Suraj Shah

Liberation Through Restraint: How Limiting Computer Use To 6 Hours Per Week Can Lead To Freedom

This week I am limiting my computer use to 6 hours.  Regardless of whether it is for emails, surfing, blogging, skype chat, social networking, writing articles, or listening to music, I will only use the computer for a maximum of 6 hours this week.

Yes, it is an experiment.  It tests to see what happens to the quality of my work, the depth of my relationships, and my level of vitality.

I expect that by limiting my use of the computer, my method of working would be more reliant on spending enough time working things out in my own mind, and then exploring creative ways to record information and communicate it with those I am collaborating on projects with.  It would also have an impact on my health (more time healthy eating and getting fresh air rather than being stuck in front of a computer), and most certainly enrich my personal and business relationships.

So hey, lets see what happens in a week and how it really impacts my work, my relationships, and my vitality…

For it to be truly effective and to make the most of limited time on the computer, it requires me to batch tasks such as checking and responding to emails, programming in Living Jain quotes, or raising invoices.

If you happen to get an autoresponder message from me when you email me this week, please be patient for my response – after all, the time I have on my computer is limited so that it can make me unlimited!

Much love,
Sol

One response to “Liberation Through Restraint: How Limiting Computer Use To 6 Hours Per Week Can Lead To Freedom”

  1. Kavit Haria » Experiments in Time

    […] Time is probably the most valuable thing we have. Once gone, it cannot come back. Every seconds count is not just a saying. It is the truth for that second will never return.Experiments in time are a great way to learn the meaning when you forget it and want to re-learn it.I am only checking email at one time each day. By turning my attention to the inbox just once a day rather than several times during the day, and therefore not having the send and receive function on “as soon as I receive an email” I have saved up nearly a few hours of time to use on productive work. At the same time, I am learning to re-focus that extra time on things that require more important attention.Sol is also experimenting this week. As he announced on his blog, he’s only going to turn on his laptop for 6 hours this week. More radical than my experiment in more ways than one.I called him this morning at around 12 noon and he had told me that he had already spent one hour in the morning. Imagine that: Monday morning and you’ve only spent one hour of your 6 hour quota on the laptop. He found it quite exciting to batch up tasks and get them out the way. It was a solid, focused and productive hour. He now has five more hours for the rest of the week. Pretty impressive. Can you imagine just working on your laptop or PC for no more than 6 hours for at least one week. How would you spend your time? What would you do?  […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *