Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Internet Disconnect



Over the past 6 months, I have started disconnecting from the internet. I feel like it takes up two much time and full of trivial information. For example, I gave Facebook the flick. Too much personal info about people I don’t see or hear from on a day to day basis. And lets be honest – it is mostly rubbish.

But after reading Last Child in the Woods, I have decided to disconnect from the internet on a more day-to-day basis. Mainly because I started thinking about not only my connection with nature but also my connection with Little B. I want to be authentic and in the moment when I spend time with him. Not with my brain buzzing from computer use. So I have given myself the self-imposed rule that I can only turn on the computer after Little B goes to bed or is at preschool.



I normally read the paper online when I got up over breakfast. By stopping this, I’ve found that Little B and I have a really great connection first thing in the morning (even if I'm not the most awake morning person after a sleep deprived night ;-) He has completely stopped any attention seeking behaviour because he is secure in the knowledge that I am giving him my full attention. He also lets me do my morning and evening chores without raising a fuss at all.

I love blogs though because it feels like such a networking collection of mothers who have similar goals or drives as me. I dont know anybody IRL living the way that I do, and I find that I need that sense of connection or collective. So I still get to look at and blog myself in my allocated computer time. Or just spend time writing.

Now the funny thing is that I haven’t found this process too hard. Due to my previous occupation in marketing and administration, I have felt addicted to the computer and the internet for a few years. And don’t even get me started on email. Any previous attempts to withdraw, shall we say, were hard as I wanted to check emails, read the paper etc. But after reading Richard Louv and a few recent events in our lives, I have quite simply realised that it doesn’t matter.

I have gone days without checking my email, haven’t died from not reading current news first thing in the morning and found other ways to get the information that I want. I’ve also found that rather than spending all evenings on the computer as I assumed I would, I spend maybe 20 minutes then its off to my knitting projects or a belly dance class, hanging out with Mr B, watching DVD’s from the library, chatting with friends on the phone or immersing myself in a good book.

Who says technology has to be the be all and end all (even in this tech savvy age) J

4 comments:

  1. Hi Mrs B,

    You seem pretty local to me so if you would like to catch up sometime I would enjoy meeting you, just send me an email. Another option to meet like minded people IRL would be the monthly Sherbrooke community harvest dinner. http://communityharvest.org.au/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=722&Itemid=2&year=2010&month=07&day=06&uid=f7c2f11bb28d8c9bc1078cba5c477aea&catids=4|3|5|6|7

    Kind Regards
    Belinda

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've just bought Louv's book. I'm looking forward to reading it (it's just that my reading list is as long as my arm at the moment)...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Belinda,
    Would love to catch up with someone local - will send you an email :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like you've made a wonderful choice and it's working for you. I try to really limit computer time too and definitely only when my little one isn't around. He wouldn't tolerate me being on the computer for more than 2 minutes. Hope you continue to find a balance. xo m.

    ReplyDelete