internet in moderation

So you may be wondering what brought on the idea that I mentioned in my last post - to not have internet access at home. Well, to be honest I sometimes suspect that I am becoming addicted to the net. And I don't see this as a good thing. Like anything in life, I believe that these things are best enjoyed in moderation. And while many of our day-to-day activities can now be performed online, I don't necessarily want to sit in front of a computer screen all day and night. It's bad enough that I spend so much time working online for my job, but I also have a tendency to spend me free time in the virtual world, as well.

As I detailed i my last post, I am unsure of whether I will be able to still make a living by essentially "borrowing" internet access from the library (or less savvy neighbors). I am just in the process of simplifying my life as much as possible, and if I don't need internet access, I won't need a landline either. This will save me about $80 a month, not including the cost of any required future software and hardware upgrades. Of course, I already have a wireless modem and a separate wireless router so I'm not sure what kind of hardware I would need if I did get high-speed internet at our next home. In most cases, setting up a new high-speed internet account comes with a new modem. That's how I ended up with the items I already have, to which I am unsure if I will ever use them again.

I guess I am seeing this move as a chance to minimize some of the distractions in my life. When you work from home on the internet, it is very easy to get sidetracked. I have tried to be better about disciplining myself. I try to limit the time I spend, and to stay on task better. Unfortunately, when much of your social life also revolves around friends that you only keep in touch with over the internet, you cannot help but spend your free time behind a laptop. I see the removal of home internet access as a way to force myself to be more productive when I am working online, and to spend more of my free time outside.