The Digital Detox: Day one
I am so ready for this, so ready to take charge of my online world and make it a place that nurtures rather than stresses me. The work I do means I spend more time online than I do off-line, and while I’m passionate about what I do and don’t intend to change that ratio any time soon, I can also see some unfortunate side effects, both physical and mental. Right this moment I am sitting cross-legged on my sofa typing into my laptop, my digital window-on-the-world where I worship every day. Just as I’m fastidious about decluttering my home, I also want to keep my digital temple (thank you Charmaine!) spacious and calm, a place for learning, inspiration, friendship and pleasure; a place for questioning, growth, epiphanies and resolutions.
There is no longer any room in my digital temple for anxiety, stress, competitiveness or shame. No more envy or comparison.
As I mentioned in Monday’s video, some blogs/sites trigger negative emotions in me that I’d rather not feel. It’s not the intention of the blogger to make me feel this way, of course, simply my own emotions, issues, insecurities and stuff. We all carry some stuff, and while i believe it’s essential we make friends with our stuff and heal it/smooth it/deal with it, I also know that it’s okay to not want it shoved in my face every which way I turn. Sometimes I know i’m doing it on purpose – procrastinating in places that make me beat myself up even more – and it’s that particularly unhelpful behaviour I want this detox to address the most. If the temptations are removed, I have a better chance at keeping my focus where it’s most needed: on my work.
Neil made this interesting point in the comments on Monday’s post:
‘But also remember that as an artist, you want to grow, and it would be a shame to just read “safe” blogs or bloggers with whom you always agree. If I were honest, YOUR blog sometimes sets me off. Your sensibilities are much more say, “artsy” than mine and I have a more pessimistic view of the world, so your upbeat attitude can make me want to bop you over the head with a dead fish. But I come here because I am also a believer that what makes you uncomfortable, does so for a reason, and there is probably something about your or your content that touches me, even if it is sometimes in a different way than you hoped. Like they say, love and hate are close neighbors.’
I don’t mind feeling uncomfortable — i love to have my thoughts and opinions challenged by great blog posts and people, and I certainly don’t want my online world to be only populated by people-like-me (how dull!). I read very widely on the internet, and will continue to do so, but I want this digital detox to remove the handful of voices & places that trigger negative emotions in me and make me feel bad about myself.
Judging by the comments on Monday’s post you guys know what I’m talking about, and perhaps this is a phenomenon mainly women experience in the way i have described (i doubt it, though). The internet is a rich and juicy place where we can connect and learn and explore; it’s also possible to get lost in here and find ways to hurt ourselves, so for the next five days I’m detoxing my digital temple to ensure it remains a place I want to hang out in.
No more bad ju-ju!
So here’s my plan for the rest of this week:
- Wednesday – organise and tidy my Google Reader, unsubscribing with abandon
- Thursday – detox Twitter, Facebook, Flickr & other social media sites I use
- Friday – declutter my Firefox bookmarks
- Saturday – email detox: deleting old emails, making folders, unsubscribing to newsletters i no longer read
- Sunday – declutter my hard drive, reorganise desktop, tidy iPhone apps
I’ll only allowing one hour each day for detoxing, otherwise it’ll become another excuse for procrastination — the bookmarks will need more than an hour, so I’ll work my way through them over the next few weeks, one folder at a time till they’re done.
I’ll be back here tomorrow to let you know how the Google Reader detox went and share a few thoughts on social media.
If you’re working on your own digital detox I’d love to know how you get on! I don’t know if this mini project necessarily needs a blog roll, but maybe it would be nice to REtox at the end and find new like-minded blogs to read, so I’ve made a blog roll over HERE.
In case you want one, I also made a badge – right click (Mac: control click) on the badge to download to your computer and then upload to your blog. Link to this page
Alternatively, here’s the code:
<a href=”http://www.susannahconway.com/the-digital-detox/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://www.susannahconway.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DD_badge.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”The Digital Detox” /></a>
And finally, some links for more thinks:
1. Leo Babauta’s new book, Focus, explores ‘finding simplicity in this age of distraction’. I’ve already found a few useful tidbits in there – you can download it for free here.
2. Lovely Gwen Bell recently took a month-long digital sabbatical.
3. ‘What Happened to Downtime? The Extinction of Deep Thinking and Sacred Space’ by Scott Belsky on 99 Percent
Great idea ! I’m in ! ?
So very ready for this.
The hair on my arms are standing up.
That’s a good sign!
I so need to do this, i get sucked into facebook’s vortex, and sucks my energy.
this is a great idea. I think I’ll be joining you in doing the same. :) I could use less stress in my life.
I started this some time ago and I cannot recommend it highly enough!! (Though wish I’d waited a bit so I could join the great synergy and fun with this Detox group – I suppose I can always just enjoy reading and watching this time :))
absolutely!! xx
While I’m not exactly following your schedule, your post has inspired me to take some action. One of my biggest distractions is Twitter, and I am constantly drawn to it. I was even feeling I was a little addicted to the “company” that was always there to talk to. I thought about closing down for a bit, but Twitter doesn’t allow you to close shop and then return after a few weeks. You have to delete it completely, which is not something I wanted to do. I still love the connections and the conversations, I just wanted to wean myself off it a bit. I was hardly even reading anyone’s blog posts anymore, since it was easier just to communicate in 140 characters. So, recently someone gave me a good suggestion — give my password to a trusted friend and have them change if for a specific amount of time, say two weeks. So, I have done that. Sometimes you just have to give up a bit of control to others until you can better manage it yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years there are internet addiction groups similar to those who abuse drinking, drugs, and cigarettes!
yes, i can see that happening too :)
SUCH a good idea to get someone else to look after your password = genius move!
