Digital Intermittent Fasting
The Practice of Staying Offline
From 11pm to 1.30am yesterday, this is what I did: read two chapters of Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, which were about 15 minutes each.
Then why did I take two and a half hours??
I was checking notifications on various social media sites and looking up stuff I could buy online.
Finally sleeping at 2am, woke up late today, and this is what I wrote in my diary, as the most significant lesson learned from yesterday:
Intermittent fasting
You must have already heard of Intermittent fasting, one of the practices of it which I am aware of includes eating slightly less than your maintenance calories in 8 hours window and fasting for 16 hours. It is known as 8/16 or 8/16 practice.
It has multiple benefits as your body is not busy digesting what you ate, for the most part of the day, it gets time to heal, recover, and do other stuff to make you healthier.
‘Digital’ Intermittent Fasting?
As I was thinking about what I wrote in my diary. That was ‘switch off the internet after 11pm’, the practice of intermittent fasting came to my mind, and I reflected upon how both ideas are similar.
In digital intermittent fasting that I will be following:
I will do at least 12/12 practice.
That is I’ll keep my internet ON for 12 hours and OFF for 12 hours.
This reminds me of a recent chat with a friend, who wondered how did I live for two hours my internet connection was broken.
Now, most of you must be wondering: how are you going to keep the internet OFF for 12 hours??
Let me show you how simple it is:
For Mac:
For Android:
It is this simple!
And trust me, I showed these images because:
I felt like I have found a new feature in my phone and laptop upon realizing that I can turn off WiFi.
We are so happy always staying connected to the internet that we forget that internet connectivity is just another feature in our devices that can be turned off.
What I am expecting from this fasting?
- Letting my devices know who is the boss :P
- Getting time to: read that book I bought, practice flute, explore other hobbies, take a walk, go for a ride, connect with my friends and family.
- Giving the well-deserved rest to my brain from consuming information mindlessly
My mind will get a break from the continuous information consumption and get time to heal, fix, and grow.
But But But …. How will I get any work done without the internet?
Here’s the catch: I have about 12 hours to stay connected to internet.
If I get a question I need to ask Google, something I need to order from Amazon, or someone I need to stalk on Facebook: I will write it down and wait for the next ‘online’ window.
Given that I will learn after a few days that my online window is limited, I will start utilizing it wisely.
Final words
I have always had these cloudy visions of having two separate rooms: one with all the high-tech devices and super fast internet with no outdoor view, and the other one is sort of a library with a window to a beautiful view and a desk where I can work away from the internet.
Recently, it got reduced to two separate tables.
And as I am about to shift my place in few months and do not want to buy another table to be taken, the turn-off-WiFi option in my devices seems to be what I will have to do with for now.
Call For Action
If you like the post, feel free to clap to help it reach more people. Please let me know in the comments what you think.
