spend less time on the internet

Also maybe, spend better time on the internet. For example, I don’t mind spending awhile if what I am doing is fun and/or useful… but there have been times when idly browsing, and it isn’t always the best use of it.

Some ideas I found on a site (Goaskalice), anyway:

Keep track of time.
To start out, you may want to use a journal to keep track of how much time you spend online. For example, each time you log on make a note of how long you spend online. How much time to you spend on IM, email, games, or other websites? A journal can help you get an accurate picture of the extent of your Internet use. Is there a particular day or time that you chat a lot, like late at night or on weekends? You can also use the journal to record and compare time spent on other daily activities versus online. Armed with this information, you can set realistic goals for reining in your Internet use.

Make a plan.
If you want to cut down your Internet use, there’s no need to go cold-turkey. Your plan to limit time on the web to an hour a day is a good start. To reach your goal, you may want to schedule a particular time for when it’s ok to log on, for example one hour after dinner. You may even want to set a timer at the opposite side of the room. When your time’s up, you will have to get up from the computer to turn off the alarm. Alternatively, you could schedule your Internet session before another appointment or commitment so you have a concrete reason to sign off on time.

Stay busy.
To avoid get caught in the Net, think of other fun ways to occupy your time. Do you enjoy playing a sport, reading, or cooking? Perhaps now would be a good time to pick up new hobby or skill.

I’m addicted. If I’m not on the net/PC in general for a bit and having fun doing whatever else, for awhile I can be totally fine, and there are lots of things I like to do that don’t involve the net, and I’d never want to be on it and never do anything else, but once I’m on the net… it can sometimes be hard to get off, unless there’s something else I really want to do, and even then it can be a little hard not to, say, ‘read one more e-mail’ or something. I don’t know why this is. I want to motivate myself to try 2 things:
1) Time myself, say, half an hour checking e-mails (if I did this often I might get them more sorted out, clean out my inbox is one of my goals after all)... or, no more than 15 minutes in one go answering random questions on 43T (for example)
2) Do the FLY Lady ‘1 hour’ challenge. Get off the PC for 1 hour (time it again) and see what I can get done (this doesn’t mean sit in front of TV for an hour, but to be honest I don’t watch much TV in the first place – BBC iPlayer on the other hand…)
I have yet to do either. They sound good though, don’t they? I don’t even mind being on the internet for a long time every once in awhile, if I’m enjoying myself, getting things done… but sometimes I even want/need to do other things, yet time just passes on the net and I don’t realize, and it can be a bit annoying.