Hello New Minimalists, Kyle here!
While you already know that we are big fans of reducing physical clutter, we also have a passion for removing "time clutter" from our own spaces. Cary gave up TV a few months ago (and loves it). Around the same time I stopped my internet service. Read on to learn more about Live Without Internet!
It started as an experiment.
How long I could “last” without it? I find it entertaining that the question was dramatically posed as if it was a matter of life and death. But with semantics aside, I thought it would be interesting see how much of this “need” was perceived versus real. My motivation was two-fold: save money AND keep my home as the sanctuary I intended it to be.
Live without TV vs. Life without Internet
I have not had a television for the last six years, so that was nothing new. But internet? We all know that the internet can still satisfy the appetite for television. And I have happily engaged in commercial-free entertainment on my laptop. But a few years back I read this quote, “Television has all the fun so that you don’t have to,” and it stuck with me. Moving into my own space seemed like a great time to try out internet-free life.
And so far? No one has died as a result. In fact, the biggest impact I’ve seen is that I have plenty of time to cook, clean and read when I am at home. I also enjoy all three of those activities (yes, even cleaning), so is a pleasure to engage in them.
In case of emergencies...
I'm not completely off the grid when I'm at home. I still have my phone with wireless capabilities. The world wide web is accessible when, for example, I need to lookup an address or the hours of a store. If I couldn’t do that on occassion, I would be calling 411 a lot (which would defeat the whole money-saving purpose).
I can also check my email or go online in a pinch. But looking at a teeny, tiny screen deters me from entering an internet black hole. Oh, and my microphone is broken and we all know muted videos are simply no fun.
Scrabble anyone?
The best benefit of Life Without Internet? When my boyfriend is over, we are present with each other. We listen to records. We play games, like Scrabble and chess. And we talk and make dinner together. I have a small collection of DVDs, so we can watch a movie if the mood strikes. Sometimes we cuddle up and scroll through Instagram, but it is a joint activity.
Without the omnipresent glow of a screen my home retains its retreat qualities, my guests and I are fully present with one another, and I am happier as a result.
What do you think?
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