These days we use internet for everything. We use it for school, work and our personal lives. Internet and social media have a lot of benefits, but it can also make you feel overwhelmed. It is important to take breaks from the internet and your social media every now and then. But how to spend less time online when it feels you use it for everything? Today, I give you tips on how to spend less time online. This will give you more balance in your life and you will probably feel more relaxed.
Why ou should spend less time online
blabla
How To Spend Less Time Online
- Set Goals
First you have to know how much time you spend online. You can easily check this on your phone and if not, you can download an app that tracks your activity. Be ready for some shocking statics. One time, I downloaded an app like that and I was shocked by the numbers, how often I opened my phone just to check if I had any messages. And on some days I spend hours on my phone. When you know how much time you spend on your phone/laptop, you can set goals for yourself. When you can use your phone and much time you want to spend on your phone. - Digital Detox Days
There is also a more extreme way to detox and that is to have digital detox days. When you have days off, maybe on the weekend you can decide to put your phone away completely and ignore it the whole weekend. This can be very challenging. But it is also very beneficial. I have done this one time and suddenly realized how much time I spent on my phone and how many things I can get done if I am not looking at my phone. So a digital detox can be helpful for those who have a very long to-do list or when you just want to read a book for a change. But it does not have to be a whole weekend. When you come home from work or school, you can also do a digital detox in the evening. - Prioritize Offline Interactions
Being online and having social media has a lot of benefits. You can easily message your friends, show them what you are doing by sharing a photo and you can make new friends easily. But real-life interactions are still way more important. This will help you with your communication skills. It is also easier to see how the other person is really feeling, because you can read their faces. Real-life interactions gives you a good feeling. It feels good to spend time with someone in real-life. You all miss that when you always talk to your friends through your phone. - Limit Social Media use
Recently on television there was a segment about spending a lot of time online. The people they interviewed admitted they spend over 5 hours a day on social media. This is for personal use only, unless you have a job in social media. But most people can limit the time they spend on social media. Say to yourself that instead of 5 hours you give yourself 1 hour. I try to give myself 30 minutes a day on social media. When you limit your time on social media, you will have more time for other things. - Offline hobbies
The other day I was thinking that the things I like to do are offline. I like to write content for my blogs, I like to create social media content and I like to write for fun. But I realized I only have one offline hobbie: reading. When I try to reduce the time I spend on my phone, I suddenly realize I don’t have offline hobbies. If you are going to do a digital detox or just reduce your social media time, make sure you have something to do otherwise you will get bored. Play a game with friends, go to the cinema, go shopping (not online), exercise or just be creative and paint something. - Mindfulness
Work on yourself, start exercising and start working on your mental health. Start meditating and become more confident. The better you feel, the better choices you make. When you feel poor, you just want to lay on your couch, watching tv and scrolling on your phone. When you feel energetic and excited you make different choices. Find ways to reduce your stress, read books on how to improve your mental health and just go out for a long walk in the evening.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
