Mine used to be Word Mojo until I had it removed from my computer. It had to go. I was spending too many hours on it and when I started seeing the grid as I drifted off to sleep I knew it had become an addiction.
At first it worked, but gradually I have found another displacement activity. Not that I needed to look far. It had always been there, a niggling temptation. I am talking about the internet of course. I go through my favourites one at a time and when I get to the end, I start again at the beginning.
The websites rarely change in between my visits and what exactly is the point of visiting Right Move a dozen times a day? There is no point. It is mindless as is the constant checking of my ipoints account. Have I got enough points yet for the £30 Amazon voucher? No I haven't just as I hadn't ten minutes ago and won't have in ten minutes time.
Blogs. I even check the ones that haven't been updated. It is senseless. A waste of time. When the internet connection goes down I weep and wail and gnash my teeth and reset the router then wait while it finds itself again. So I can get back to my constant going round and round and going nowhere.
At the moment I seem to have the attention span of a gnat. I can't read. I can't watch the telly. I certainly can't write when I'm in this mood (except to moan about it in blogalese). Now the internet has gone down again so I won't even be able post this. Woe is me.
The internet is an evil time stealer. I'm so guilty of sufing when I should be working. And I don't think we're alone. I'm sure that doctors will eventually diagnose it as a recognisable illness.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a great bithday.
:-)
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWell if they do diagnose it as an illness we can set up an online support group for fellow surfers - I mean sufferers!!
I'm always relieved when we go to our beach house because it means I'm forced to be away from the computer. I find that it's one of the benefits of the holiday. And I get so much more work done there.
ReplyDeleteBut as soon as I get home.....
Does anyone else check their emails rather more often than is logical?
The beach house sounds wonderful, Glynis!
ReplyDeleteI have my computer set up to check my emails every 30 minutes, but that isn't enough for me and I reckon I check them about every 5 . . . all I need is an invitation to a survey and I'm gone . . .
I tell myself I'm only going to spend a set amount of time doing e mail, blogging and research etc...very often I run way over my limit.
ReplyDeleteThen I feel miffed that I haven't spent the time on a manuscript.
Same here! I watch the clock and think "just another five minutes . . ." and before you know it five minutes has turned into an hour!
ReplyDeleteI'm knackered this morning. I was playing spider solitarie in my sleep all night.
ReplyDeleteI've removed the games from my main computer but they are still on the laptop and I got that out last night.
I used to play Spider until I started playing it in my sleep - it's even worse than Word Mojo!
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should start inventing addictive games instead of writing!!
I'm hooked on playing Mahjong Titans at the moment. I kid myself I'll only play the one game until the muse strikes. of course it rarely does under these circumstances and I end up playing 10 games back to back! Today I've managed 300 words of a new story and played a dozen games. Sigh!
ReplyDeleteThe muse buggers off in a huff if I play games, but you get that just one more, just one more, just one more going on in your head and can't help yourself. Or else it's "I'll just play till half past" . . . and then you stop looking at the clock!
ReplyDeleteMahjong Titans sounds interesting though . . .
The Internet should be banned. But I'd be devastated if it was! Just don't sign up to Facebook ...
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, I'm supposed to be getting lunch for my hungry grandchildren, but here I am - online! Despicable woman I am!
ReplyDeleteI've just found your blog and, having read many of your stories over the years, I just wanted to say hello!
ReplyDeleteI now have another blog to add to my displacement activity list. At least the internet doesn't have calories (does it?)
My displacement activity is checking blogs - and now that I've found yours, Teresa (thanks for the link, Glynis)it's gone right to the top of my list. I loved reading about your dogs - and that you get rejections too. And now -what do you know - it's lunch time. Then Neighbours (strictly research, you understand). Then I'll do some work. (Hopefully)
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've ever posted a comment on a blog. Hope it works.
And I'm supposed to be working on a short story, but I'm here looking at your blog! I've never got into games, but I too waste hours and hours looking at the same old websites and blogs, hoping for a few new posts. Crazy, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHello Bernadette - that's very true about the internet being a calorie free sin!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Paula! I get very nervous about commenting on blogs but I'm going to try to. I'm saving up your serial in WW and looking forward to reading it when I've got all the parts.
Susan, now I'm without games I'm getting worse with the websites.
I had my doubts about starting a blog, but I'm really glad I did - it's a great way to meet people isn't it!
Blimey, Teresa, I didn't mean to say I enjoy the fact that you get rejections! What am I like? They're horrible - and they don't get any easier do they? But then along comes a sale and all the pain's forgotten until the next time - a bit like childbirth, I suppose.
ReplyDeletePaula
I didn't think for a moment that you did, Paula!
ReplyDeleteI always thought I was the only person who got buried under heaps of rejections until I started getting out more - well Webelatively speaking!
Agree absolutely, they don't get any easier.
Hi Teresa - glad to see you have a blog now! I will have to give up my blogging name to you as you sell about three trillion times as many womag stories as I do.
ReplyDeleteDisplacement activities - my latest is family tree research. I tell myself I'll get lots of story ideas out of it but really I just want to know the names of my great-great-great-grandmother and whether or not I'm descended from William the Conqueror.
Great blog, by the way. I suspect reading this will become another displacement activity for me.
Hi Womag! Family tree research is great - I bet you do end up getting lots of story ideas from it, not to mention names for characters.
ReplyDeleteAnd looking at those old census entries is just fantastic isn't it for stirring up the creative juices.
Am going to hop along to your blog now and join up!