It’s I think maybe six weeks or even longer now that I have stopped using my computer and the internet (apart from wifi radio on dedicated devices) on weekends. And I’m loving it, and it no longer feels weird and absent when my computer is not near to hand as it did at first.

I’m experiencing sort of a zen state towards Friday, knowing that I’ll go offline for 48 hours or so. So I am more careful about wrapping things up that need to be done online before then, or notifying anybody who might potentially care that I won’t be around on the weekend.

The five days I am online go by way faster it feels like. Because they are marked out as distinct experientially from the two days where I am off. I think I might use my time a little bit better, because tasks can’t just be done whenever, but within the frame of those five days – freeing me up to do other non-computer tasks the weekends.

I’m also finding now that when I’m “fasting” on the no-internet weekends, that by the time 48 hours is up, I’m almost like, that’s it? That was easy. I feel like I could do more. So sometimes I won’t go back online til Monday morning. Though, I found that this left me sometimes with too few available work sessions to get random things done or plan for what I need to do, so I’m generally back online Sunday night at this point.

I’ve also kept up the habit of keeping a small pocket-size notebook that I write down any ideas, tasks, or things I need to buy that come up while I’m offline. And now I keep it and use it as a sort of “central command” even when I am in an online-okay weekday. So that’s kinda cool too.

Anyway, unless I ever have some overriding need (like having to order dog food in a hurry, for example – which I did let myself go and quickly grab another bag on Amazon to have it shipped early in the coming week), I don’t really see myself going back to using the web on the weekends. What for? Why bother? Most everything I need is right in front of me. I guess that exact sentiment could apply to my whole life, and maybe there’s a world where I walk away from the internet altogether 24/7. But that day is not yet upon us. Til then, this big new blast of moderation and temperance is a welcome boon and breath of fresh air in my life.

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