Author Topic: How do I stay off the Internet  (Read 4421 times)

lizzzi

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How do I stay off the Internet
« on: October 11, 2014, 11:24:58 AM »
I try to ration myself to one hour of Internet usage per day for "business" things like household case management, checking my two email accounts, checking the headlines quickly, and checking and perhaps posting in the two forums that I participate in. (One is MMM, of course.) I want to do several other things daily in the real world: mostly involving reading, writing, playing harp and piano, getting a substantial amount of outdoor exercise, and completing a fairly major house de-clutter. Do other Mustachians think an hour of Internet time daily should be enough…or does it sound like I should give myself more time? What tricks do you use to get yourself off the Net and keep yourself off the Net? I find that a few minutes of checking a quick fact like "How to Exterminate Yellow Jackets" or some such thing can lead to a wasted couple of hours reading up on everything under the sun. Do other people do this or am I the only one? And again, how do you get tough with yourself and get off the computer to do real-world stuff? I do not want to get lazy and let a situation expand into a problem.

trailrated

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2014, 11:27:33 AM »
Asking that question on an internet forum means you might be off to a bad start ;)

If not the case already maybe you should consider no internet access at your home so you have to travel somewhere with wifi to be able to access it?

swick

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #2 on: October 11, 2014, 12:22:31 PM »
Create awareness:

Step1: Read parts 1 and 2 of this post: http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html
Step2: Turn off your computer, grab  your instant gratification monkey kicking and screaming and go do something that will make you happy.
Step3: Start noticing and becoming aware of when your procrastination monkey shows up and figure out solutions.
Step4: Share above with someone you love who has problems with his/her instant gratification monkey - work on it together and be accountable to each other. 

I (think) arebelspy was the first to share it on another thread, but it is an AWESOME way of looking at and personifying procrastination.



mozar

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2014, 12:32:09 PM »
Do you work 9-5 M-F? I find that if I really don't want to use the internet that I shouldn't turn my computer on after work. I come in the house, and I don't turn it on until I've done other things I want to do. It's like tv, it becomes a habit. But I try not to beat myself up about internet use because I like wasting hours on it.

I also like having a smartphone for that reason. I can quickly check my email or a thing or two w/o turning on the ol' clunker, that takes forever to boot.

lizzzi

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2014, 01:31:43 PM »
Mozar, I'm FIRE and have a MacBook Air 11".  So it is always right there on the kitchen table for quick reference, and is very easy to take with me to places with Wifi.

lizzzi

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2014, 02:28:28 PM »
Swick, thanks for the links about procrastination--they said it all. Now the Instant Gratification Monkey and I are going out for a walk in the woods. (The real woods--outside, across the road.)

Gimesalot

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2014, 06:49:20 PM »
My friend has an application on her computer that blocks certain sites after a certain amount of time.  For example, facebook is set to an allowance of 10 minutes a day.  Reddit gets 15 minutes a day.  It works for her, and it worked for me when I borrowed her computer.

Janie

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2014, 08:36:03 PM »
Put it to sleep and close it up. Save little searches (jot them down if you want to be sure to remember them) for your next planned online session.

flashpacker

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Re: How do I stay off the Internet
« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2014, 09:33:54 PM »
I've used the Stay Focused chrome extension before. I've also used Rescue Time (free version of course). I found them useful for developing awareness of how long I was spending on certain sites.  One option would be to start with having a no internet "sabbath" type day once a week.