how two millennials cope and adapt to life without the internet
Earlier this year I made the conscious decision to remove all Internet service from my home. It ended up being the best productivity decision I’ve ever made.
I was not content with the time I was wasting—I felt I could do more purposeful things with my time than spend it on the Internet.
This doesn’t mean I think the Internet is evil, bad, or wrong—it’s not. The Internet is an amazing tool, one that changed my life for the better.
But you run a popular website, how could you possibly go without Internet service at home?
My answer is easy: I plan my Internet use. I don’t do so in a regimented way—it’s not like I say, “OK, I’ll be on Twitter from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. next Thursday.” If I see something I want to research on the Internet, I write it down and use that list when I have Internet access.
Now I’m forced to leave the house to access the Internet. I’ll go to the office, the library, the coffee shop, or some other place with free public Wi-Fi, and I’ll grab a cup of coffee or something to eat and work on all the stuff I need to do online (publish writing, check email, read blogs, get on goofy websites, etc.). Additionally, because I’m out of the house and there are people around, I meet new people.
But you’re a writer, Joshua, and that’s why it made sense for you! I need the Internet for homework/work-work/Netflix/online dating/online gaming/updating my Facebook status/playing Farmville/surfing eBay for shit I don’t need/stalking my high school boyfriend/etc./etc.
You probably don’t, and maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.
I was able to reclaim the time I once wasted. No longer am I taking unconscious breaks from my life to watch YouTube videos, movie trailers, or to look at funny pictures on some random site.
Now when I’m on the Internet, it has a purpose—it is a tool I use to enhance my life. Sure, sometimes I log on to watch some funny videos or laugh at memes, but I go to the Internet with the intention of doing these things.
Whenever I’m on the Internet now, I use it in a deliberate way, in a way that benefits me and my life, a way that adds value.
When I got rid of the Internet at home, I did it mostly so I could focus on writing without distractions—but I found so many extra benefits since I got rid of the Internet:
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