6 Weeks with no TV/WiFi? My Results

E-diets are among the best types of diets, I am slowly finding out. I recently survived a month and a half without watching television and without a home WiFi connection. Don't worry, everything is back now. But what I thought was going to be an excruciating 6 weeks was actually one of the most productive, introspective, and authentically happy periods of my young adult life. Turns out that there are a whole bunch of non-screen-based activities to occupy your free time. This  is a post from my favorite personal finance blogger, Mr. Money Mustache, who managed his time and money so well he retired at 30 years old. Here is his take on television.

I am in no way against TV or social media. I actually love them; so much that I get addicted to them. When I get addicted to them I tend to prioritize them over things that I love even more ( i.e. sleep, the outdoors, interacting with family, saving money, mental and physical health)

No, I didn't wake up one morning and toss all of my technology out of the window in a primal rage. Nor did I experience some embarrassing social media leak that caused me to go "off the grid." The reason why I spent so long without TV and home WiFi is simply because my house didn't have any. I just finished my summer job in LA where I was staying at a rental house with my cousin. Since the house already no TV or internet, I did not feel like starting up huge long-term subscriptions when I was only going to be there for a month and a half. So call it frugality, call it logic, or call it me being cheap. The fact was that when I got home from work I had very minimal electronic connection to the outside world. Let me tell you how great that was.

Now there were a few exceptions to my e-diet. I still checked Facebook and other actual news sites on my phone a few times per day. And when the world cup was happening (go Brazil?), I watched games in 20 minute chunks in the lunch room at my office. All my other Internet needs (including this blog) I took care of working late after work on my office computer. And while I loved my summer job, it wasn't always the best outlet for many of my personal passions and creativity. Mindless, post-work media consumption surely wasn’t getting the job done.

My E-Diet Results

Here is a list of things I have done since my TV/Wi-Fi diet"

• Made this blog
• Learned to cook (try my spicy Italian sausage, kale, olive oil shell pasta)
• Met my neighbors
• Created a workout routine...and did it.
• Started investing my money
• Read a book (to the end)
• Received two promising job leads (for after I finish my current fellowship)
• Planned a road trip to the Northwest
• Went to a comedy night
• Went bowling and finally got that "curve" in my throw
• Volunteered to be a guest reader at a Freedom School juvenile probation camp
• Made a penpal
• Literally stopped and smelled the roses (they were the ones without scent unfortunately)
• Studied for the GRE
• Sat on my porch with no shirt and drank orange juice
• Vacuumed

These are just some of the first things that come into my head, and while the items on the list vary in productiveness, they all made me very happy. 

But it wasn't all fun and games. My first week was pain, and it felt somethings like this:

I call this the "Twilight Zone Face"

I felt like I was missing out on countless important social interactions on my facebook page (I wasn’t). I felt my brain literally craving to get its daily fix of red dot facebook notifications. I felt insecure and square that I had no idea what a Game of Throne was, and why anybody would bother to play games with such heavy and expensive chairs anyway. I even swiped a page of one of my books with my index finger like it was an ipad. Finally, in an act of disregard for human life, I even took a few unsuccessful guesses at our neighbor’s WiFi passwords; all five of them (sorrynotsorry).

 But something magical happened during my second week. I would come home from work and actually feel relieved to disconnect. I felt that all of my previously marginalized ideas, hobbies and passions finally had a chance to be at the forefront of my attention. I felt less anxious, ate and slept better, had great energy during work, and was generally a happier person to be around. Would you give up social media for this? These are the same activities and feelings that often interrupt us because we “gotta check Instagram right quick.”

By my 5th week things were really rolling. I started actually doing things that before had been on my "wouldn't it be cool if I _____" list. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and began to network with potential employers in my field of interest (real estate and economic development). Each gave me precious career advice and two of them even told me to call them back when my current fellowship ends. While this was great, it was actually the little changes in my life that made things truly better. With more time to sit and think, I found myself better able to take control of my own life, and get less scared and more excited post-graduate life.

Do the 6-Week E-Diet!

So this is the part where I am supposed to challenge people to do exactly as I did, and forsake their precious entertainment and social media sites for a month and a half. But I am not going to do that. Yes, I HIGHLY recommend that you’d push yourself out of your comfort bubble and live a little; talk to new people, experiment with things, get better at something, do stuff that you would do if you were retired. I promise you that (1) it will be extremely difficult at first (2) you will feel much happier and confident at the end.

But again, I am not going to make that challenge to you. I kinda want this secret all to myself.