Productivity

Facebook and the Proliferation of the Click-Rut

I am a creature of habit. I like patterns and I like to push the right lever to get "the pellet." (This is a big reason why I had to eliminate my Treo for a while - I was constantly pressing "get mail" even though it was set to receive mail every five minutes.)

I notice the same patterns in my computer usage. If left in an empty room with my Macbook Pro, I could probably spend an entire day retracing the same click patterns over and over. (Stats, Facebook, news sites, blogs, wash, rinse, repeat.)

I’ve learned a few tricks to keep me from falling into a clickstream zombie. First, I’ve removed most of the blogs from my bookmarks and only read them via RSS. This keeps me up to date without the extra effort to visit each blog every day. (Hey…you can do the same for AC!)

Second, I’m developing the discipline of scheduled internet surfing time. Just like I have my TV time and study time planned, I’ve found that I need to keep tabs on my internet addiction. (It’s like giving me free soda on-tap all day long. What might seem like a few soft drinks will soon turn into 25 lbs of excess waist-weight.)

Third, I’ve found that most of what I find on the net is snack food. I’m trying to be conscious of how what I see and experience affects my overall mood and sense of sociability. I try to have real conversations as often as possible throughout the day. The net seems to drain all of my desire for sociability while simultaneously wiring me to billions of my fellow humans.

So…have you developed any means of dealing with "click-rut" and stemming the tide of the info age?

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