What did you do before with the time you now spend on the computer? My husband sprang that question on me the other day and now I’m springing it on you. I do spend hours at this screen every day. I’d never thought about what I was doing before with my time. So here is my list of things I have given up or spend less time on:
- TV—That’s the activity that has suffered the most and I don’t miss it at all. As a matter of fact, when I try to find something to watch while relaxing I wear my thumb out channel surfing. TV has gotten worse. My time is better spent on the computer for sure.
- Shopping—I had to dig to come up with this one. Surely I did more than watch TV before, and I did. This revelation surprised me. Shopping used to be an enjoyable sport to me. Now what I don’t order online I save up to buy in one trip as quickly as I can. When did that happen and why? Who knows, but I see the UPS man more than a store clerk now no doubt.
- Finances—I wrote checks by hand, balanced my checkbook (sometimes) and subtracted until the money was gone. Now Quicken shows my finances at a glance, bills are paid online, bank accounts handled the same way. I’ve saved money and time in this instance, and best of all kicked the little voice from the FUKOWEE Indian tribe. If you read Kurt Vonnegut I won’t have to explain that last one.
- Writing fiction—This is the one downer. I realize my writing urges are being too satisfied with this blog, leaving my serious writing over in a corner somewhere.
That is it as far as I can tell. I still exercise (biking, walking and yoga) though no longer at a club. I certainly read as much as ever, if not more. And photography? I take way more pictures now. The instant gratification of seeing them on screen or printed immediately enhances that activity. Now that I have pinpointed the one area I need to attend to, I plan to do just that. Of course, that will mean more time here on the computer. It all comes back to Big Hal, doesn’t it?
What have YOU thrown aside or slighted for your relationship with the computer? How has it affected your life? Perhaps you have thought about it; I hadn’t. If computer is as big a part of your life as mine I think you should. I would really like to hear your views.
A N H I N G A 
Great question… Reading books, cleaning the house, exercising would be the things that come to mind that I’ve cut back on. But there’s so much incredible, useful information online!! Each time I turn a virtual corner, there’s something else that catches my eye…
Very good question.
I spend much less time watching television. My housecleaning has become more efficient since I usually want to get it finished so I can do something on the computer. I’m spending more time on photography and less on writing. I should do something about that. Find a balance.
I’m also spending less time outdoors. I should change that as well.
The biggest thing I’ve sacrificed for the computer is work. But I spent most of my day at the office on the computer so I guess it balances out. I do put in four to five hours outdoors each day — yard, vegetable garden, building projects, etc.
This *is* a good question, and my blog partner and I have talked a lot about it. Like you with your fourth item, which is a downer, we’re worried that we’re taking away from other writing. That’s not good. And as we pick up those other projects, our time for blogging goes down. It’s become a real question for us as we try to find a balance.
How about you — are you going to try to make more space and time for writing the fiction again?
I am determined to do just that. A guest publisher spoke to our writers group today and I’m hoping that will be an inspiration. Sometimes you need to keep your eye on the end product.
Yes, very thoughtful interesting questions, I liked reading the responses.
Mine is the same as yours with television, and I like this screen better, more interactive.
The writing part, I don’t know. Blogging helped me to get into the writing practice, but that ‘satisfied’ feeling, like no other writing needs to come out after a blog, that’s something difficult to balance. When you have readers, and blogs you read the interactive thing makes this a big draw. Sometimes I write the most when I’m feeling the least responsive to other people, which I think is kind of interesting. Weird to have a community of writers and artists to be a part of and see how they all strike their own balance.
TV is passive entertainment, Blogging & other computer stuff keeps your mind active, or at least that’s my excuse….