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!