First Things First: A Dopamine Detox (Introduction)
We have all realized it already - the Internet has changed and has become something quite distant from its original purpose. Instead of giving us an access to information, it rams it down our throats. Instead of giving us new opportunities, it has become a burden, and a burden quite heavy it is.
Well, I have, myself, spent a few too many hours on the internet and I can't take it anymore. It's become hard to concentrate and pay attention to the little things in life that give life flavor. I can no longer sit down and read a book uninterrupted, and, frankly, I don't even find time to sit down and read a book since I spend all of it surfing the Internet, scrolling down the feed, looking for its end, but the feed is never ending.
Hi, my name is Ubu and I'm an Internet addict.
So how is this dopamine detox going to work? I first have to take a few things into consideration. I absolutely have to use the internet for the following:
- Watch Uni course lectures (Better than the textbook)
- Text with my beloved(No explanations necessary)
- Listen to audio recordings of Lingua Latina per se Illustrata (It should be possible to download these and have them offline)
I have been used to doing this on the internet, but would like to stop:
- Spending hours on Youtube (Nothing to be lost, it's worthless)
- Finding things to buy or books to read but not actually buying or reading them (This is a very unusual habit of mine; I spend too much time doing this and it comes to nothing)
- Googling questions that pop into my mind and then finding answers on Wikipedia or elsewhere (I have spent much time doing this which has probably contributed significantly to my extensive general knowledge, but I think a more concentrated study would prove fruitful. To find a compromise, I propose the following:
I don't want to spend hours on Youtube or look for things to buy ever again (unless I already have the money ready and am seriously considering). Aside from the first three (which I need to do), dedicate an hour or two a week (let's say, on Saturday) to google questions I will have compiled in my notes and to check up on my RSS feed that I will create for some non-addictive, rewarding reading.
Hopefully, one day, I won't be required to use the internet even for the former three and would be able to cut the internet from my place and, let's say, go to a caffe and use their internet if necessary.
This said, I have written everything I wanted. I will post an update on Saturday.
With love, Ubu in Chains