New 30 day challenge: “hermit mode”

I’ve been spending more time surfing the web on my laptop than I’d like to. I’ve also noticed more emails that lure me into short tasks, but eventually eat up a large chunk of my day.

I’d prefer to be spending more time working on projects, reading, and unplugging. So my new 30 day challenge will be to enter a sort of “hermit mode” where I don’t spend more than an hour a day on my laptop. I’m also going to try to say “no” more often. My hope is that if I turn down a few meetings for a while, I’ll end up working more on projects that I want to tackle. I don’t know whether that will work, but I’m going to try it. I might still write a few blog posts or say something on Twitter, but I want that to be a conscious choice, not just something I back into.

This challenge will be a hard one to judge for success, but my hope is that at the end of the month, I’ll be making more active choices about how I spend my time, and tackling more things that I want to do.

32 Responses to New 30 day challenge: “hermit mode” (Leave a comment)

  1. Perfect month for it, too. Winter solstice, time of hibernation & reflection.

  2. I’ve many times tried, but never succeeded. I hope that you will be more successful than me.

  3. > I’ve been spending more time surfing the web on my laptop than I’d like to.

    I have that feeling sometimes, too. Then I set some websites on /etc/hosts with a redirect to localhost. Candidates are Facebook, StumbleUpon, Wikipedia (which is probably the hardest, because I have the feeling I needed it so often to study), Digg, Quora and StackExchange sites.

  4. Perfect month for it, too. Winter solstice, time of hibernation & reflection.

  5. Yes your already a huge success accomplished more than most will in a an entire career and financial secure for Life. Just do what brings you inter happiness

  6. I recently heard a suggestion that we should stop looking at it as saying ‘no’ to someone or something and instead should look at it as saying yes to something that’s more important. I kind of liked the idea of saying yes to more things that matter. By default that requires saying no to things that don’t matter as much. Every time you say yes to something new, you’re still saying no to something else.

  7. Well deserved, mate.

    Technology is a catch 22.

  8. All the best to you! I also have been trying to get rid of my addiction to news websites and TV, especially reality shows. I know, I am just harming myself by not utilizing the time productively, I should be reading or learn a new trade instead. Hermit month is a great idea, worth emulating.

  9. Thanks for another inspiration, Matt.

    Once I tried also this, but ended up in spending more time on mobile. Take Care :p

  10. Surely it is Summer when hermit mode kicks in? I have always found that late Summer to late Spring is truly Business time. I hope that you reach your targets with this, Matt.

  11. It’s time we set aside a significant portion of our day, reading books and updating our knowledge, rather than sorting our emails and doing other documentation. All the best to you Matt!

  12. I like the 30 day challenge idea. I tend to think in terms of a year, but 30 days would be easier. My goal this year was to focus on what I call call capital projects–things that produce an ongoing income, rather than things that are ephemeral. Books, rather than articles, for example.

    So far, I have one new book in print and am working on the revision of an older book, which seems a much better use of time than a handful of new blog posts. I’ve had to take a writing break to move my old HTML website to WordPress, which I hope to do without killing my rankings. A bit unnerving for someone who’s a writer, rather than a techie.

  13. Hermit mode is a great idea. But what I believe is in focus, effectiveness and moderation. Since quite some time, I have religiously and strictly practiced work time, web time and fun time. My 8 hours of work time are only restricted to work, no needless web surfing, social media or any productive communication. Web time lasts for around 2 hours, this is the time when I go crazy and surf any thing and every thing which I like. Fun time is the remaining time, which I enjoy with my family.

  14. You always need to take time to rest and enjoy time with friends and family. I enjoy your posts and can see in your trips and other things you post about you are living life to the fullest. YOLO!

  15. it’s really awful, i once tried it when i got low grades and i considered my gadgets as reason for that but once i started, it turn out to be really empty and even frustrating sometime but i managed to keep this up till my final exams and surprisingly i got good grades. But don’t know how it’ll affect you since you don’t have to give exams. Anyway,

    Best of luck

  16. I tried this last month, i lasted about 2 weeks and then found myself spending more time than before the last 2 weeks.

  17. Yes your already a huge success accomplished more than most will in a an entire career and financial secure for Life. Just do what brings you inter happiness

  18. It’s time we set aside a significant portion of our day, reading books and updating our knowledge, rather than sorting our emails and doing other documentation. All the best to you Matt!

  19. 30 day hermit challenge, great idea! Have you put any rewards on its success?

  20. Easier to say, harder to make 🙂 I was trying the same, but i cannot leave unread mails in my inbox!

  21. Too much of my day revolves around doing work on my laptop so, limiting that time to 1 hr. a day would be an Everest of a challenge for me!I do however make a concerted effort to disengage and “flip the switch” when I am offline. I like to be present in the moment and enjoy what the “real world” has to offer.

  22. For me, 5 days without using the internet and email as an insurmountable difficulty. My work most of the time on the network. So, I can not be like you. Congratulations !

  23. It`s hard sometimes to stay focused on the actual project. I´ve created a timetable for the daily routine and removed all disctracting stuff from the desk to keep things on track:
    30 mins – quick email check
    2h researching and checking the latest posts and twitter timelines
    5h php coding / development / updates
    2,5h everything else what’s left – emails, facebook, support

  24. It is very difficult for me to complete challenges, i decided to take 30 days list building challenge but failed. Just Ship It was another challenge to launch a product in 30 days. Just Ship it challenge was very interesting.

  25. 30 day hermit challenge, great idea! Have you put any rewards on its success?

  26. I tend to think in terms of a year, but 30 days would be easier. My goal this year was to focus on what I call call capital projects–things that produce an ongoing income, rather than things that are ephemeral. Books, rather than articles, for example.

    So far, I have one new book in print and am working on the revision of an older book, which seems a much better use of time than a handful of new blog posts.

  27. Perfect month for it, too. Winter solstice, time of hibernation & reflection.

  28. I couldn’t agree more with this. I also find myself doing things that take up large amounts of time, sometimes without me realizing how much time has actually passed by.

    I think I’m going to try “hermit mode” on a few things in my life as well.

    To not feel the need to answer my phone would be awesome!!

  29. I like the term hermit mode, and think I will apply it to myself come Spring, but found last year that stepping away made returning a great deal harder, uploading the previous state to my brain.

    How’d it work for you?

  30. I’ve read somewhere in this on-line world there are so many distraction it’s very difficult to be concentrating on something for more than 5 minutes. I wish you all the Matt.

    Best wishes,
    Anuj

  31. New 30 day challenge: “hermit mode” —- > very difficult for me. Thank you

  32. I like your efforts to do 30 day challenges with different aspects of your life that you are trying to improve. I think this is something that I want to try.

    I find that my time is often consumed by others, meetings, my lazy habits such as napping, surfing the Internet too much. I think it’s important to say “no” in order to spend time on the important priorities in life. I think it’s also important to break bad habits such as surfing the Internet too much. Napping is a big one for me and something I need to change. I think I need to go “hermit mode” too with a few things in my life. Thanks!

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