Author Topic: Week long internet fast  (Read 8378 times)

Bakari

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Week long internet fast
« on: November 24, 2012, 10:27:51 AM »
Yesterday Jessica randomly suggested going on an internet fast.
We both had the day off, and hadn't turned on a computer or wifi all day (very very rare for either of us), and she thought it would be good to extend it.
The only exceptions will be for work (emails to clients, online calendar, maps for directions) related stuff.

I figured, since I am here so often, it would be polite to let yall know why I disappeared, and then I thought, while I'm at it, why not throw down the gauntlet too?

Paul der Krake

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2012, 10:39:58 AM »
Wow. I'd rather forego hot water for a year than Internet for a week. #youngpeopleproblems

Send us postcards! :)

StashinIt

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2012, 06:32:13 PM »
I am not participating in this challenge :-) Good luck!

Daley

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2012, 09:11:24 PM »
I'd genuinely love to join you on this throwdown, but I'm literally in the middle of a server migration and bringing a new website online for my shul. May ponder taking the challenge up for Hanukkah. Have fun with the digital detox, Bakari!

Nords

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2012, 09:37:25 PM »
We both had the day off, and hadn't turned on a computer or wifi all day (very very rare for either of us), and she thought it would be good to extend it.
The only exceptions will be for work (emails to clients, online calendar, maps for directions) related stuff.
I figured, since I am here so often, it would be polite to let yall know why I disappeared, and then I thought, while I'm at it, why not throw down the gauntlet too?
Yikes, why not give up food, water, and oxygen for a week, too?

liquidbanana

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2012, 12:13:56 AM »
Good luck! I'm not up for this challenge since we just went through an involuntary week-long internet fast when moving to our new apartment, but it is definitely something that is good for the soul. And dang, my house was so clean that week!!

clarkai

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2012, 11:55:19 AM »
I have been meaning to do something like this for a long time, and I'd be joining you, but... I have two online only classes. Maybe over winter break.

Tami1982

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2012, 12:23:30 PM »
When I bought my house I waited a month to have internet turned on.  I only used it when visiting friends, made use of the library, and used the data on my older phone.  I did pretty well.  And honestly - the internet has become a serious time suck for me. HOURS a day I've lost that I used to clean and plan and prepare food are not spent on interwebs.  So much so that I am planning to see how little I can use it in December, and if it works out, cancel come January.  It also doesn't help that Comcast is a giant asshole company and I've had nothing but problems with them. 

I support your internet fasting!

arebelspy

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2012, 05:59:39 PM »
Wow, the responses were not what I was expecting.

The wife and I gave up the Internet for two months one summer while backpacking through Europe (besides Internet Cafes maybe 4 or 5 times, every other week or so, for an hour to email updates to family).

I'm not afraid of missing anything if I shut off the net for a bit. I would have a lot more time to fill.

Would need to have my ebook reader loaded up with material.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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grantmeaname

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2012, 03:09:19 PM »
I may go no 'tubes for the three weeks I'm in Germany this winter. That would be fun.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #10 on: November 28, 2012, 04:44:54 PM »
There is this old, soft-spoken guy in California who doesn't use email at all. Not that uncommon for a seventy-year-old, you say? Except he's one of the most influential characters in his field of... computer science.

http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~uno/email.html

Quote
Email is a wonderful thing for people whose role in life is to be on top of things. But not for me; my role is to be on the bottom of things. What I do takes long hours of studying and uninterruptible concentration. I try to learn certain areas of computer science exhaustively; then I try to digest that knowledge into a form that is accessible to people who don't have time for such study.

Food for thought.

Bakari

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2012, 11:14:59 AM »
:):):):)

Thanks for all the comments, that was a lot of fun to read. 
Got a lot done, both in terms of practical stuff (the weather kept me from working much, so there was nothing left to do but house chores!) and in terms of quality time with my lady friend.

