I'm addicted to browsing the internet. Large chunks of my day are spent just cruising my favorite websites. It can even be argued that my latest project, oolah.net, is one big effort to aid my browsing addiction. Yes, it is a method of timewasting, but in reality it is much more than that. There are several real and valuable benefits to browsing:
Head-Clearing
Browsing the internet is a time to clear my mind from whatever I was working on, and perhaps come at it from a different angle when I return. Occassionally while working on a difficult problem, I will become so consumed at finding the answer, that it actually prevents me from solving it. I becomed too involved, focused too narrowly. Taking a brief break to check the sports page can pull me back a bit and take a new, running start at solving the problem.
Ideas!
Browsing message boards, news sites, and blogs all have the potential to create a spark of an idea. By ignoring the impulse to browse and see what's new on the net, I may be closing myself off to new ideas and insights that I wouldn't otherwise attain.
Marketing
I frequent quite a few message boards and blogs during my browsing time, and I often leave comments and postings, all of which have links back to my various websites. My time spent consumed on message boards, which I would be on anyways, all help to increase the popularity of my websites, and theoretically make me money. Not bad for something most would label as time wasting!
See, there are three very good reasons to keep browsing. I know what you're saying...that this is just a poor attempt at justifying my bad habits. That could be, but either way, I'm not likely to stop, so I might as well just embrace it!
