So it’s been two weeks since I banned the Internet except for work and email. It has been much easier to do this than I expected. As I hoped, I do feel less stressed, and I think it’s because I’ve had more time to do things I need to do.

The mornings have been particularly different. I usually sit down to breakfast and surf all of my favorite news sites. That takes a while. But since the ban, all I do is check email. So I’m getting the breakfast dishes washed sooner, I’m getting the laundry started sooner, I’m able to run errands earlier….it really does make a difference.

I’ve started reading books again. I’d forgotten how pleasurable that is. I’ve had time to work around the house, work on my writing, work in the yard and still read for fun and relaxation. It’s been many years since I could do all those things in one day, and I realize that my Internet addiction is the main reason for that.

I should point out that I don’t have a smartphone, by choice. So as long as I keep my laptop closed and limit my tablet use to checking email and the weather, I haven’t been too tempted to surf the Internet.

As a result, I’ve decided to add another week to my Internet ban. For sure, I want to get the rest of the annuals into containers, and I’ve got a couple of sewing projects that have been calling my name. Then, once I catch up around the house, I have a book that I’ve been writing that needs to be completed.

As for Candy Crush, I may pick that up again, but only at night when we’re watching a DVD. I’ve crocheted enough dishcloths these past two weeks, so I’m ready to put down the crochet hook and pick up my tablet. But if I get stuck at a level for too long, I may give it up again. I’m finding that time is too precious to be wasted on a device.

So it’s been just over a week, and I’ve stuck to my promise to stay off the Internet except for work and email, and I haven’t even gone near Candy Crush.  I did this in hopes that my stress level would go down.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened, but only because two family members ended up in the emergency room last week: one was in an accident, and the other had a stroke. They’re both doing better now, but having those things happen two days in a row definitely elevated my stress level.

But that’s an unavoidable kind of stress. I do believe that I am slowly de-stressing now that I have no idea what’s going on in the world, who’s mad at whom politically, or who is behaving badly. Oddly enough, I don’t care. I’ve been chipping away at my to-do list, and working in the yard, something I do every year at this time. But this year I’m doing it without the time pressure that usually comes with it because I wasted part of the day surfing the Web and, as a result, am short on time. So I’m enjoying spring planting even more than usual.

I’ve crocheted quite a few dishcloths at night, when I would usually be playing Candy Crush, but I do miss it. More accurately, I miss winning; many times, Candy Crush means losing the same level for days on end, which got very frustrating, and I certainly don’t miss that!

In six days, I can go back online. To be honest, I’m not sure I want to. There’s a slower pace to my life right now, and I think it’s because time isn’t flying while I surf online. I like it; in fact, I may extend the ban. We’ll see……

Most writers are voracious readers, and I am no exception. I will read anything and everything. That’s why the Internet is so tempting to me. It’s like having my beloved Sunday Chicago Tribune (the overstuffed old version, not the pathetic scrawny thing they publish now) available new every day. As a result, I spend way too much time reading articles from all over the world online.

This habit is getting in my way, making me less productive. My to-do list is piling up.

To make matters worse, when I’m not reading or writing, I often fall into the trap laid by the world’s biggest time suck: Candy Crush. I’ve wasted a lot of time on that darn game….too much time.

So I’ve decided to take a break from these digital time-takers (time-waster in the case of Candy Crush!) and I am publicly vowing to only use the Internet for work and email, and to stop playing Candy Crush completely, for the next two weeks.

I started this regime yesterday, and so far, I’m doing alright. Last night, instead of playing Candy Crush while we watched a DVD, I crocheted a dish cloth. This morning, instead of checking the national and international headlines while eating breakfast, I’m writing this post.

I arrived at this decision partly because I read an article that suggested that we’re not meant to know everything that goes on around the world every day, that it’s too much stress for us. That makes sense to me. We’ll see if my stress level goes down over the next two weeks, or if instead, my husband finds me in a corner in the fetal position, arms tight around my laptop. I’ll keep you posted!