Internet Addiction: Follow-up.

Yesterday, a friend of mine got right in my face - so to speak, about my recent post of addiction and if I was doing anything about it. She questionned if I'd just posted it for page views (no, no I didn't), and accused me of putting my blog and Facebook pages ahead of my kids & family. She ranted a while (through online messenger, ironically) and left me thinking. 

For me, the Internet is a necessary evil. I'm never going to be completely abstaining from it - like an alcoholic never drinking again - because we need it in our world. I don't see my blog(s) or my Facebook pages as distractions. I usually do them and close them. It's all the other stuff I get stuck on : reading my news feeds, playing games, chatting. 

I am allowed to do something for myself. Blogging is my outlet. I love doing it. I love helping people creatively with their blogs too. 

I'd been doing better lately, actually. Reading with the kids more, heading outside to work on our backyard tasks, getting out of the house, etc. So her comments kind of threw me for a loop. I wasn't mad - thankful that someone is keeping an eye on me. But, I think it was a tad unjustified. 

I've been slow on my blog lately because I've been busy elsewhere. I'm working on plans to make my online time more productive instead of rambling - planning my post schedules and outlines so all I have to do is type them up and publish them instead of sitting here wasting my time - distracted by the 1001 other things available online. 

I've been feeling really good about it. 

No - every day isn't perfect. I've been really tired and blah lately and that shows in my "sit-in-chair-stare-at-screen" days. But I've been trying and I'm still working on it. 

My goals are to have my blog posts all planned/prepped off-line- for all the sites I write for, to maximize my online productivity. To turn off the computer by 9 am every day and try to stay off til noon - unless we need to use the computer for schooling or reference or to call Grandma/Grandpa, etc. 

The hardest part is after J comes home and we decide to play games together. It's during the supper hour that it's the hardest - this is my area of struggle and something I need to work on. Maybe limiting game play to only after kids are in bed or at least stopping from 4:30-7 or something like that. I'm still not sure how to best work on this. 

There's my update. Thanks, Michelle, for threatening me last night. :P It did get me thinking. And now, I'm going to turn the computer off and go spend some time with the boys.