My Computer Swallowed Me Whole

How to be present in an online world

Over the past week, I’ve been on my screen far more than I’m willing to admit, which is ironic because in my last piece, I wrote about how little I had been on Instagram this year.

But online I’ve been — Youtube, emails, Pinterest, Google. It feels like the internet has swallowed me whole.

I’m an online entrepreneur, on a journey of building a business that will support me in living somewhere where I can be more regularly in contact with nature, more surrounded by organic community, and more free to spend time learning hobbies. But in pursuing this life, I’m relying on the internet to provide me with income, which has put me in a rather confusing situation.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m SO grateful that after years of working in-person jobs that required me to show up every day no matter how exhausted, overstimulated, or introverted I was feeling on that particular day, I can make ends meet without reporting to a boss in the 3D.

But what is challenging is being present to the 3D when my work requires me to stay fixed on the eternally glowing orb that is my laptop screen.

So as I prepare for the incoming week, I’m asking myself some questions…

1. Can I stay committed to my work without abandoning my physical world? And what does it mean to be present while engaging with the digital world?

2. What are the telltale signs that I’ve become lost to my screen and am betraying my physical body of its more primal needs?

3. Where can I cut out stimuli, making room for my feelings to rise and my intuition to speak?

Because if this online work is going to be sustainable, I’ve got to find a way to honor my body and spirit — even when my work is using so much of my brain.

So if this resonates with you, I hope these questions prompt some helpful ideas to support you in finding more balance each week, and perhaps offer you permission to close down your computer when it’s time.

How can I stay committed to my work without abandoning my physical world? And what does it mean to be present while engaging with the digital world?

I have a few ideas in response to this question. One is tending to my workspace with more intention. I’d like to be better about setting a five or ten-minute timer before I sit down to my computer to clear my desk, fold my clothes, make my bed, and take a moment to choose a nice playlist and light a candle or some incense to burn as I work. My hope is that in tending to the physical space where I’ll be on my screen, I can build my connection to it and my awareness of it, so that I don’t lose sense of where my feet are.

The second idea is exploring new places to work. The other day, I had a rather obvious epiphany that I only need wifi for about 20% of the work I do at my computer. Yes, there are emails to answer and a little bit of research I need to do in order to write a good piece of copy and stay in communication with my clients (I’m a copywriter/marketing strategist), but much of the copywriting I do is only distracted by internet access. So I had the thought, why don’t I turn off my wifi while I’m writing, and experiment working at places like parks, new coffee shops, and maybe even the beach? In unplugging from the internet, I’ll be clearing my creative channel for more ideas and insights that I would have missed if I were locked in my same dark room, with the temptation of Youtube clawing at me every five minutes.

The third idea is to develop a more boundaried work schedule. When I’m working from home, it’s tempting to jump in and out of a project (or five projects), and not work meaningfully on any of them. Eight hours pass, and I feel extremely blurry about what I’ve accomplished. This blurriness fuels a lot of anxiety because I have no sense of how much progress I’ve made. Without that clarity, I feel the need to guilt myself into returning to my computer, long past traditional work hours.

So, I want to experiment with dedicating four hours of each day to my 100% focused work. I think I’ll accomplish way more than I do in my distracted eight-hour work sessions, stay far more organized, and feel guilt-free enjoying other non-work activities.

Especially in the summertime, it’s so essential that I feel free to surf, walk at the beach, or explore a new trail/park. Connection with nature is a core pillar of who I am, and I want to take that more seriously.

What are the telltale signs that I’ve become lost to my screen and am betraying my physical body of its more primal needs?

I’ve gotten painfully accustomed to these signs, but in naming them, I’m hoping to catch myself before spiraling deeper into digital distraction.

Some of the telltale signs that I’ve become lost to my screen and am betraying my body are…

1. My room is a mess

2. I’m working in my pajamas

3. I haven’t washed my face

4. I haven’t stretched or exercised

5. I haven’t left the house (even if just for a walk)

6. I’m eating without considering whether I’m hungry

7. I’m not drinking water

8. I have clean laundry in a pile on the floor

9. I’m hunched over — not supporting my spine in any sense of the phrase

10. I’ve got 500 tabs open and am bouncing between all of them

11. I’ve been at my computer all day, but have managed to avoid the most urgent tasks

When these are the conditions of my physical world, it’s time to close the computer.

Where can I cut out stimuli and make room for my feelings to rise and my intuition to speak?

Here are some practices I’m going to implement this week that increase my sense of presence, my connection to my emotions, and my connection to the earth…

1. Rising at sunrise and going outside immediately for some deep breaths

2. Doing a guided meditation and journaling for fifteen minutes

3. Spending intentional time alone every day (without media)

4. Communing with nature

5. Practicing physical hobbies — surfing, yoga, dancing

6. Reading a physical book over watching Youtube videos

Staying present in a digital world is hard — especially when that digital world was intentionally designed to shackle us to our screens. So when you have days of rotting in front of your screen, for hours on end, I hope you recruit some extra compassion for yourself. Remember — no matter what headlines are screaming at you, what emails are demanding your “immediate attention,” what multi-paragraph text exchanges are poking at your shoulder — a beautiful 3D world is right out your window, calling you, asking you to notice. There’s wisdom in the sky, in the leaves, in the blossoms, waiting for you to show up and listen.

Be kind to yourself.

With gentleness,

Corynn