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Thanks for the "leg sweat" tips lol! I do enjoy the warmth come winter but not right now - and the fan runs more
I got on fb in 2010, after a divorce. I had a few friends that had migrated there. One refused to continue to email with me and it was someone I'd been chatting with about 10 years. And I had insomnia so, something to do when I couldn't sleep.
That said, I was still picking up a 6 or so books weekly from the library. I don't remember when I stopped doing that. I got an ipad in 2012 or so and found I didn't mind reading books on that, which worked well when I had to travel for work. But these days I really get distracted when reading on the ipad - it's just too easy to check fb, email, cd....
2018 I removed fb from my phone. 2019 I picked an author and spent the year digging up as many books as I could find in the libraries. During lockdown I went through all my reference books and finally put them away! Last summer was another author. So thankfully I'm still reading but not like I used to.
Even in the early internet days, before my laptop, I was on forums and email lists. To this day I will go and unsubscribe from lists and it feels like something is broken when I'm not getting "enough" email. It's a work in progress I guess.
And like someone said above, I am definitely not as productive as I used to be. I love working with my hands, wood projects, on my house. Up to 2010 or so I'd have to force myself to stop working to eat or just relax for a bit before bed. Now it seems I force myself to step away from the computer to get 30 minutes of a project done. I used to sit on the couch at night and read or do cross stitch or other projects. I would take adult ed classes at the local high school, and went to computer club meetings. Last year I paid for a 4 part online class, and by the last one I worked/emailed more than listened.
Tonight I'm reading CD, though my book is on the couch too. I really blame fb though, it is more addictive than anything else I've done with computers since the 1980s
Yes me too. I used to exercise more, do yoga, just sit outside and listen to the radio. Even at family events I have to resist pulling my phone out rather than socializing.
but I also think there’s a temporary physical effect from spending a lot of time online. Almost like a hangover. Can anyone relate?
Yes. And I only use a small tablet, never the smartphone. I don't even watch tv. But yes...too much time online and I get a little low. it depends what I read online. I don't read the news, but I read sometimes here on CD different topics. Or on a different forum. Never twitter, instagram, FB, I don't spend time there. But i do watch youtube daily, knitting podcasts on mute but still...it's a waste of time sometimes.
That's why I'm doing my best now, to limit online time as much as possible.
I give myself a time limit and then I break away and do real life, laundry, cleaning, cooking, working in the yard, walking, etc. I have to be online at least half the time at work too, so I try to break it up.
Yes me too. I used to exercise more, do yoga, just sit outside and listen to the radio. Even at family events I have to resist pulling my phone out rather than socializing.
That is one thing that gets to me! I have a couple of family members that complain about others not doing enough events, yet when we are together those couple sit next to each other and text each other! Mind boggling.
I was thinking of this thread this morning. Much of this change has come about as my work has migrated to 1099 work. Sitting at a desk 40 hours/week gave me plenty of time to keep other browsers open and check up on the web. Now that I work for myself I am much busier and don't do as much idle browsing during the day (hence feeling like I am wasting my "free" time)
This is an excellent point. What we see of other people's lives is carefully curated to seem far, FAR better than it generally is. And it is a way to preen before the world about how great you are and, by extension, how un-great everyone else is, but if you become a "follower" or buy some product, maybe some of the excellence of this personality will rub off on you, etc.
Another factor is news (newstainment, really, ask any (likely former) journalist and they will tell you that is what it really is anymore). Newstainment is just a big outrage generating machine. On Twitter, aka "the hellsite", this goes on a lot too. You see a lot of posts like "give me a like if you think [insert name of hated politician or entertainer here] is a terrible human being". If you agree with me I will follow you [i.e., increase your social capital on the site]". It is just people forming roving gangs of yes-people and low-grade trolls. Forming tribal associations that are largely mindless.
I still find some value in the platform -- understanding the roiling stew of public opinion and "news" feeds including some pretty good alternative journalism sources, connecting with others to be Voices of Reason where possible. But you have to be basically immune to the enticements of social media and consume it passively. You know that you have gotten to this goal if you can just shut it off at will, for days if you wish, and not feel deprived or some need to, e.g, log onto the site at 10 pm when you should really be winding down for a good night's sleep, etc. Not everyone can do this. I am very much not an addictive personality and am slightly neurodiverse so it's pretty easy for me. I feel the pull a little bit but it's easy to resist.
