Writaholics and Technology

9/5/2016

Like most writers, I don’t see myself as someone toiling away the days, trying to advance the career ladder. I’m not looking for the corner office or the huge paycheck. I’m following my passion. If I’m not writing, I want to be writing.

So I’m usually writing.

It’s as simple as that.

Except it’s not. Recently, my family has expressed concern that I’m working too much. But I’m not, I said. I’m doing what I love.

You’re working like your deadline is tomorrow, but it’s never going to come. You won’t speak to anyone. You get upset when we interrupt you. You’re turning into a hermit.

Now, let me preface this with a quick rundown of my situation.

I’m a former college athlete. You want to watch fifteen minutes of television? Sure, if you don’t eat. You never get enough sleep (hello, 5 a.m. workouts), you cram in meals in thirty seconds, and you are always, always in a hurry.
I recently recovered from a concussion, during which I could not read, write, or do any of the things (creative, physical, intellectual, or otherwise) that make me who I am. After four months of creating nothing, I am dying to make up for lost time.
Working 24/7 is my default. It always has been. But I’ve always had someone to tell me when to stop working. It’s winter break. It’s lunchtime. It’s nine at night—get out of the cages and go home. Now, I’m freelancing. I set my own hours and my own schedule, which unsurprisingly, has been all day, every day.

Now, I have my family telling me this is unhealthy. And they were right. I’m not going out with friends. I’m not spending time away from my work. I spend all day editing, and my relaxation time in the evenings is writing!

I forced myself to cut back. I stopped eating meals in front of the laptop. I fired up my Netflix account.

After a few days, I began to fall back into the same habits. Because like I said, working 24/7 is my default. If I’m not, I feel like I should be.

So what now? Restricting work is not the answer. That just makes me feel like I’m sitting around twiddling my thumbs when I need to be getting things done. Setting hours is not the answer. My work is too flexible, too chaotic. Some days I might need to work crazy hours, and I’m okay with that.

As I've been brainstorming solutions, I've considered the fact that 98% of my work takes place on a screen—my Macbook or iPhone. The other 2% is writing in my planner (unless I’m handwriting a story).

I have found that a lot of stress comes from my constant interaction with technology and with the internet. There will always be another text, another email, another notification. And as long as I’m staring at a screen, I feel the need to answer them immediately. I am basically adding a constant task to my to-do list, so that everything else I am trying to accomplish only gets half of my attention.

There’s not much I can do about that. I need technology to do my job. But I also need to give myself a break from it—more than just turning off the wifi.

I have no doubt that this addiction to technology worsens my “writaholic” problem. The internet is a fast-paced world, and by keeping myself immersed in it, I’m doing what my family feared: creating for myself an imaginary deadline that will never come. I know technology is not the only issue, and I’m going to continue to break unhealthy habits. But I suspect that if I could find a way to loosen my ties to technology, everything else would come more easily.

So here’s the plan.

Most every night, I read for an hour before bed. I do this because I believe in forming habits that force myself to make time to further your craft, and reading is just as important to a writer’s craft as actually writing. I always read print books during this time—I never read for pleasure on a screen.

Beginning now, I am going to designate that reading time as technology-free time. During that hour, my laptop will be far away, and my phone will be off. There will be nothing except me and the words. Maybe that will not only reduce my stress, but help me get back to what literature is supposed to be—outside of the social media and promotion.

If this is something you struggle with, I would love for you to join me. Set aside an hour a day—doesn’t have to be reading time—to be technology-free.

20 Comments

Rachel McKee link

9/5/2016 05:28:49 pm

Hey I just found your site through Twitter and I'm so glad I did. I think going tech-free for an hour is a great idea.

Victoria Griffin link

9/5/2016 05:55:49 pm

Hi, Rachel! That's great to hear! I'd love to know how it goes for you. Hopefully, I'll post an update soon that the stress has receded. :)

Benjamin L Clark link

9/6/2016 01:53:35 pm

This will sound crazy, but I've found just scribbling -- literally making loops and zigzags in my notebook to be really therapeutic. No words allowed. Just do a line, or fill a page, depending on time and stress levels. Give it a try.

Victoria Griffin

9/9/2016 02:25:11 pm

I've seen studies on the positive affects of doodling! That's something I used to do quite a bit of in school. I might have to try it again!

