Pulling the Plug

Last week I finally did it — I cancelled my home internet.

I've been thinking about it for a while. I haven't had cable TV in years. I have internet at the bookshop, but the home internet has become my entertainment; mostly social networking and watching movies on Netflix. I occasionally blog and freelance, too.

As the budget kept getting tighter I thought, what else can I cut? In June I cancelled Netflix. With extra part-time jobs that month, I was too busy to miss it.

Two things pushed me over the edge. First, I joined Pinterest. I liked it. It's a fun diversion with lots of pretty pictures, a little like playing a mindless video game while interacting with online friends. But it's a time-sink, the wormhole of attention deficit. One night I'd planned to clean house during the few free hours I had all week. Next thing I know, it's after bed-time and I'm still on the computer.

Second, I read in this post by Joshua Fields Millburn that he cancelled his home internet. Lightbulb moment — Joshua's a professional blogger, and he has no internet at home. Do you know what that means? That means he has a quitting time. I don't have a quitting time.

So I "pulled the plug." It cost the equivalent of one month's bill to keep my e-mail service for the whole year, and a frustrating, 40-minute phone call. I'm hoping for more productive or peaceful evenings, and come next month, there will be one less bill to pay.

Here we go!