Your video post on Monday made me think.
I definately second Neil on his Monday comment. And actually made a post earlier today that goes along with his comment (I also linked to your blog).
I have cleaned up my blog feeder this summer. So I think I’m detoxed for this year. But I have also added a new blog to my feeder. Yours. Looking forward to get to know you.
i am honoured, thank you :) xx
Oh, Neil, great idea about allowing a friend to change your password!
I conquered my Firefox bookmarks at work (lunchtime browsing) and pared down my feed reader. Now I need to tackle the bookmarks on my home computer (which I will do today). While culling my bookmarks at work, I found that as I got rid of one after another, I was inspired to just get rid of entire folders. I’ve enjoyed success at regularly purging the clutter in our home, and I’m realizing that I no longer need to keep bookmarks on the off chance I might need it again “someday.” I feel lighter already :)
I appreciate that you’ve shared your schedule with us, Susannah, because I didn’t even consider unsubscribing from e-mail newsletters. I don’t subscribe to many newsletters but there are a couple that no longer interest me the way they used to, so out they go!
Well this is what I can report – I actually deleted sooo many contacts and groups which I’m glad for but it means much less eye candy and that is a frustration in itself. But it means I’m not comparing myself to others. That is a relief.
Yes I did a fairly ruthless clear-out on Reader and Twitter a while back. Not so much because the places/people concerned made me feel bad or less; more because they just didn’t make me feel any DIFFERENT. And I don’t want to spend time on things that aren’t enriching in some way.
Love the Digital Detox idea and LOVE the Digital Temple. Love you xx
*enriching* – that is the word!
brilliant idea. i have become a digital hoarder and need a nudge to purge some of those hundreds of blogs and bookmarks i keep around just in case…
I’m gathering up some notes for writing about detox and change in habits.
I would like to pair up with another writer who is exploring thru journaling during this event.
My writing skills feel rusty.
i am glad i am not the only one whose safari bookmarks and delicious bookmarks stress them out or have cobwebs. not to mention i am so tired of the !@#$% nature of FB (and why does it suck me in!). i totally get what you are sayin’. i just have to say what i always say. i love your honesty. who knew pixels had such power!… out with bad ju-ju pixels :))
i am so in. i have been working on my inboxes today, and i find this has already spilled over into my paper organizer as well.
namaste!
Thanks for this and for the introduction to Gwen Bell. I was feeling much like you, Susannah, both uncomfortable and overwhelmed with some sites. I took a digital sabbatical and came back with a new sense of clarity and calm.
i do this with facebook and my blog subscriptions every now and then just to get myself back to a place where i can breathe again! it’s a great idea and really quite therapeutic.
and i totally know what you mean about certain blogs that trigger negative thoughts and emotions (envy and comparison are huge). i stopped following a lot of them, and then when i found myself in a much better headspace, i found myself going back to them and not experiencing the same level of pain from them. you’re totally right in that it’s all in your own perceptions, and its up to you (us!) to manage our perceptions for our own good :)
i fully support your digital detox!
I love this idea, and may have to steal it from you! There are too few completely nurturing places in the world, and the life you build for yourself online should be one of them. Like a lot of your readers, I have done this every now and then with my blog subscriptions and twitter updates. I think I need to take more time, though, and be more thoughtful about what blogs I read, which ones I decide to stop reading, and think about what nurtures me the most.
With email, one thing I have found extremely helpful in digitally detoxing myself is to archive things into a .zip file or onto a backupdrive. It gives me the feeling of safety that I am not utterly getting rid of something but I am purging it from my mind and daily (cluttered) Inbox/File folders etc. I don;t think I have ever gone back to try and find something that I have archived. Some may call this 1/2 way since I *should* just “commit” to getting rid of it – but sometimes I have to do things in baby steps – anyway it just works for me. Great idea to have a digital detox!
You know how “they” say that clearing space allows for more/other/better to come in. I cleared out several blogs from my Bloglovin’ list. Then I happened to decide to browse through your Hot Links page and ended up added some, haha! Replacing thorns with roses, no doubt. :)
x
Hi Susannah. I’m breathing in and out and picturing that digital temple with you:) Ahh, your badge image totally fits! I also imagine golden bookshelves within the temple holding only your highest thoughts. And you can pull them off the shelves whenever you feel like it. Looks like we’re off to a good start!
I love this idea. I loved your video post. You are very likeable:) A real person in this cyber world! You’ve inspired me to clean up my untidy,cluttered digital livingroom. Cheers.
Susannah, I am coming over via creative thursday. I love all that you are sharing. I can officially say that at the beginning of October I took my aol email account pressed the button at the top and deleted 18,000 messages. It was so gratifying and now so much more manageable. I have had aol since its inception and everyone in my life knows how to find me there (not something I want to completely get rid of for nostalgia reasons) but I use that address for all my online shopping now to keep that separated from business. thanks also for the tips on google reader. Enjoying following along…
awesome! goodbye 18,000 message – i love it!
a very good idea, especially spreading it out over a week.
My digital life is one disheveled fiasco. I thought organizing emails, rss feeds, bookmarks, etc. was impossible but you’ve inspired me to hit the ground running on this online cleaning spree. love your posts by the way, all of them are so fun and useful.
This is a great idea. I definitely need to do this as well.