Dave link

9/10/2016 09:33:43 am

I can't express how well this post resonates with me. I feel like a rabbit darting down the path with the proverbial carrot dangling out in front of me - just out of reach - always. But, where exactly am I going? Sure, I'm accomplishing "things", but it seems to be at the expense of so many other things that have slipped into a fog of obscurity.

I have quite recently gotten sucked into a technology vacuum like yourself, and I love the idea to set aside an hour an evening to get back to that print book that has been sitting buried in my bedside drawer. Little steps repeated over and over create a habit - good or bad. This is most definitely a good one that I want to cultivate. Thanks for the reminder, Victoria :-)

9/10/2016 09:46:13 am

It's great to hear this struggle—and solution—resonating with others. It makes me feel less as though I'm doing something wrong as more as though I've, as you say, been "sucked into the technology vacuum." Do let me know if the technology-free time helps you! Hopefully we can support each other in developing new, stress-relieving habits.

George McNeese link

9/11/2016 05:19:56 pm

I feel your struggles. There's not a minute that goes by where I don't even think about being on my phone or laptop. Unless I'm writing stories by hand, I'm pining to get to my laptop and write out my stories.

Having said that, I'm trying to make a habit out of putting away my phone at home during meals. I may pitch the idea of going on hour-long technology fasts one day out of the week. It will be hard to do but well worth it.

5/15/2017 04:00:26 pm

I love hiking and being in the mountains, and there is no better feeling in the world than being out of cell range. It is so liberating, and it makes me realize the degree to which technology truly has taken over my life. Sometimes I feel like it's using me more than I'm using it.

Frank link

9/11/2016 05:28:06 pm

I found to literally force myself away from the laptop helps. You don't want to burn out, then you'd lose what means so much. Getting enough rest is very important. A few days ago one agent tweeted about being unable to sleep, another said she was at the eye doctor (who told her to cut back on the computer time - I'm having similar problems). Getting enough sleep is the main thing...

5/15/2017 03:58:49 pm

One thing I do consistently is get enough sleep (even though I hate it). I've found that I may be able to force myself through a work day on five hours, but not a lifting session or a run. I've been prying myself away from the laptop lately, and it is definitely helping!

Rosanne Bane link

11/7/2016 11:43:09 am

Good observations and a courageous post, Victoria! Take a look at Cal Newport's book "Deep Work." I suspect it'll change your life. I've been posting about how writers need deep work and I understand the lure of constant activity. (http://wp.me/pvc0s-1R4)

11/7/2016 11:50:16 am

P.S. Have you read Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury: Finding the Road Back to Normal by Amy Zellmer?

Tech Startups link

3/23/2017 02:11:09 am

Great survey, I'm sure you're getting a great response.

Tanner Childs link

5/15/2017 02:18:53 pm

Have you thought about this. That 24/7 default is not a bad thing. The real question to ask is, does it bother you?

Your family and friends will demand your time, but that doesn't mean its best for you. I work almost nonstop. My family used to bother me about it, but they have stopped.

My friends, well, turns out only one was a real friend and he understand. Why do I work so much. It is because that is when I'm comfortable.

If you find work relaxing, then you don't need to worry about how much you "work". It's not work anymore.

Now, that being said, I believe in health. Health is not something you should sacrifice. But aside from that, work whatever makes you feel right.

Be happy. People chase money too much. Chase happiness and everything else will fall into place.

5/15/2017 03:55:39 pm

I completely agree! Family and friends won't always understand why we're driven to work as much as we do, but it did become a health concern for me. I wasn't taking time to read or be social, and I was becoming moody and worn down without even realizing it. I also deal with pretty regular migraines since the concussion, and being on my laptop so much makes them much more intense and frequent. There is a line for me, and I was across it. I love working, but I also love hiking and reading and being with friends, and I need to do those things to live a happy, healthy life. 😁

Jessica Norrie link

6/6/2017 06:34:25 am

I started writing before computers, on an Olivetti portable typewriter. No emails, texts, facebook or Twitter to interrupt me. I don't know if I wrote better then, but it was physically harder. If you made a mistake towards the bottom of the page, was it worth taking the sheet out to retype the whole page again, or would you just paint on yet more Tippex? I think - think - my concentration was better, and my head and eyes ached less (of course, I was much younger). Yes, give yourself that technology free hour. Better still, make it a whole day. I wish you luck!

Ferry link

7/23/2017 12:46:45 pm

What if you have an IT day job, and write at night, and you enjoy both equally? For me, technology is as much of a passion as literature :-)

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