It's no secret that I am addicted to being online. Whenever I have a free second, I tend to want to spend it on the computer. Google Reader (aka blogs), Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, I check these several times a day, spending who knows how much time 'updating' (probably more than I'd want to admit). One of my New Year's Goals is to actually spend less time on the computer, since I feel like it has gotten out of hand.
I even scrapped about it:
Over the past little while though, I've been feeling a bit 'off' with these sites, especially Twitter, which in my opinion is the most foolish of all online guilty pleasures. It serves no real purpose and probably wastes more time than anything else. And lately I've just been getting annoyed at the whole thing, both at myself for spewing such inane 'tweets' (as if people really care what I'm doing today or what Victor is up to or how cold it is), and also at the people I follow and their inane banter back and forth with each other. I know it's fun for some people, and I don't judge those who love it and who find use for it, both personally and in their businesses, but it has stopped being fun and useful for me for quite some time now. It needs to stop.
And so, starting February 1st, I am taking a Twitter break. No twitter for the month. Not one Tweet, not one quick tweet-check. Most of the people I follow on Twitter have blogs, which I also follow through Google Reader, so I will still be able to keep up with what's going, just not down to micro-detail that twitter provides...which is more than fine. After the month is up I may return, I don't know, but I think that the break will do me nothing but good (as do all Internet/social media diets). Hopefully it will mean more blogging, or even better, more real life living and productivity. I'm tired of saying I don't have time for things anymore, so this may be the first step in getting more done and getting more out of life.
Wish me luck! (And if you notice me tweeting after Feb 1st, send me an online scolding, I deserve it!)
Later,
G.
Ps-Besides having my own feelings about this, seeing my friend Faye explain why she quit Facebook this week definitely gave me the push to go ahead with this. Unfortunately I don't think I could give up Facebook just yet (it still serves me too much in business and in connecting with family and friends), but I may eventually scale down on that particular time-suck site as well.
3 comments:
Thanks Genevieve! I think you will find this to be completely amazing! I know I have so far.. only been 48 hours and it feels so fantastic.... so freeing! I am taking charge of my life and this is step one.
I do hope it works out for you! I never started twitter and I quit facebook after one month (because of what I learned about their [non]privacy policy) I have a hard time keeping up with blogging and several communities (and my online workshop ánd my writing-job for a magazine) already... I'm looking forward to see more scrapbooking/layouts (and even art journaling???) from you now that you have the time ;)
LOL I hear ya on the twitter! I only use it for contests and to share about my contests (SPAM) but other than that I never read a thing on it and proud to admit that haha! You can do it!
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