Time went by faster than I expected (actually did one extra day - neither of us was online on Thanksgiving or Friday, with the one exception of my posting this thread here and her posting a similar note to FB)

Now I'm thinking of maybe doing a few more "fasts" - TV, driving motor vehicles, food, spending money; maybe a different one every week.

grantmeaname

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2012, 11:45:09 AM »
So my girlfriend and I officially decided yesterday that we are doing an internet fast for our three weeks in Germany. There'll still probably be a little netflix, but I'm hoping to use the extra time to go do things and get ahead on my schoolwork. You guys won't be seeing much of me!

Thanks for the great idea Bakari!

PJ

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2012, 07:33:37 PM »
Bakari, do you mind if I ask ... any thoughts or insights from the experience?  Or was it simply of practical benefit - freeing up time and motivation to do things around the house?

grantmeaname

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #14 on: December 15, 2012, 11:53:05 AM »
Goodbye, MMM forums. I'll see ya in 2013. Have a terrific end of the year, whichever holidays you celebrate!

It won't be a true internet fast, because there may be some Netflix movie watching and there will be some Open Yale Courseware studying, but I'll at least stay away from forums, facebook, and the like.

Bakari

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #15 on: December 15, 2012, 07:57:45 PM »
Bakari, do you mind if I ask ... any thoughts or insights from the experience?  Or was it simply of practical benefit - freeing up time and motivation to do things around the house?

Sorry, I wanted to think about that question, and then forgot until Grant's sign off brought the thread back to the top (Bye Grant, enjoy)

No, not really.  I was never among the really heavy net users - I very rarely use facebook, I don't have a smart phone - outside of this forum, I mainly use it as a tool (email, wikipedia).
I imagine it would be a lot more dramatic for many other people.

It did force me to get started on writing several essays I have had in my mind for years and years and never got motivation to actually get down in print.  And once started, I got the momentum going, and I have finished 2 of the 3 (which will get posted to my blog Mon and Tue, after the current MMM Forum philosophy/economics/politics excerpt series is done)
The first one is an idea that I came up with about 5-6 years ago, so finally writing that was actually somewhat major, and I may never have gotten around to it if it weren't for having nothing else to do on a rainy internet-fast day-off from work.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2012, 08:03:50 PM by Bakari »

grantmeaname

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2013, 04:50:28 AM »
I'm back from three weeks without wasting time on the internet!

I noticed that I still needed a little bit of time to veg out and just not think (largely because I was in Germany and so even trying to comprehend conversations going on around me took a ton of concentration). There were a couple of mindless games like bubble shooter that I used to just not think for a while, but on the whole I think I was wasting dramatically less time. There was some independent work I was hoping to do, and I was hoping to read Walden, but mostly I just ended up working on the Open Yale Financial Markets course.

Now that I'm back, I'll probably spend a little less time on Facebook, but I may spend dramatically less time everywhere -- it just depends on how busy I end up being this semester at school and work.

arebelspy

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2013, 05:25:07 PM »
Glad to have you back Grant.  Happy New Year!
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

ccwishon

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #18 on: January 22, 2013, 12:04:47 PM »
This is such a great idea! I think I need to go on a non-work internet fast to up my productivity and just generally clear my mind. Glad to hear your 3 week fast went so well!

carolinakaren

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #19 on: January 26, 2013, 08:47:31 AM »
I never felt the need for an internet fast until the past few months. I have discovered interesting blogs and videos, and now completely understand why people feel the need to do it.  Some days I spend hours surfing.  One way I limit myself is to require breaks during which I must accomplish certain tasks/goals before I can log on again.  Hmmm, sounds like addiction to me! hahahaha

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #20 on: March 05, 2013, 08:58:54 AM »
For the last two years I have shared a wireless connection with two other apartments for $20/month but the people who had the router just said they are moving out. Until I can find out if the new neighbors want in, I may be involuntarily doing this challenge:/

Viv A. Stache

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Re: Week long internet fast
« Reply #21 on: March 10, 2013, 07:24:01 PM »
I was just forced to do this when I visited my parents at their new place and realized they were stealing the neighbors. Maybe it was borrowing. Either way, the signal only reached to the backyard and I didn't find a need to drag myself back there to squint at a screen in the sun. I think I was better off for it, I could really relax and read 3 books!