Mission: No Search
I went a whole day without searching, scrolling, or asking AI anything. My brain felt weird. And not in a peaceful way.
Yesterday, I tried something I called a “No-Search Day.” The rules were simple: no internet searches, no asking questions to AI apps, and no social media or YouTube. Why did I do it? Honestly… just because I wanted to see what would happen.
I often catch myself looking something up the second a question pops into my head—then suddenly it’s an hour later and I’m swimming in 25 tabs of follow-up questions. So I wondered, what would a day without searching even look like?
The result? Well... the day felt a little less colorful. A little less sparkly. Sure, I did lots of “analog” things—like going for a walk, reading a book, listening to records, and taking care of my plants. And all of that was genuinely nice. But compared to a search-enabled day, it felt... kind of under-stimulating. Which is embarrassing to admit, but maybe I’ve become the kind of person who’s addicted to internet stimulation.
It felt like the difference between a wholesome, home-cooked meal and a flashy, chemical-filled snack from a vending machine. If analog activities are slow, nourishing meals made by hand, then the internet is like junk food: highly processed, ultra-seasoned, and designed to make you crave more.
And just like junk food can mess with your sense of taste, maybe too much online stimulation makes the real world feel a little... dull. I realized I’ve been relying on the internet to add “excitement” to my day—but maybe that’s not the kind of richness I actually want.
The more time I spend online, the more my brain starts to fog up. I think, “Okay, I should stop soon,” but it’s like my attention has floated far, far away. Even if something catches my heart at first, I end up feeling kind of numb by the end.
Even Ethan Hunt from the latest Mission Impossible movie said it:
“You spend too much time on the internet.”
(So true, Ethan. So true.)
We’re born with bodies that can smell freshly baked bread, notice the way flowers bloom, and hug the people we love. To really enjoy all those things, I think I need to sharpen my senses again—so I can be fully present in the offline world.
So from now on, I want to use the internet in moderation, and give more love to the real-life experiences that make my senses sparkle.