Tuesday night, my computer crashed. After the initial heartbreak of relinquishing my laptop to the kind people of Apple Care, I came to the sudden realization just how much of my day goes by in front of the screen. I spend a fair amount of time writing papers and posts, and keeping up with the news (New York Times, Women's Wear Daily) is a high priority. But I have absolutely no idea how I spend so many hours of my day online; it's like I'm clicking away the minutes.
My day typically goes a bit like this:
8 a.m. Wake up, make coffee, check e-mail, read WWD and NYT headlines, click through RSS reader.
10 a.m. Class, check e-mail on Blackberry throughout the hour.
11 a.m. Home, check e-mail, click through Twitter and Facebook, then start on homework (which is typically online or in WordPerfect).
1 p.m. Read favorite blogs while I eat lunch.
Continuing would be too depressing. In my new (albeit temporary) laptop-less life, I find myself reading books in the middle of the afternoon, flipping through magazines while I eat my meals, and going on walks just because I can.
I'm curious to know if leading such a computer-concentrated lifestyle is a common thing with all of the bloggers/writers/students out there. How do you find a balance? How much is too much, when it comes to being online and keeping up with all of the news, e-mails, websites, and blogs out there?
