As part of my first graduate class, Strategic Change I, we’re learning how employees react to various changes in companies’ strategic direction and how these companies manage change processes. My instructutor feels that we can’t really know or understand change unless we go through a personal change experiment ourselves. So our first assignment is to find a personal change project, map it out and undergo personal change through the next eight weeks. A big part of this project is to record our personal reactions to the change as it’s happening.
My change project? I’m giving up recreational web surfing.
No, really. I am. I’m sure I’ll have some interesting reactions as I struggle with the absence of the Internet in my life. There are parameters, of course — I’ll still use the web for e-Mail, blogging, banking and grocery shopping. I can’t imagine going back to the stone age of mailling my bills! However, there will be no recreational surfing. No Boing-Boing. No Defective Yeti. None of the links I have blog-rolled. I’ll probably cut out my friend’s sites as well. After all this is for higher education!
I will probably need a little help from my friends. Maybe an intervention or something, I dunno. If you see me walking around, wild-eyed and muttering about My Precious, then it’s likely I need a fix. Be a pal and take me to a movie or buy me a beer or walk me past an Internet cafe. Whatever you feel you need to do.
I’ll report back on my success or lack of it. I start tonight. Wish me luck!
