Things are easier said than done, or so the old adage goes, and we couldn’t agree more. That’s why we do The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD), a monthly attempt to live better. Our challenge for August? Get off the internet at 8.
Fifteen days ago, we asked you to join us in our August challenge to get off the internet at 8 p.m. on weeknights. Our reasoning wasn’t that the internet is terrible, of course—it’s paid our bills for years now—but rather that moderation in all things is a virtue. Just like you don’t need to drink alcohol with every meal, cutting down on your internet and email consumption a bit, especially at night while around your family and friends, isn’t a bad thing.
So, how is the web weaning going?
Where the GOOD community is concerned, hundreds of people retweeted the challenge launch and commented about it on Facebook, with many saying they were going to unplug at 8. “I am so excited to be able to do this,” commented reader Helloania. “I always tell myself that I spend too much time online, but then I make up excuses like, ‘I am a graphic designer, it’s a part of my career,’ but realistically its all BS […] I log in online and start reading the news, Facebooking, blogging—non-design related activities.” Others have acknowledged via @GOOD Asks that the internet has made them sadder, or that they’re addicted to it. In other words, though lots of people say they love their internet, a big part of the GOOD community has admitted that it should go online less.
Response in the GOOD offices has been similarly mixed. Some people have found it outright impossible, either because of work obligations or because, as creative producer Ewan Anderson put it, “STUFF WAS HAPPENING AND I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT IT.” Nevertheless, some of us are finding benefits in staying off our computers and putting away our smartphones. GOOD’s senior editorial designer Dylan Lathrop has finished three books in the past two weeks, a feat he says wouldn’t have happened had he been online. And though managing editor Megan Greenwell admits to not dropping the web cold turkey, she says she has made an effort to be more conscientious of her time online. “I cooked more elaborate meals than usual last week, despite getting home late, because I wasn’t online as much.”
There’s now a little more than two weeks left to step up and shut off your computer at a reasonable hour at night (and yes, that means no browsing on your iPhone either). It’s the tail end of summer and there’s surely a lot going on in your town that’s not internet-related. Try going out and enjoying life—and then don’t tweet it.
