My Slow Media Diet

Inspired by this blog post, I'm going on a Slow Media Diet. As of right now.

The basic idea is that I spend too much time online, and it eats into time I should be spending on other activities. I'm interested to find out what other areas of my behaviour might change if I didn't prioritise online time so highly. Will I consider the information more deeply if I take longer to read it? Will I connect more with my local community if I take the time to seek out traditional media in my area, rather than Googling everything?

Changing how I ingest information is a bit like food - slow food isn't as convenient as fast food, but it's often better quality. Of course, online is not all evil. Online shopping cuts down impulse buys at the mall, email means I don't need a fax and reduces phone calls, and social networking is great for keeping in touch with people too far away for a coffee and chat. But the rules below will help with my digital cleanse, my own personal Slow Media Diet.

DO:

• Spend 20 minutes per morning, and 20 minutes per afternoon, on email.
• Spend 20 minutes per morning, and 20 minutes per evening, on forums (I'm a mod at Intuitive Parenting).
• Log out of the computer when I complete a session of tasks.
• Spend 20 minutes per day reading words on paper.
• Watch the ABC TV news at 7pm instead of online news.
• Spend 20 minutes listening to podcasts and music while doing my walk (a few times a week).
• Seek out information sources in my local area as a preference over global media.
• Blog four times per week. My blog posts take longer to write, and are more considered than my Twitter and Facebook posts.

DON'T:

• Look up online what I could look up offline. Like phone numbers in the Yellow Pages.
• Email when I should phone.
• Post my daily trivia on Twitter or Facebook.
• Spend more than 20 minutes on any computer session, even if it means breaking a task into more than one session.

In case you've not noticed, I like 20 minute blocks. Even the TV news fits this, as I walk out when the sport comes on. Wish me luck!