It’s amazing what a little break from technology can do.
Towards the end of last week I was feeling like far too much of my time was going down the drain. I wasn’t focused in how I was spending it, and it seemed to be slipping by far too fast without my having accomplished much at all.
So I decided to take a four day break.
I knew it was going to be tough, but in order to make sure that I stuck with it I downloaded a program called “Cold Turkey.” It’s a really awesome program that allows you to choose when you’re allowed to do what, and it has a feature known as “frozen turkey” that allows you to lock yourself out of your own computer for any period of time that you set. It won’t even let you login for the period you choose!
It may sound a bit extreme, but I haven’t exactly been known for having the strongest willpower in the past, and I wanted to make sure that I followed through.
I had checked the weather and my four day computer break would be during a stretch of beautiful weather so I wasn’t worried about having healthier alternative ways of spending my time.
So how did my break from the computer go, and what did I learn from it?
As I had hoped, I spent tons of time outside! And as a result, I had some really beautiful interactions with nature. Just yesterday for example I turned the corner and a mother doe and her little baby Bambi ( with white spots on the side and everything) were right there. Frightened, the mother and baby ran off in different directions.
I settled in beneath the shade of an oak tree on the hill, and within a minute or so that baby came back, curious. It got closer, closer, watching me. And soon enough it was within ten or fifteen feet of me! We just kind of sat there for a while, and eventually it went off to find its mama.
I had all sorts of cool experiences like this that I wouldn’t have had if I was wasting my time on the computer. And I recognize just how valuable being on the computer is, but I also realize it is important to use that time wisely. In this way, these four days without computer have been a great time to gain perspective.
I also began to realize that I had been using time on the computer as a distraction to avoid some of the underlying feelings related to ALS, and my own fears surrounding it. I had been spending time on the computer to dull some of these feelings, and I have to say there were plenty of times in which it was tough not having the simple escape of being on the computer.
On the flipside of the coin however, I felt like t his computer break was an opportunity to simplify my life in my own mind. In my time outside (about 4-5 hours per day) with natural beauty around my home, my mind settled down more than usual.
And within that stillness I was able to think about what is really important to me. I was able to plan out what I would do when I got back on the computer. And interestingly enough, almost none of that planning had to do with video games or scrolling through Steemit or Facebook. Instead, I was thinking about the practical elements of life.
How does it feel being back on the computer again?
I logged in this morning and so far I’ve found much less tendency towards distraction. Whereas before I might have logged on to Steemit, Youtube, or Facebook to scroll for who knows how long, the very first thing I did was transfer ideas I had been keeping on my phone over the past four days to the computer.
And yes, after that I did that I did check Steemit and Facebook but only briefly. I decided to begin writing this to you instead, as writing is something I feel a call to more fully devote myself to.
I have a feeling that over the coming days I will be much more focused in doing the things that I set out to do on the computer, and will be much less likely to lose myself in distraction.
Living without computer time these past four days wasn’t always easy, but I have to say that it was pretty enjoyable, and a gift in that it gave me new perspective on how to use the computer without it becoming a time pit! Plus, spending all of that time in nature makes me want to get out there more than spending so much time inside.
Thanks for reading!
Ryan
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