Hello from NY!

Last Monday I decided to try out a little project in that I restricted all my internet browsing to three predetermined short blocks of time throughout the day. I realized that I post a lot about what I’m going to do, and not a whole lot of looking back and seeing how it really turned out. So this should be a relatively short post, but I do want to share how my experience went.

Easier Than Expected.

I have to say, I really didn’t find it as difficult as I was anticipating it to be, sure it got annoying every once in a while, but I think I gained an equal amount of relief as I did in feeling restricted.

I nowhere accounted for all the times I felt the urge to browse on my phone or iPad, but I did track every time I pulled out my phone with the intention of browsing out of habit.

Accountability Time.

There were a couple of hiccups with my plan in that I didn’t turn off the wifi on my iPad and I didn’t set firm timers on my browsing time. So I know I went over my scheduled time usually during my noon session, but other than that, I never turned on my phone’s cellular data for Safari and never used it outside my home.

Another thing I noticed is that when I did catch myself wanting to browse, I mostly just put my phone away and just remained idle. In a way that’s good I wasn’t finding other ways to cheaply entertaining myself, but I would like to utilize that time for something more useful.

What’s Next.

This was a great little experiment, it was great to see just how many times I subconsciously rely on my phone and the internet for relief. Now that I know I have some kind of control over these impulses, I believe the next step is harnessing those times where I’m seeking cheap entertainment and using that time to do more productive things. I know I have plenty of useful things I can do throughout the day that I can do from my phone, I just need to find that shift that I’m looking for opportunities to move forward daily rather than means for escape.

—Grant X.
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Currently reading:

“$100 Startup” – Chris Guillebeau.
“Crucial Conversations” – Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

Life verse: “But a generous man devises generous things and by his generosity he will stand.” -Isaiah 32:8

Life Mission Statement: To be intentionally focused on providing opportunity and adding value to others.