I slammed my laptop shut as I felt an overwhelming sense of mental saturation, with all the information that was being fed to my brain via the Web. I was led to this realization that the extent of my over-connectivity has significantly impacted the quality of my life–I constantly experience anxiety with regards to creativity block, my lack of productivity and focus at work are compromised, and I constantly feel a certain restlessness to gather immediate feedback from my networks.
My brain hurts.
My ability to focus for extended periods of time has been seriously impaired because of the instantaneous and compact nature of the new Web, where microblogging is king, people’s thoughts are flashed before your eyes real-time, and blog entries are ridiculously compressed to effectively capture the attention of this new breed of Web users whose attention spans rival that of a child inflicted with ADHD.
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, always a hero to my modern-day maladies, authored a blog post on how to Simplify Your Social Media Routine, and perhaps ultimately increase the quality of your life by shedding light on more effective ways to make use of your time.
Zen saves the day, once again. But for today, I think I’ll treat myself to a healthy dose of disconnection.
