I really want to get some more content here in my blog, write more about that things I like and what’s been happening. I’m bit of a private person so I’ll rarely write about personal stuff unless I am having a major fangirl flailing.~
Recently I bugged a number of people, good friends who understand, for ranting about the failure of my internet connection. I work fro, home, a freelance web developer and the internet is my bread and butter. I research and download materials I need over the interwebs, talk to my clients over email, coordinate with teammates over IM. Without it, well not wanting to sound too melodramatic, basically I am dead.
Yes, I was pissed off. I pay for this connection from a-provider-who-must-no-be-named, promptly pay for it and depend on their service to run my home-based work. I called them almost every day to inform them of the problem but all they told me was system restoration issues. I even had to buy an extra pre-paid internet device from another provider just so my head won’t blow up everytime I see that dead third light on my modem.
Being in front of the PC without internet connection is like drinking decaffinated coffee. It tastes like coffee but it doesn’t have the right feel, you know what I’m talking about? So, what does a workaholic, internet addict like me do when she can’t work and have no internet connection?
1. Catch up with your reading.
I’m still a bit of a bookworm and I have this collection of books that I have not yet touched - brand new, no dog ears, no prints, smell of fresh paper. I have this thing about collections and completing them so when I start to love an author or an artist I just hunt them down and drool over getting my hands on their works. I don’t have to say it’s the same for music.~ Current book : The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho.
2. Take the time to clean up and organize.
I knew I had to. I have so much files in my computer. Files to organize, backup. Not just work files. I got mp3s and videos - very important to keep sanity, and I like them named in proper folders, discography with years and correct metadata. I have bookmarks to clean up, save the essential ones like resources and tutorials but keep my browser light and clean. Hell, cleanup your desk if you have to! I clean my workspace everyday though. =)
3. Internet Detox
It may be hard for the first days but it does have benefits. Not having access to the internet means not having to be in front of the computer all the time and this means rest for me. I had been complaining about my wrist lately and I am getting concerned about RSI. Quiting the computer for a couple of days gave me rest, and gave me back the slow, destressing pace that I needed. Well, I was stressing about not having internet but hey, it did gave space for some free time. Please note that free time has a different meaning for me - it just means I have time to think of something else to do. Not doing anything is more stressful for me.
4. Rethinking about habits
As I am fueled by great WWW, not having the freedom to work anytime I need to (and when I want to) just made me dedicate all the PC time I could get to getting work done asap. That meant not being able to do my rounds - check friends in social networks, answer non-work emails, read my feeds, try some tutorials, fangirl time, set my downloads… So, actually there are a wee bit of stuff there that I can just not spend too much time with. The internet is a massive, massive place and we can easily get lost in it - a feed from you favorite reader leads to a page that leads to a list of related links that lead to more pages with more links.
5. Learn new things, practice
For me it was Japanese. I enrolled to a basic Japanese seminar a few weeks ago but had been just squeezing it in with work scheds. I felt like I was cramming all the time. I took the time to review, clean up my notes , memorize some vocabulary and practice writing. Final exams are next week!
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