In March of 2014, I made a challenge to myself: to complete the first draft of my next book by December 31. If I failed? Three months without Internet access, except for work or writing-related purposes.

December 31 came and went. I'm 90 pages into writing one book, and I have a rough outline and lots of notes for another, but I came nowhere near hitting my goal. There are lots of reasons for my falling short of that goal, but there's no doubt my mild addictions to news, social sharing, and general Internet shininess were major distractions.

But let's not be hasty. No personal Internet access for three months?

What exactly does that mean? I've been wrestling with this for a few days now. I need to do something to get myself back on track, but does it really make sense to follow the letter of my own law?

For instance... no Facebook? Can't I post to Facebook, and just not read other people's posts? As an author, I have to maintain a certain social presence, right? And I'm sure my friends and family will want to see what I'm up to. I just won't read about what they're up to. Hmm... that doesn't seem very sociable. Maybe I should invert that: I'll only open Facebook if I get a notification, and I'll limit myself to liking and making brief comments.

What about Twitter? If I'm reading a great article and I want to promote it, it's okay to tweet it, right?

And it's okay to check book sales, and blog traffic, and ratings on Amazon and Goodreads, and how many people saw that tweet... isn't it? (This is probably the info-addiction that bothers me the most.)

And Prismatic? I'll only read articles about mind uploading, AI, and the Singularity, since these directly pertain to my writing. Or about Android, since I'm an Android developer.

And TED talks are okay, right?

Obviously, I can still deposit checks on my phone, stream movies, look up directions, hail cabs, check for availability of Divvy bikes, store files to the Cloud, search for solutions to household maintenance problems, buy stuff, manage my calendar, respond to personal email, check the weather, listen to Amazon Music, research my vacation to Nicaragua, and all the other really useful stuff that actually saves time and money... right?

The list goes on, and I find myself making more and more allowances. It feels weak, almost shady. It's like I'm trying to give up drinking... but obviously it's okay to toast on New Year's Eve. And enjoy my friend's latest home-brew. And go to a tasting. And maybe have a glass when I'm out with friends. And naturally, I'll have to try the bitters I'm making -- in a cocktail, with that Ravenswood Rye my wife gave me for Christmas.

Going cold-turkey makes it seem like I have a problem.

Well, I do... but is it really that severe?

The truth is, I know when I'm about to do something that's a waste of time, a distraction from what I should be doing. Cutting myself off completely is insane and counterproductive. All I really need to do is renew my willpower, so I can stop myself when I'm about to open my browser or turn on my phone for no particular reason. It's like going to the fridge and staring into it, or turning on the TV to see what's on. (Happily, I mostly kicked the fridge-gazing habit a long time ago, and haven't owned a TV for over five years. Oh, and I kicked my mild video-game addiction with my little utilipoem, "I will not play this video game; I can't abide the hideous shame".) When I recognize that I'm on the brink of hurling myself into a clickhole, I need to look at what I'm doing, could to five, and then stop before it's too late. And then, once I realize I just saved myself some time, I need to write, edit, or -- if I really don't have the mental energy for either of those things -- I should do something that restores energy, like exercising, going for a walk, napping, or eating a healthy snack; or I should knock out some mindless household chore that will free me up to be productive when I do have enough mental energy to write.

Is this a cop-out? I don't think so. I've been taking this approach the past three days, and so far it's working -- and it feels right. The test will be seeing whether I can sustain it. And, more importantly, whether it results in more time writing.

Speaking of which, I need to get back to editing.

P.S. Internet, I know it's hard to talk these things through and see less of each other, but I'm sure it will result in a healthier relationship in the end.