CommentaryThe Internet has worn me out
Today, for some reason, I feel exhausted. I'm just worn out. Tired.
I'm tired of Twitter. Tired of Facebook. Tired of the Internet. Tired of it all, just to be completely honest.
I want to be a better blogger. I think it'll help me in the long run. I don't know that for sure, but it works pretty well for some people. So I'm trying to get to that point. And if I stick with it, I know I can.
But today, I'm tired.
The Internet....it overwhelms me on days like today. I waste all my time on it, waiting for my energy to pick up and waiting to get motivated. This never works, of course. I've heard it from some writers I respect the most, such as Stephen King and Roger Ebert and that guy that wrote The War of Art whose name I can't remember: the muse comes only while we are working, not to make us work.
I'm in a great mood. I'm incredibly happy with my life right now. So this isn't some depression deal.
Nope. Just....tired. It wears me out, life and connecting being so convenient sometimes.
So I'm going to eat lunch. I'm going to read while I do it, not watch TV. Actually, I'm going to read until the guy I'm meeting here at Panera shows up.
Then I'm going to go to the gym. Sometimes when my mind gets tired like this, my body is too well rested. I'll come home and work for an hour or two. I have lots of projects going on, and I'm stoked about them.
But right now, I need less Internet.
How about the rest of you guys? And gals? You bloggers, tweeters, Facebookers? What do you do on the days you just get tired of it all? How long does it take you to get back into it? And most importantly, why did you get back into it? What value does the Internet have for you, and why?
Thanks, look forward to seeing what everyone has to say.
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Reader Comments (4)
yeah, the moment you feel like you're chasing something on the internet is the moment you lose. i only blog every day because i love to blog every day and because i (usually) have something to share. it's my only real creative outlet right now, so it's not really a tiring thing for me.
enjoy your time away!
Great point. Truthfully, I enjoy blogging. I've actually been excited about doing more of it now that I have my first book behind me and am figuring out what my next major project is. It's nice to know that every single day, I am doing something productive. I like connecting with people and sharing thoughts. I'm still defining the focus of this blog. I think that'll help me stay moving on it, too.
Definitely not going away for long. Just a day or two, maybe until Labor Day passes. But yeah, for some reason, today just has me feeling worn out.
Thanks again, Bryan!
Great post, Brandon. I think all of go through times when we need less cyber-relational-bs. I feel that way at least once a week. I take an evening or day away from it. I give myself permission to not blog about a topic that might seem urgent... I refuel by reading magazines or a book, playing with my kid, go to the gym... I try not to over-think breaks... I just take em... And when I have something to say or find something funny, I blog it...
Matthew
Matthew, thanks for stopping by, man. I think you hit on something really important: not to overthink things. I definitely used to do that a ton, and am just now learning how not to overthink. If that makes any sense.
Used to be, I'd either force myself to "endure" blogging, or I'd quit altogether. Same with other projects. It was all or nothing. Now, as you said, I try giving myself that permission, that freedom, to just step away from time to time. I have realized that getting tired of something doesn't mean having to quit something. It just means taking that short break, and recharging. Because when I do recharge and come back to something, like the blog, I enjoy it.
I used to be pretty anti-blogging. But like anything, it's good when used -- or experienced -- in moderation, and when focused on something worthwhile. The Internet is becoming to my generation what television was to the generation before, I think, in that sense.