Read and retweeted an article this morning, Killing the Internet at Home is the Most Productive Thing I’ve Ever Done.
In summary, the author said he cancelled his home internet access so that he “could do more meaningful things than spend time on the internet—meaningful things like write, exercise, contribute to others, establish connections with new people, and strengthen existing relationships.” He admitted he found it frustrating at first, but argued that it made him more productive.
Cancelling his home access meant that whenever he wanted to look something up or do something that needed a connection he had to leave the house – “forced to leave the house to access the internet. So I’ll go to the library or to a coffee shop or some other place with free public WiFi, and I’ll grab a cup of coffee or something to eat and do all the stuff I need to do online (publish writing, check email, read blogs, get on goofy websites, etc.)”
The question was: could I do the same? (I wish I could have contributed to the ensuing discussion on Twitter, but I was at work, so this post will have to do.)
On reflection, I don’t think I could, for a number of reasons:
- It wouldn’t be fair for me to insist on getting rid of the home internet account – what about M?
- I have a fulltime job that sees me out of the house from around 7:30am to 6:30pm on weekdays. Where would I go to use the internet? And when? I couldn’t, in good conscience, use the work network for my personal browsing!
- I pay my bills, and sort out my finances online. Again, when would I do this if I didn’t have access at home? My weekends would be rather unpleasant, I suspect…
- I use the web to stay connected with many family members and friends.
- I do a lot of my shopping online.
- I get a lot of my entertainment online (tv, movies, books), not to mention keeping current and staying up-to-date. The net’s not just for mindless entertainment, I use it to learn, too.
I think there’s definitely a place for more mindful or deliberate use of the net, but I think there’s too much to be lost by cancelling one’s home access – throwing out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak.
What do you think – could you do without access to the internet at home?
7 Comments
The author cheated 🙂 He used his phone for internet and tried to get website feeds via email so he could read them on his phone. Also, rain. A week of rain. Is he still going to pop out in to the ‘hood in the rain?
Even when I was living alone with cafes nearby, internet at home was a win. At home with kids, it’s an essential. However, I am good-ish, or at least much better than I used to be at managing my net addiction. The internet is a mix of learning and community, my extended circle of friends and interests. The kids use it to listen and discover new music and videos whereas I used to do it via radio and record stores.
Once upon a time my doctor recommended I give up chocolate, as it could have been a trigger for headaches. Seeing my very sad face, he said, “Come on it’s not the end of the world!” My reply was, “Well no, but it wouldn’t be a very nice world without chocolate.” And that is the way I feel about internet access (and the lack thereof) at home.
I read a book sometime ago called The Winter of our Disconnect by Susan Maushart. She disconnected everything in the house, except for the landline, for six months, and documented the impact it had upon herself as well as her 3 children. It’s an interesting read, especially how the children reacted. It’s possible, but I don’t think it would be enjoyable.
I moved into my new place on 21 May. I’ve had no internet at home since then. I think I’ve paid for another three gigs of data on my phone this month as I tethered my laptop to the mobile data. No internet for a few days to a week is fine. I can deal with that. More than a week or 10 days and it’s getting ridiculous. I’ve had marking and other tasks to do during this time, such as those you’ve mentioned. Home, in my space in the spare bedroom, is where I am comfortable after dinner on weeknights. You won’t see me setting up my office down at the local Maccas with a strawberry thickshake at 9.30pm…..though at this rate….desperate times…
Not a chance. Even if I didn’t work from home. Cause: Netflix. (And everything else, but Netflix is a big enough reason.) I just had to bump our plan up to a 500gb plan. We’re pretty big data consumers. Also my Telstra cable is so unreliable I have a backup ADSL connection for when it’s out. But I work from home so that’s my justification – need a constant, fast connection.
How would I buy books without the internet? 😛
The author’s approach probably is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
I think the key is not so much in the *method* used to minimise time sunk into the interwebs, but the mindset towards using it. If you’re sharply aware of the health/psychological consequences of prolonged internet use on a PC and are mindful of it, you’re much less likely to mindlessly sit down and “lose yourself” like a lot of us do. This is realistically very possible without totally severing one’s home internet connection, I think.
Thanks all for stopping by 🙂
I think we’re all agreeing that life sans Internet would be very odd indeed (not to mention inconvenient and frustrating). I think it’s all about balance.