Monday, June 6, 2011

What do you do when you cannot go online?

Obviously, you are online when you are reading this. But have you experience a time when you cannot? Did you do something about it? How much energy have you invest in it?

Last Thursday, for some unknown reason, I could not get online through my laptop. I found myself trying to go online with my iPod almost immediately. "Well, it worked. So, it was not the ISP, it has something to do with my laptop... " Just like that, I started talking to myself:

"How do I fix this problem with my laptop?"
"I could go online to ask around."
"But I cannot go online!"
"Well, I could use the iPod."
"But the screen is so small!"
"It is better than nothing. Without going online, you don't even know what number to call to have it fixed!"
"Or, you can take it to the Apple store, we heard they have great customer service."
"Drive to the mall? With the little one? Is there another way?"

Living with the small screen of the iPod, I started to search for solutions. I tried a few tips and it was still not working. Then, I began to worry. I did so much online. How do I check my account balance? How about that shopping list that I was going to do online? (Amazon is my new Costco, kind of)

Then, I decided that I would just take it to the store if all things failed. In the meantime, I lived with internet through iPod. I started checking and replying emails on it. Shopping on it. Reading blogs on it.

I found myself did minimal housework but to spend every spare minute on getting my laptop back online, or, to get online through iPod. It is at this point, I realized, how much energy I have put into getting the internet back on my laptop, how much it has affect me, how much I depend on it. Most importantly, how much of an addict I became.

The true problem, then, was not when I could not get online. It is, when I can get online, how much I do get online! It becomes difficult to distinguish when I am getting online to save time and be productive ; or, getting online to pass time. Or, even worse, I maybe getting online to do something useful and necessary (like paying bills or buying toilet paper) but I just simply cannot leave once it's done (like, keep clicking links even after I have read the blogs or facebook updates that I intended to)! It is time for me to admit, if I could have closed that laptop when I should, a lot more cleaning, decluttering, organizing, simplifying, or, simply laundry and dishes would get done.

How about you? Are you addicted to the internet? Or, do you have a self discipline tip to share?

[BTW, the problem was fixed on my laptop. I am unlikely to live with typing a post on iPod... yet.]