I have stopped listening to orv watching news and. I was an avid consumer. Not even PBS. Yesterday they were showing a memorial of each child who was killed in the shooting. I was sobbing and had to turn it off. watching it, and that age 9 and 10 are the most loveliest age, so innocent and precious. it was too much. I dont know what PBs was trying to achieve, if not more audience.
We stopped newspaers as well, expensive, the delivery was erratic, and such waste of paper. We have a great library that i go often to and i read the paper there, and that is enough, once or twice a week is all i need. I was also very active in our local activist organizations, and i cant stand the empty rhetoric any more.
I watch my screen time and not difficult for me to be disciplined. I also have a list things i want to accomplish, including daily walk. That helps to shut down and go walk.
Yes. It’s a struggle. I avoided going online a long time compared to enthusiasts and think it was healthier for me, even socially but it became required to bill pay, check email, communicate, and even buy stuff cheaper which for clothing I thought wouldn't work.
I’m convinced wifi is bad for you, when I turn off the router and avoid being online I feel semi normal. Prefer ethernet but my imac stopped working and the windows laptop I inherited is not so great in speed, battery life or graphics but maybe when it craps out I can snap out of it by force. I’m going to try it more.
All the ios updates on my devices ruin battery life so that’s the only thing that allows me to cut it off. I try to turn it off periodically. Seems a conspiracy to have us online and stuck indoors, being fodder for marketers and who knows, big brother…
I definitely do my work outs first before online stuff if possible. Helps a lot
I do look up needed info, but then it’s like being in a druggy haze. I dont like it. And physically feel unwell if it’s been too long.
Yeah it has worsened my attention span. I think I always had a bit of ADD but somehow read way more esp growing up in the burbs, nothing else to do but read. When I first moved to the city, no devices, just read and wrote to de stress. Felt more grounded and felt more a desire to converse with people in person. One needed that human voice. That has been replaced to an extent. You still have movies, tv, but I never bothered getting a tv.
Yes. It’s a struggle. I avoided going online a long time compared to enthusiasts and think it was healthier for me, even socially but it became required to bill pay, check email, communicate, and even buy stuff cheaper which for clothing I thought wouldn't work.
I’m convinced wifi is bad for you, when I turn off the router and avoid being online I feel semi normal. Prefer ethernet but my imac stopped working and the windows laptop I inherited is not so great in speed, battery life or graphics but maybe when it craps out I can snap out of it by force. I’m going to try it more.
All the ios updates on my devices ruin battery life so that’s the only thing that allows me to cut it off. I try to turn it off periodically. Seems a conspiracy to have us online and stuck indoors, being fodder for marketers and who knows, big brother…
I definitely do my work outs first before online stuff if possible. Helps a lot
I do look up needed info, but then it’s like being in a druggy haze. I dont like it. And physically feel unwell if it’s been too long.
Yeah it has worsened my attention span. I think I always had a bit of ADD but somehow read way more esp growing up in the burbs, nothing else to do but read. When I first moved to the city, no devices, just read and wrote to de stress. Felt more grounded and felt more a desire to converse with people in person. One needed that human voice. That has been replaced to an extent. You still have movies, tv, but I never bothered getting a tv.
That all sounds like me (except for tv which is usually on while I’m online…ugh). That’s pretty drastic, turning off the router! Druggy haze is a perfect way to put it. I’m ADD too and used to read obsessively but don’t have the patience for the story to unfold anymore.
I’m convinced wifi is bad for you, when I turn off the router and avoid being online I feel semi normal. Prefer ethernet but my imac stopped working ...
WiFi doesn't bother most people but I am convinced that EM sensitivity is a "thing" for a small percentage of people.
In my neighborhood where the houses are about 10 feet apart I can often "see" over a dozen hotspots though. If you get relief from just shutting off your own router you are probably not as sensitive as some people I've spoken with.
You might be able to use wired rather than wireless even if you laptop lacks an ethernet port. Google for "USB to Ethernet adapter". I know they exist for Macs, I would be astounded if you can't find them for Windows. In your case it might be $29.95 or so well spent.
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