Day 30: final notes

Day 30 - how did I spend my last day of this experiment? I read some emails, (some unauthorized, but not for too long) checked a few things on Amazon, mostly kept reading the fantasy book. The rest of the time was family time with regular family activities. I'm so glad I don't need the device for that! What about the next 30 days? What will they be like? First, no limits whatsoever on any kind of websites or information. I'm curious to see what is the worst trigger for me and what will I choose to spend my allotted time on. I will try to keep the use of the device under the 3 hour mark. That is the real challenge. Possibly thanks to the fact that I have so little time, I will be more selective of what I choose to check out online. Also, Christmas is coming and I have a feeling that a lot of time will go researching and looking out for gifts. I'm getting excited for the next portion of my experiment. Not sure how much of what I discover and do I will be willing to share. It's possible that I will keep the posting during this time very minimal. I felt quite vulnerable with this experiment. So lucky for me no one is reading this blog yet.

Day 29: moving on

Day 29 - coming to the end of my experiment, which is actually not an end but another beginning. I figured out that besides stoping the mindless surfing on the net I'd like to use the device less in general. That will be the focus of my next 30 days. My experiment worked, even though not as expected. I barely was using any other websites besides the ones I needed. I didn't accomplish much, but I'm kind of glad for that too. There is time for everything. However, I still was using my device for many hours a day. One way I figured out how to use less is to do everything I planned before I get to touch the iPad. But a lot of my activities are so tightly woven with the use of the device: music for dancing, YouTube clips of certain exercises, recipes for cooking and trying new meals, writing my stories, posting on blogger, reading books, listening to interesting and useful information about the brain, using the net to solve small problems, shopping, I could go on and on. The next thing would be to figure out how to manage all I want to do in 2 hours a day. Spread my activities by days or another way? That will be an interesting challenge.

Day 28: one strategy that works

Day 28 - getting excited is the right strategy! For two days in a row I was able to do all that I wanted and before I got to use the device. It's like something is calling me to do it. I like it! I might try this strategy on something else just to see how it works. Maybe the brain takes it as something worth investing time and effort in if I'm excited about it. If I'm excited, that will only increase my energy and we, humans thrive on it. That's it for today. Short and sweet.

Day 27: going with the flow

Day 27 - I started the day with an amazing walk in the park. As I was walking I was noticing so many beautiful details that I haven't noticed before. Also, I went around the park twice and second time around saw even more details, thanks to the fact that I kept looking from different angles. Purely out of curiosity. My only regret was not having my camera on me to catch these beautiful moments. I wondered if having my mind empty from so much information is what helped me look differently at nature this time and be able to observe so much. I think it is. Also, I noticed the desire to create more of my own instead of consuming someone else's work. That's very pleasant. This desire is not that strong yet, but it put a voice forward. That would have not been possible if my mind was busy processing a lot of random information. For that reason, I'm glad I'm not being super productive right now. Before being productive, I realize now, there must be an empty place, room for the puzzle of how things need to be done most effectively to come together. Rushing things is not always the best policy. In my case for sure. I've always had a slower pace than most people, but never trusted it. Why not start now? Things always show up at the right time for me. Go with the flow is the famous saying.

Day 25 and day 26: getting excited

Day 25 and 26 - mostly read my new book. It's good and I devour it every little minute I have. Good thing the holidays are over. I love when I find a book that keeps me so interested! The downside - too much time on the device. I tried to neutralize it by giving a break to one eye while reading with the other and switching back and forth between eyes. I could be sad for the reason of being so attached to the device and seeing this phenomena happening with so many people from toddlers to older generation, but I won't be. Sad doesn't change anything. Getting excited for the things that I want to happen seems a better strategy right now. Get excited for finding ways to be off my device and doing things I love. They need to be one way or another related to my body and nature. I'll leave it at that. But to be continued.

Day 24: interesting observation

Day 24 - last night I had this feeling that I'm approaching my experiment all wrong. It shouldn't be about banning certain sites from my use and not even about how much I can accomplish during this experiment. Even my daily descriptions of what happened are not that helpful. I know it's just an experiment and I told myself I'm not going to sweat it, I'll just roll with it, but as I was looking through a website that was not part of my experiment, I felt a bit of a guilt. I'm not being productive, I'm simply meandering through a whole bunch of articles and why can't I stop? That was my train of thoughts. This kind of thinking leads to nowhere. I'm not going to quit my experiment, but I need to refocus the lens on something else. I obviously want to be less on the iPad and be very mindful about what kind of information I'm consuming. Since I'm approaching the 30 day mark, I might take this experiment further and do another 30 days but with different means to achieve my goal. I'm not going to restrict the use of any websites, but I will try and document what exactly is grabbing my attention. What I'm curious about. Why at certain times I'm attracted to a certain kind of information. What void am I trying to fill? What can I do about it? Maybe that could be useful. No harm in trying. P.S. Later on, I felt the urge to visit a blog that I loved reading a lot, but haven't followed in a while. I had the desire to visit the blog for a couple of days and kept putting it off on account that it's not on my allowed list of websites. Finally, after reflecting this morning, I followed my urge and I'm glad that I did. I found new updates, but most importantly the sequel to a book that is simply magic in my opinion. I can't wait to get into it and enjoy every single word written! I've been waiting for this book for more than 7 years! The conclusion is this though: consuming less info works because it clears the path for the inner voice to give guidance. That alone is worth the whole experiment.

Day 23: good company= less device time

Day 23 - today was easy in terms of using the device. I had guests coming so I cleaned and cooked and entertained and most of my day was spent in reality. Given that I have only 7 days left to my experiment, it's safe to say that I won't be able to accomplish all that I put to mind. But that's o.k. I know better now what to expect for next time.