The temptation of the Net

[tetrapod]

Someone's story:


Why is it that I cannot focus for a solid 10 minutes on my homework or reading the chapter I'm supposed to, but that I can screw around on the Internet for 10 hours straight not only ignoring my homework, but also my laundry, eating, sleeping and the 100 other things I have to do...

If I know I'm bound to repeat this behavior, as I do practically everyday now due to the Internet's insidious lure and Dexedrine being one hell of a drug, why do I go on it in the first place?

Oh, it always starts innocently enough, just checking my mail, just doing some online banking, even looking up my homework online... Then before you know it the whole day is gone, I have 5 missed calls, my whereabouts are unknown, and I have nothing to show for it except some new useless knowledge because I read some Wikipedia articles on various African fruit bats in their entirety.

How many tabs can I have open in firefox at one time?!? Geez!!!

How do I force myself to not do useless crap with my time? Especially when I am forced to use computers for a lot of my work. We even have to take our laptops to class, but I don't go online as much there. That is, if I ever make it to class at all, since now I only have 10 minutes to get there when it takes an hour on the bus, and I have no clean clothes, no homework done, and I can't find my textbook because everything is suddenly in a pile!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!

So yeah, does this sound familiar to anyone else? Any hints for staying off unproductive sites (read: practically all of them) when you have time to do work? Any programs for blocking internet use temporarily --especially linux programs for me? If I don't break this bad habit soon I will have one rough semester ahead of me.

[8v10un30sun]

I've been thinking about staying off the GRID again...howeve r, it's quite difficult this time around because of family you know.  I was off the grid for two years and it was a wonderful experience...I had to figure out how to use my time and I worked out, read books, learned new things and etc...  The internet when use incorrectly is quite addictive and destructive.

[tetrapod]

I've been thinking about staying off the GRID again...howeve r, it's quite difficult this time around because of family you know.  I was off the grid for two years and it was a wonderful experience...I had to figure out how to use my time and I worked out, read books, learned new things and etc...  The internet when use incorrectly is quite addictive and destructive.

I read that internet usage can shape your brain to make you are like someone having ADHD.  I feel like that's what has happened to me.  I used to be able to study 6 hours straight.  Now I can only study 30 minutes before I walk out. 

[8v10un30sun]

I read that internet usage can shape your brain to make you are like someone having ADHD.  I feel like that's what has happened to me.  I used to be able to study 6 hours straight.  Now I can only study 30 minutes before I walk out. 

Sadly, too much of anything is no good.  Drink too much water and electrolyte imbalance occurs and you die.