I'm sure some of you have seen this article that came out in Times about the effect of technology on our brains. Dude. Let's just say that while I was reading it my concentration was so wickety-wack I could barely finish.
That worried me. I'm supposed to be writer, but lately, I'm not much of a reader. So basically I'm a poser. If I can't focus on someone else's words, how do I expect anyone to pay attention to mine?
This is especially troubling when I consider how voraciously I read as a child. Forget The Smurfs, Different Strokes, and Family Ties (though sometimes the narratives were quite provocative). You couldn't pull me away from like, Old Yeller and The Grapes of Wrath and Ramona Quimby, though most of the time I wasn't fully grasping the plots. I was just into the words.
These days, I don't have time for poetry (at least that's the excuse I make). I want info, and I want it quick. In the middle of working on (or rather simply staring at) my novel, I'm like, you know, I REALLY need to know RIGHT NOW how to make KFB friendly zucchini bread. And, I might die if I don't find some recipes using Chia seed. (P.S. Google this stuff; it's so cool. Has anyone else worked with it?)
My goal for this is week is to shut off the internet while I'm writing, and to write for four hours a day, minimum. I wish I could show you a weekly photo of me performing said action (which reminds me, I have not taken any photos since day 1. Whoops!!).
Hey Shavani!
ReplyDeleteChia shakes are the best. They make the drink think and almost gel-like.
Soak 2 tbsp of chia seeds in water for 10-15 minutes, stick in the blender. Add your snack allotment of fruit and half yogurt/milk for the dairy portion. Add a drop of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon. Refrigerate or consume right away.
One time I made a raw chia seed blueberry pie. I blended the soaked chia seed, half the blueberries, and little agave. Crust was pecans and dates blended, with a pinch of salt and cinnamon in the mix. Pressed into a pie pan, add filling and fold rest of blueberries on top. -Take out the agave and substitute the pecans with ground oats as your carb, and you have yourself a KFB pie!
As for the zucchini bread, I'll try to figure it out in the next week and post something.
Cook on ma.
Chia seeds? Y'all have given me something new to try. Surely, they're available at the Coop...
ReplyDeleteI've been having luck with giving myself a no un-work-related-internet rule till 4 pm. I check e-mail before I leave for the office, then not again till late afternoon. And I use Time Out (as suggested by Gwen) to remind me to step back from the screen now and then. I've been mad productive, though my brain is fried by the end of the day.
http://www.dejal.com/timeout/
Yes. I like your new goal for the week. And how about giving yourself a gift at the end of the week if you accomplished your 4 hours of writing?
ReplyDeleteI think I also need to consider some rules around computer time.
Just tell us when is the week over and we could ask you for results! ;)
No internet time? That sounds like a great idea! Except for, you know, being really hard. I think I'll steal it :)
ReplyDelete