something I need to know, call me. (Speaking of which, my phone will be just that for the day--a phone!)
Who knows--maybe I'll finish the next chapter of my book. :)
Sounds like a good plan. I had narrowed my FB time until the great school snow-out this week. Zack and Paige want to spend time on the Xbox so I have spent more time on the computer. I have made an effort during normal weeks to spend less time on FB and more time exercising. However, there is something I must admit. Hello! My name is Connie and I am a smartphone junkie! I, too, check it or play games even during commercials. Maybe tomorrow I will use mine as a phone too.
ReplyDeleteI need to do something like this, too. I have noticed that I rarely watch a DVD without having my laptop open in front of me. And when I get tired of clicking back and forth between blogger, gmail, facebook, and ravelry, I play solitaire. It's like a sickness, and it needs to be contained before it completely takes over.
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