Facebook Free

It's been two weeks since I decided to have a break from facebook and the ipod internet connection. While I didn't manage 100% cold turkey, sneaking the odd look here and there, I did drastically reduce the time spent online. Here's what I've learnt:

Facebook (and browsing the internet generally) is like junkfood for the soul. Although it does provide some small satisfaction, it's not that great for you in the long run. This is particularly true if, like me, you tend to get a bit obsessed with it. I've realised how much I was using it as a mental escape, and how much it was taking over all the small gaps in my day. This left no time for reflection, for mental or physical rest (it's not that relaxing to hunch over a keyboard or ipod!) and meant that I was usually multitasking, which is double the work for probably half the result.

And importantly, it meant that my mind was often elsewhere, when I was spending time with the family. They became almost an irritation keeping me from what I really wanted to be doing (catching up on 'news' from people I barely know - how silly is that!)

Having a break from it has meant that I have relaxed, enjoyed everyday life a lot more and freed up some brain space. It's definitely been a good thing, and it has surprised me how little I miss something that was, only a few weeks ago, one of the more pressing concerns of my day.

Going forward, I think I'm going to set up facebook so it only shows a few people's status updates. I'm not going to look at it on the ipod, and will limit the time I use the laptop as well - not that hard a task when there's so much more to enjoy in real life, now I've switched off the digital addiction.

Decluttering - relationships

Life is cluttered. At home, we have too much stuff. Days are full of too many commitments. And the online world is full to the brim with relationships that often create more stress than they're worth.

Yes, facebook - I'm talking about you.




I read an account somewhere of a bloke who had 200 facebook friends, and once he deleted his account, only three got in touch with him.

I check facebook quite a bit, probably at least three times a day - and for what? I'd be better off saving up those five minute blocks of time, and using them to have an actual real life conversation with a friend.

So my first effort to simplify is this - I'm de-facebooking myself. I'm going to keep my account open, but hide the news feed so I can't see what people are posting. The aim is to remove the temptation to keep checking it for updates.

And, to increase my chances of success, I'm going to put away my ipod Touch, so my access to the internet is restricted.

I'll do this for the next two weeks, and see what happens.