Comments on: Weekly Internet Fast

By: Natalie Shell: think talk walk » Blog Archive » Being Connected

Natalie Shell: think talk walk » Blog Archive » Being Connected — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 05:19:41 +0000

[...] mpacts and interaction of technology/context and change. [For example here, here, here and here.] And it is always to read someo [...]

By: Barb

Barb — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:23:05 +0000

I started turning off my computer which means I’m putting clearer boundaries around the different components of my life.

Thanks for stimulating that.

By: Jordz

Jordz — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 14:07:46 +0000

Nat, I agree…I literally had to move out of my house because my computer has no internet. How ridiculous that I have justified my absence because I simply can’t be without the internet. It would be scary to calculate how much time I do spend online, and just how much of that time is affective. Maybe computers, like internet cafes should have counters, so that we have a visable time frame of how long we are spending on the internet.
In terms of a fast, maybe we all should take up the whole day of rest, even though checking emails is oddly relaxing and second nature. Maybe the answer is for one day the internet just doesn’t work…I wonder what the world would be like…I say crazy!

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:51:00 +0000

I was in London for a week and had access to the web and email for one hour on Wednesday. Returned to US on the following Monday. So…I had no choice in the matter. I found myself waking up with cold sweats and violent shakes. I realized that I was totally dependent on connectivity. I was desperate. And then I found a way to feed the hunger surfing through my body.

Cocaine. Lots of cocaine!!!

By: marge

marge — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 11:27:35 +0000

i enjoyed this conversation. My interest is in PLERK (that is play and work)
I am continuously experimenting with the flow between rest and responsibillity- work and relaxation.
Most of what I hear suggests first you work and then you play or first you play and then you work.
Can we plerk?
How? what does a plerky day look like?
I am off for 40 days on a large sail boat.
My husband says no computer.
I say computer can be in our service it does not have to be the master.
However, I will be off e mail for the 40 days!

By: natalie shell

natalie shell — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 08:06:22 +0000

thank you ALL for your generous postings and great ideas/support and insights. like that there may even be some monetary/income benefits of this concept!

By: PW

PW — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 08:04:17 +0000

I agree with the idea of an e-mail fast. One day is probably not
enough. I understand that business pressures can keep you tied close
to the screen. However, despite me not ever having been employed by
anyone else other than myself, I do feel there is a dependence issue
which I feel affects me; and something that did not feature in my life
10 or so years ago.

If you need to use graphic or vector programs, or even a database, the
temptation to load up the mail-client too is extremely hard to resist.

Think. It surely can’t be any harder than eating and exercising properly. But, unlike doing exercise, can you get the endorphins
flowing by not checking your mail? Not per se, but the opportunity to
do something else can.

This is all down to organisation and discipline. I am thinking of closing down on Wednesdays and Saturdays. As I lack the discipline not to stay in touch, it will be hard.

By: Esther

Esther — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:29:50 +0000

Natalie:
This is in line with the entrepreneurial time system that Dan Sullivan of the Strategic Coach has developed which suggests that free time really needs to be free time. So on a free day, you do what you are suggesting on an Internet fast. The other two kinds of days are focus days (where you are preparing for a client, seeing a client or selling to a client) and buffer days where you are doing all those other things that progress your practice (like meeting with staff or arranging appointments, sending invoices, etc.). Strategic Coach say that if you truly take your free days, you come back to work refreshed enough that your income automatically goes up 25%. It worked for me. And it’s certainly worth a try.

Blessings
Esther

By: marge

marge — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:29:23 +0000

It almost feels like the response should be silence!
Love
Marge

By: Zern

Zern — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:35:23 +0000

As part of the ongoing attempt to block my days out so I can focus on specific tasks one at a time, I have somehow trained myself to ignore emails as they come in. I only look at emails 2-3 times in a 24 hour period.

I think it helps a lot with stress management. When I was responding to each email as they come in, I found myself flitting between tasks and rushing to get on top of things as more and more requests pile in.

Now it is more a case of thinking about what needs to be done, priositising these tasks, putting them in my to-do list, and only doing what appears on the list for that day.

Email is like the phone. It will “ring”. But you dont have to answer or deal with the issue immediately. The computer/internet is a conduit to stuff that is work and non-work related. Or it is all work related, just in different degrees LOL.

Is this a matter of cultivating the mental discipline to separate work from non-work – so that you can turn on the computer and surf for fun, or write for fun, without looking at work emails or work-related sites.

Perhaps it is worthwhile looking at tried and tested addiction breaking techniques? Just out of interest…