Daily Tip: Hyperfocus Zone and Internet Temptations

There is a ton of information online, and a great chance to waste a lot of your time.  You can start a search at Google and wind spending 12 hours watching videos on YouTube or staring at Celebrity photos on Tweetphoto.
Time disappears if you have A.D.D. or A.D.H.D and when you have entered into: a phrase I have coined, the Hyperfocus Zone.
In HZ, you can fritter precious momemts of life in many unconnected, mundane ways, or you can decide to take use your skills, experience, and interest and channel your energies into making YOUR life the best it can be, and succeed wonderfully!
Alas, what generaaly occurs in the HZ, is we get so caught up in our Internet fun, that we create an atmosphere of obssessive attention  forming a type of self-hypnosis, that mesmerizes us and glues our bums to our chairs. so that even the thought of taking a potty break does not appeal to us!
How do we counteract this Internet addiction, or hyperfocused zone?
Well, the first things we need to do are Prioritize, Plan and decide.
Then we need to act.
1 hour on spent on Facebook, or Twitter is fine to catch up. 
10 hours is not really very wise, unless you want to, and can afford to.
Do your best to get real, and get offline, and I will too. 
It is hard. 
What good are your opportunities to visit the library, go to the ice rink, the park, the pool, the playground, the community centre, or your job when you have the Internet?
You decide.  You have the Internet now, like a giant fun temptation, a huge personal amusement park, and you also own an awesome ability to hyperfocus on what you like for hours on end.  Will you use your power to hyperfocus for good time use, or for evil time wasting?
Will I?
I shall make my list and hop to it.
I hope you will too.
Hyperfocusedly yours,
Amy Zents
© Amalia Zents 2010

Daily Tip: Online and Out of Time, or 'Tis the Gift to be simple

Hello my fellow blog reader,

It is amazing how the Internet can be a tool for success and a tool for failure.  It can be a time-sucker or a life-line.  It all depends on you!
If you have ADHD or are prone to being seduced into the magic of the World Wide Web, to the detriment of yourself and others, then let me tell you something: 
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
There is nothing wrong in enjoying yourself, and nothing wrong in enriching your mind, or amusing yourself by surfing, or "networking," playing video games, or socializing online.
There IS something wrong in screwing up at work, neglecting your family and duties in exchange for a headrush or a "computer" fix.
I struggle with this continually because I am mesmerized by Twitter, Facebook and the like.
So, today is the first day I am going to try to limit myself to only 60 minutes of "on-line time."
I will let you know how I do on tomorrow's blog.

     Like a fish in a fishtank, I am going to look out of my glassy manse, from my corner, and soak in the World Wide Web on my computer screen, but then, unlike a fish in a fish tank, I am going to breathe the real air, in my real world.  And in my real home I will set to: cleaning the fridge, showering, tidying up, cooking, and work-at-home teaching my music students, and then rehearsing, and readying for my 3 upcoming music gigs with my music duo Molly and Sonny Boy, instead of, frittering away most of my precious life-time online.  Here is a great discipline quote I found online on Twitter yesterday:
"Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself." — A.J Heschel
Peace to you and yours, and I hope you follow the advice of that old shaker song written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848:

'Tis the gift to be simple

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

 
So, until tomorrow, let's keep turning, turning, and doing what it takes, 'til we come round right, even if it means turning off the 'puter to get our work done.
 
Happy Hump Day, 
I remain yours truly,
(continually coping with my ADHD,)
Amy Zents
© Amalia Zents