Returned

I am returned from my media fast! It did not go super well, to be honest. I did pretty well for about 2 days with the no TV watching and I did really well with the no blog reading, but the not reading books killed me. Killed me, I tell you. Also, I was felled by a near cold in the middle of the week and really just wanted to rest and watch tv, so I let myself do that some.

Did I learn anything from it? I learned I really like reading, but I also learned it is not terrible to sometimes eat lunch alone and without a book. It was good to watch less tv, but I am usually pretty good about turning it off when I don't enjoy what I am watching. The point of the exercise was partially to close out other people's thoughts and ideas, so I could have all of my own. However, I think I always have plenty of my own thoughts and need to shut them off once and awhile. I had a lot of nights during the past week when I couldn't sleep -- because my mind was just running and running.

It is interesting doing The Artist's Way at Work, as one of its points is to convince people they are creative. I am not someone who has ever struggled with that. I know lots of people who say they aren't creative, but that is one thing about myself I am secure in. I am creative and always have been. So the book doesn't always help me on those points, and I may not need media fasts to give me time with my own thoughts.

It was good to stay off the internet though as that is by far my biggest time suck. I'm going to see how it goes with writing the dissertation and working, but I might impose some internet free days each week if I fall into the internet procrastination trap again.