Technology Slave

Somewhere in the virtual world, an old friend of mine named Kevin A. Wells wrote about his online habits - what he does, what websites he visits, etc. I thought this was a great idea and stole it, except I added a few more dimensions of technology. What can I say?

As writing always helps me understand things better, I thought this would be a good way to learn about my online habits, my constant need to be connected and my addiction to electronics. I want to have written proof of how completely and hopelessly addicted I really am to my technology, especially my computer, the Internet, my iPod and my glorious BlackBerry. Don't get me wrong, these addictions aren't detrimental to my health, relationships and other stuff like bad addictions are. I like to call all these items productivity tools and such. Besides, acceptance is the first step to recovery.

So, on an average day:

1. I wake up to my BlackBerry alarm. I check the weather on it and then take a quick glance at my GMail. Next, I check out my to-do list. Then I get out of bed.
2. If I exercise, I listen to my iPod. Sometimes I'll do yoga classes found free on the Internet.
3. While I wash up and get ready for work, I listen to my iPod conveniently located on my little iPod dock.
4. After that, I turn on my computer and immediately open iTunes to update my completely absurd amount of podcasts. I'll never get to half of them. I totally don't care. I need them there. Just in case.
5. To get to work, I either get on my bike and listen to iPod or plug iPod into the car stereo. I hate my life if I forget iPod at home.
6. At work, I sit at a computer for a better part of my day. I open my work email and work with our Integrated Library System called Millennium for all kinds of library things.
7. When I get a second at work during downtime, I open up GMail to more thoroughly review anything important. Sometimes I'll chat with my mom through GChat.
8. When the email is officially done with, I get to the Google Reader. Again, I have an absurd amount of articles, recipes, poems, quotes, podcasts and blog posts to sift through throughout the day. If I don't check it by 6pm, it's well over a 1,000 items to check.
9. At every break I check the BlackBerry for missed calls, messages, etc. I also check off my To Do's as I complete them. The calendar, which syncs with my Google Calendar, is also checked obsessively.
10. I go home at night, sit at my computer and read the feeds that I clearly couldn't get through at work, generally like 900 items. (This step is optional, especially after I work a late shift.)
11. I check my Gmail again and my Google Calendar for the next few days. I plan out my days and anticipate when I can do what. At this time I also fill out my "Food Journal" which sometimes really makes me feel ashamed, but I think that's the point.
12. I also check Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, my blog stats and my Twitter account. Come Fantasy Hockey season, I'll be all over Yahoo! as well.
13. Finally, I turn the computer off and open up a book. This may seem like when I disconnect, but it's not. When I find a word I don't know, I pull out the BlackBerry and cruise to Dictionary.com to find the definition. Then, I Twitter it.

So, after reviewing my 13-step routine, I have decided that it's fine. I know, lots of people are looking at it and going, "Wow, she's sick." Yet, this is how I keep my life together. I keep on top of the news, read poetry, look through witty and helpful quotes, talk to my family and friends, stay organized and manage my life. I use a lot of stuff to do that, but that's how it's done.