Kloncke

Hey y’all, hope you enjoyed the penultimate weekend of August.  Me, I can’t believe September is almost here.  In less than 10 days, I’ll be back in the States!  Mercy.

Anyhow, to start off the week, an article about how Americans start off our days: increasingly, in front of computer screens.

July marked the first time in almost six months that I’d lived in places with 24-hour, 7-days-a-week internet access.  And it’s been both interesting and unnerving to watch my own habits morph back into cyber-centrism.  Used to be, my first morning destination was the meditation pillow — followed by breakfast, then reading a book or writing a letter.  Later in the day, I’d go somewhere outside the home to get online.  Now, my morning Vipassana practice has slipped.  The pull of the laptop is incredibly strong, and by the time I finish catching up on correspondence, reading, lurking, and mindless browsing, I’m all anxious to go do something — not sit still on the floor for an hour.

How about you?  Is checking email your first major morning activity?  Do you want it to be?  If you could design your ideal start-the-day ritual, what would it look like?  (Or if you’re already living your ideal, what does it look like?)

Personally, I think that my internet habits have a lot to do with my daily schedule — what time I go to bed, and what time I get up.  When I sleep and wake early (like 9 or 10pm to 5 or 6am), I’m less likely to spend nighttime hours wandering Facebook, and the quietude of the deep morning facilitates deliberateness.  Time before sunrise feels sacred, like every action carries the weight of real ritual.

This week I think I’ll experiment by returning to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise orientation, and seeing if it affects the browsing addictions.  I’ll let you know how it goes.