AIM

To perform a little experiment to see if I could go without Internet for a day

REQUIREMENTS

Internet, will power, a person with that will power

No Internet
Circuit Diagram

THEORY

You remember the experiments with life that I wrote about last year? Well I thought it would be nice to try some more experimenting with life, but this time without any exam to give me excuses to do the same. Well to tell the truth I always keep trying something or other, so experimentation never stops. But this time I experimented while knowing I was experimenting!

So, what was the big experiment? No Internet for a day! Yeah that may sound ridiculous at first, I mean what can I possibly get by doing something like this? But just think about the number of hours you spend on Internet, compulsively scanning various sites for the new updates; to know what I mean (if you still don’t get it, you are gifted! Celebrate!). I mean everyone has to check (and answer) mails, tweet/facebook, read blogs, search stuffs, watch videos, listen to music, share things, chat… That is kind of the day we, the new generation youth, spend nowadays (exceptions are always there).

But, I find it suffocating sometimes. You wake up, you do all the aforementioned things and then you go to sleep. But what did you actually achieve on the day? For most part it’s nothing. And that fills me with guilt, I don’t want to be wasting my days like this when I can have fun creating or learning stuffs. Well, communicating online, especially with those whom you can’t meet regularly is necessary, but that’s not the purpose of waking up everyday, is it?

Alright, let’s not get more philosophical and come back to the actual experiment. OK, so I would be honest, this idea didn’t come from vacuum, it was ‘inspired’ from one of the writeups of Leo Babauta from Zenhabits.net. But, I had to be the one performing it! Now, I have been without Internet before also, but that was when either I had no time to access it (exam time) or no means to access it (no net connection/net down). This was different, because I was willingly not doing something that has virtually become a habit.

PROCEDURE

  • So, first thing I did was to inform all my friends (worth informing) that I was doing it, a day before. 
  • And then I just let the day come by. 
  • The day came by and the first thing I did in the morning was to open my browser and visit a website! 
  • Well actually, I had to do it because I write online journal I couldn’t afford to make an exception. But I just went to the site (750words.com) wrote my page and closed the browser in 15 mins. 
  • I was determined to make through the day without making another exception and I actually did! 
  • I surprised myself by the ease with which I did what I did.

RESULTS/CONCLUSION

  1. I am addicted to Internet, but not to the extent that I can’t live without it for a day (or even more).
  2. I still didn’t achieve as much as I could have in the absence of Internet. So, Internet is just a means, the real culprit is Me. If I want to make changes in my life, I need to take the responsibility and stop blaming Internet (and other distractions).
  3. Overall the experiment was successful (if we ignore the 15 mins error). Next experiment: No system for a day!