Quid Pro Quo and Question

In case you care about such things as blogrolls, I've just spent some time cleaning mine up. I went from 193 feeds to 114 feeds, and I'm still paring. If you read me, and I'm not reading you, please leave a comment.

I want to keep an ongoing dialogue with my readers, but I HAVE to deal with my out-of-control internet addiction. The blogs I have cut are all great blogs, but they are ones with whom I don't feel that ongoing connection. My new criteria, as I cut back, is to keep blogs with whom I have or can establish a sense of dialogue--of a two way street.  There are so many GREAT blogs out there, that I often feel overwhelmed--like I can never read enough or like I need to read so much more.  So blogs who read me, and blogs with a dialogue.  It's a start.  And STILL I feel guilty for cutting.

Which leads me to my next question:
How do you deal with YOUR internet addiction? How do you limit how much time you spend on blogs? Do you have any tips for cutting back or limiting the time sucking factor? Any tips at all?

P.S. Don't forget to answer my last question about living far away from family if you get a chance!

Comments

[tanya]

Well, I decided a long time ago that there was no point in trying to give up my internet habits. And with school, I rely on the 'net so much more some times to look for stuff (or at least search the library catalog from home, etc.) - AND I'm on the computer more at home, what with writing and everything.

I started using an RSS feeder rather than checking blogs physically all the time, and that's helped. I still check LJ constantly, but that doesn't take long. I think I calculated that an email/blog break for me is literally 3 minutes or less if there are very few blogs or emails to read, and maybe 5 minutes if I have a couple of things to read.

So, it's a nice break for me in the middle of things, when I'm writing or reading. If I'm reading, I try hard to make my internet usage a "reward" for getting through large segments of the book; like, I have to get halfway through before I check anything, and then I can't check again until I finish. If it's a short book, I can't check it at ALL until I read the book.

[tanya]

OH yeah, though: I probably only read about 30 blogs. That makes a difference, I suppose...

[TSC Girl]

I manage my blogs w/ Newsgator, that way I can leave things in the queue for quite awhile until I get to read them.

[Natalee]

Well, I have to tell ya, I just started reading you after you commented on my blog-which I appreciated by the way! :)

I read about 30-40 blogs/sites a day. I have time to kill at work and home, and I enjoy checking up on everyone. I went the entire day on Sunday w/o checking the internet, and thought I was going to have withdrawls. Not a good thing.

[Stephanie]

The only things that keep me off the computer is work and my husband (he's got his own addiction) otherwise I'm checking blogs and emails every day. I have limited the number of new blogs I read to try to control thigs.

[Carrie]

I check blogs throughout the day at work, while I'm on hold on the phone and such. It's a very unreliable method as I miss good ones sometimes. Then I lie in bed at night and realize who all I forgot and cry. It's very sad.

[Gina]

I read around 250 blogs prolly every other day or so. I used to read them every day M-F, but I found it sucked my blog creativity away and I lost my own blog focus. It also tended to become a burden for me. I only read the blogs when it is slow at work or I "need" to keep my hands busy at home but am feeling lazy.

I try to make real life my biggest priority.

[Angie]

*waving hand* I'm an internet addict. Not so much to blogs, I keep that to just infertility blogs. One reason I'm still at my current job is because there is no monitoring of the internet so I can pop on and get a "fix" anytime I like. lol

As far as the family thing goes, the farthest I've lived from my family is a 13 hour drive. As much as I'd like to be stationed in Europe, it terrifies me to be that far away from them. Is that weird for a married woman? Probably.

Anyway, sorry to blog on your blog. I know I wasn't much help. And I do read yours, but you don't have to add me unless you really want to. :)

[Margie]

I feel your pain. I have a reader set up, but that's not perfect because I sometimes to forget to add blogs that I want to read, plus my blogroll is separate, so lots of work to maintain both.

But since it seems to be the best way to organize right now, I'm also going to try to do a schedule - adoption blogs one day, culture another, forums another, etc.

It probably won't work, but it's a start.

[Shan]

I'm pretty new to this whole blogging thing, so I'm still kinda in the throws of addiction. But, luckily, I get plenty of chances to read them during my down times at work (which could soon end for a while in the new year). But, I only have about 30 or 40 blogs I read, so I haven't totally bogged myself down...yet!

[eserethlegan]

You are a hard core blogger. This blog is thorough. How addicted is addicted? How much time do you spend here? What do you neglect to do it, if anything?

Maybe you're okay and this is just your extremely fufilling hobby.

ps. I almost never check that email. Best was to contact me is my blog.

[kim.kim]

Internet addiction is for me more about procrastinating. I now am enjoying the other things more.
Just turn the computer off and move to another room and start doing something else.

That's the easiest thing. Do some housework, homework, write letters, go to the gym, spend some time with someone who doesn't annoy you.
Give yourself a facial, go clothes shopping, explore a new wool shop you've been meaning to look at.
Just get out of the house.

Cook something difficult and fun. Make things.
Just force yourself to do less.

114 blogs is a bit too many. I do computer readings in between tasks for a break or distraction like now it's because I'm not sure if I want to do singing practise, go to the gym or to the supermarket.
JUST TURN THE COMPUTER OFF!!

[art-sweet]

Living far away from family (that you like) sucks. When I had to go into the hospital with OHSS, all I wanted was my mommy. Six hours later, there she was.

I have a huge blogroll (more than you, pre-pruning!), although the ones I don't read regularly I have set to private on my bloglines. I don't check them all regularly, but yeah, the internet thing takes up too much time. Time vs. community - difficult choice.

[Erin]

Honestly, I go in terrible streaks. Some weeks I'm great about keeping up with comments and blogging, and then, something happens and I'm a complete loser for a few weeks.

Story of my life.

[Frances]

Right now I should be finishing a quilt I've been meaning to get to for 6 months but instead I'm here, reading you ;-).

[Frances]

Right now I should be finishing a quilt I've been meaning to get to for 6 months but instead I'm here, reading you ;-).

[chasmyn]

I read you....

I don't always have time to comment, but I'm reading.

[Lisa Pulliam]

It's so difficult to avoid wasting time online. I think it's great that you have made a plan to cut your usage back. I think I shall try and do the same. My bloglines is under 50, but it's still more than I can handle. I find myself clicking the "mark as read" button a lot more than I should.