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[freeformschooler]

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[LordSlowpoke]

godspeed, you mad fool. i shall watch your exploits or lack of visible traces thereof with interest.

won't touch this myself because breaking addictions is effort and i don't want to fall into an even more ridiculous one

[eerr]

Are you sure you wanted to use the device in the first place?

This is kinda a wake up call for me here.

[Bouchart]

This isn't as hard as you think.  I went about six weeks earlier this year without using the internet, except for business related matters.

[freeformschooler]

This isn't as hard as you think.  I went about six weeks earlier this year without using the internet, except for business related matters.

Good to hear. The hard part's really just a lifestyle change.

I've thought about it and realized that it may, in fact, be better to make it A Week Without Computer and Internet. Without Internet, school or work, there is little use for a PC except entertainment and digital hobbies, and both of those are just contributing to health problems and PC dependency, anyway.

[Shook]

I find myself wondering if i should call you crazy right now, but good luck nontheless! I know the feeling of being dependent on the computer, but i was practically raised with a computer in my mouth, so i don't see it as being wrong. I have gone a week without internet before (actually 10 days, by virtue of being in Norway on an excursion without internet in the cabins), but i very rarely go without a laptop or something like it (at least not now that i have a reasonably good one). Still quite possible though, provided that you have stuff to do that doesn't require a PC. If i found myself willing to go through a similar thing, i'd probably pick up a musical instrument to learn.

Come think of it, i could actually do A LOT of things with all the time i spend on gaming. :U

[smirk]

Planning will help quite a bit. Find books you've been meaning to read, look up the nearest nice-for-walking outdoor locations, buy materials to learn full-contact knitting, etc. If you're keeping yourself occupied it should go smoothly. Hells, even just setting aside time to stare blankly into the distance and think can be constructive - being able to slow down is a good skill to have.

[freeformschooler]

I made it somewhere around five days before saying "fuck it" and opening Skype. I even got someone to post for me around the beginning in some things (had forgotten).

Here is what I learned:

1. Wood carving is deeply, profoundly enjoyable.
2. People can recognize a past homeschooler on sight, even at a party. Especially at a party.
3. Removing computers and the Internet does not help with constant desires to start new projects, drop old ones, or multitask.
4. It's not worth whatever it's supposed to help with. Maybe for you, but not for me. My two best friends are also long-distance friends (one closer, one a lot farther), and giving up the Internet means giving up communication with at least one. I partied hardy and spent lots of time catching up with people, and the main thing I learned was an even greater appreciation of the friends I already had.

Not much changed, though. I just did the same things (work on hobbies, talk for hours) but offline and usually outdoors. Maybe we don't always need to make drastic life changes to fix perceived problems. Maybe we just need to change ourselves or our perspectives a little. I know I did, so in a way, you could say this was a successful experiment.