Why hello! Long time no see! Thought I'd revive this blog beast with some insight into an experiment of mine. I decided to go
offline for a week, not using social networking sites or my phone. It was an
eye opening, time expanding, stressful, enjoyable time. Here are some of my
musings from the week:
Day One
8:30am Feel a bit
weird. Automatically tried to go online and as my housemate has changed my
password, I was denied access. DENIED. Felt very naughty. It’s a little freaky how I go on it almost
unconsciously first thing in a morning.
4:30pm Annoyed
because I can see I have learnt to rely on my phone. I don’t know where this
shop is and I can’t look it up. I think I’m going to have to ask an actual
human being. Hmph.
Day Two
7:30am My
housemate had to knock on my door to wake me up, as I’ve given her my phone and
its my alarm clock. Actually felt much calmer getting ready for work. Normally
I check my phone and emails several times, as if something vitally important
had happened in the two minutes I’d been brushing my teeth. But I felt much
more relaxed not constantly looking at the time.
4:30pm Feel like I
have free time really. Tinkled on the piano for a bit. It was nice but a bit
odd. I guess I spend more time online than I realised.
Day Three
6:45am I woke up naturally and went downstairs,
feeling spritely. My housemate pauses in eating his cereal and looks at me in
alarm. “Why are you up at 6:45?!” Why
WAS I up at 6:45?! I guess because I didn’t know the time so didn’t lie in. But
weirdly I felt much more awake and lively for it. I even did my pilates DVD
before work. I find I’m focussing more on each individual activity rather than
thinking ahead to the next one. Perhaps it helps because I’m saving time not
being on my phone/online.
4pm I was a lot
more productive writing creatively this evening. I still need a break after
working for a while, but because I couldn’t get sucked into facebook for half
an hour and lose my motivation, I ended up going for a walk and getting some
fresh air then coming back and working more. I guess I work much better with a
change of scene every hour or so instead of staying on the laptop.
Day Four
6pm The dark day.
I went to my friend’s house. When I arrived I realised I didn’t know which
floor her flat was on, or indeed, which number. I didn’t have my phone to ring
her. I was already 20 minutes late and she was cooking me dinner. Crap. I paced
each floor like a crazy woman, knocking on the occasional door and sheepishly
asking strangers if they knew of a Christina in this building. No-one did. I went
up every floor to floor EIGHTEEN, at which point, sweating and drained, I
reluctantly admitted defeat, drove home, got my phone, rang Christina, got her
flat number and drove back, at this point an hour and a half later than
originally planned. Thankfully she saw the funny side.
Day Five
10am My sister
came to visit and we explored Leeds. Then we drove to visit mum and dads. To be
honest I wasn’t noticing the lack of communication at this point, as I usually
leave my phone/laptop off when I visit mum and dad so I can completely relax. Maybe
the reason I don’t feel relaxed at home is because I use t’internet in a bit of
an OCD way. I feel like I have to reply
to all messages IMMEDIATELY. There is some validity in this, as I have the
brain of a sponge and so if I don’t reply I am likely to forget for a good few
weeks, leaving my friends feeling a little disgruntled. (love that word.) But I
think perhaps it is a bit much to reply to everything right away, especially
when you are really busy. Maybe it would be better to set aside half an hour
every day to reply to emails and messages, and not keep going on it throughout
the day.
Day Six
10am Went for a
walk on the beach with parents, sister and the dog, perfect start to the day. I’m looking
forwards to catching up with friends online tomorrow, which is a good feeling.
I don’t normally allow myself time to look forward to checking it. In fact, if
I’m being completely honest, when I’m really busy it can feel like a chore. But
I’m excited to message my friends and organise plans for the week.
Day Seven
Back online! I did feel a little intimidated by long threads
at first, having to wade through and figure out the gist of plans with friends.
But overall it made me smile seeing thoughtful messages from friends, and
grateful I have such lovely people in my life.
Overall thoughts
Social networking can be a positive way to share and keep in
touch with friends, find out about opportunities, see fun links and be
inspired. I think, like anything in life (except laughter and kindness), it
needs to be done in moderation, and not excessively or dependently. I think
people shouldn’t feel nervous at the prospect of not being connected to the
internet for one day of the week. Everyone needs a day to just be. And perhaps
if we learn how to be alone for a bit, we will then appreciate the connection
of friends online all the more. Also, where possible, don’t look at the time.
If you are absorbed and relaxed, you don’t need to know it. Your body will tell
you if you are hungry/tired. You don’t need to know the time, all the time J. And if
you want a deeper analysis than that, you’ll have to catch my upcoming play,
“Plenty of Fish” (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT)
Thanks for reading! If you have any opinions, thoughts or
suggestions, send them my way, I’d love to hear them.
