Hoping words would magically appear on the screen, I eyed the blank word document. It was a simple enough assignment – four page research paper. I had already done enough preliminary research to type up a rough draft, yet my brain refused to yield any information. The paper was due the next day but I wasn’t too concerned; it was only noon. Besides, I assured myself, I could always wake up early and finish the assignment at the library before class. Satisfied with this back up plan, I went to my favorite social website and began browsing through the news feed to see what my friends were up to, making sure to “like” or comment on statuses. It would just take a few minutes – I still had plenty of time for me to type up my paper. Links to interesting articles popped up one after another and I ended up reading all of them. A glance at the time jolted me out of this aimless activity: two hours had been wasted and I was determined to not let it happen again.
The blinking cursor continued to mock me and I felt overwhelmed by the giant blank space. I composed a weak thesis statement and wrote a sloppy introductory paragraph. Now I was stuck with what to do for the rest of the paper. I dug through my backpack for the assignment’s directions only to find that it had somehow vanished into thin air. Annoyed but not hopeless, I logged into SPARK and downloaded the assignment. The download took only a few seconds but now my browser was open again. I reasoned that checking my email was something that needed to be done at this precise moment, and besides, I had already done some work. What if a professor had sent an important email? Instead, I read an email stating that pay day would be a day early this week. Excited, I began to plan on how to spend my hard-earned money by browsing through several clothing websites. I checked the time and hit my forehead with a fist trying to fathom how three hours had been snatched from me.
Concerned at the lack of progress on my assignment, I reasoned that after eating some dinner my mind would be fully engaged for the work ahead. A quick trip to Pita Pit and I was sitting down at my desk eating dinner. I had closed all Internet windows and left my document open. Thankfully it now had some content. Unfortunately, balancing a stuffed pita and typing on a laptop do not mix. I firmly told myself that I’d just finish eating first and then attack the assignment satiated. However, I felt bored with just eating and decided to catch up on a television show. Five episodes of “The Walking Dead” later and it was two hours before midnight.
Desperate not to lose any more sleep than I had to, I searched for some kind of remedy on Google until I found Freedom. Freedom is a software program that locks you out of the Internet for a period of time of your choosing. I bought the program for 10 dollars and designated the next two hours as Internet-free. The amount of work I accomplished within those two hours astonished me. With my biggest distraction eliminated, I could focus on the assignment and I finished a decent draft by the end of my session. Afterwards, I also installed a tool called “StayFocused” in my Google Chrome browser which blocks sites after a short period of time with the words, “Shouldn’t you be working?”
The Internet has been part of my life since elementary school and I have grown up relying on its ability to retrieve information instantly for homework as well as providing endless entertainment. Other necessities like bill paying, shopping and keeping in touch with family and friends have all been transferred to the Web. I doubt the Internet will become obsolete; our world is so connected and information exchange is faster than ever. It’s easy to say that we should find a balance between the Internet and offline activities but when so much of our lives are connected and even dependent on the Web, it’s difficult to separate the two.
Cassie Jeon is a Collegian columnist. She can be reached [email protected].
