How to Optimize Time Spent Online
Did you know that the average adult spends 6 hours and 38 minutes online per day?
Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash
As the digital space is used so heavily both within our work and personal life, this can often feel unavoidable – regardless of your opinion on your total amount of screentime. That being said, there are certain steps that you can take to make sure that any time spent online is time well spent. Read on to find out more!
Use it to reduce your stress levels. Regardless of the reasoning behind your stress, using your online time to combat this can be incredibly useful. This is because it can serve as a very welcome distraction to whatever is troubling you by turning your attention elsewhere. There are many ways in which you could achieve this goal, such as by playing retro games, such as pinball online. Not only is this a great throwback for anyone who spent their childhood in an arcade, but it’s also a lot of fun and a great stress-reliever.
Use it to make some extra income. Finding ways to make additional income online is another great way to optimize your screen time – and again, you have many potential options to explore in this regard. For example, you may want to participate in paid studies and focus groups, which allow you to bring in a little extra income each week/month. Alternatively, you may want to start up your own blog. Over time, this will allow you to make money while talking about something that interests you!
You could also make extra income online by finding a remote job. For example, this could include working as a remote assistant, which does not need to take up too much of your free time, depending on what the role entails.
Use it to take the next step in your career. Your time online can also be optimized by using this as a tool to take the next step in your career. For example, if you’re looking for a way to turn your love of sports into a career, this could start by writing your own sports blog (see above), learning more about the specific sports that you love, or scoping out potential job listings and opportunities.
You could also participate in a wide range of online courses that bring you one step closer to your dream job. For example, using the example outlined above, this could include courses on everything from commentating and journalism to personal training, all of which will allow you to profit from your passion.
On a similar note, you could also use your time online to network with other professionals working within the world of sports and fitness. This means that they are much more likely to think of you when any job opportunities arise, or to point you in the right direction when it comes to training and development opportunities. This, in turn, will allow you to take great steps forward in your career, proving that online time can actually be very good for your growth and development.
Use it to learn something new. Wherever you go online, you have a world of knowledge at your fingertips. As such, you could optimize your screen time by viewing it as a learning opportunity, as opposed to something you do when you’re bored. For example, you could spend a little time researching the history of your favorite sport, which means that you’re more inclined to join in conversations about it in the future (or to perform well in a pub quiz).
When learning online, make sure that you are using trusted and reputable resources (while avoiding AI-generated content). This ensures that you’re building a strong foundational knowledge that is backed up by facts and research.
Use it as a tool to connect with others. Whether you’re gaming or using social media, your time online can provide you with ample opportunity to connect with others, building strong friendships when doing so. While you should always be cautious when talking to people you do not know or have not met in real life, this could be a great way to expand your social circle.
On a similar note, these platforms can also provide you with the opportunity to stay in touch with friends and family members who live out of state (and you cannot visit all that often). In these cases, you should make sure to make use of online video calling tools and software, which can bring you together no matter how far apart you may be. However, make sure you set aside a time in your schedule to call on a regular basis. Otherwise you’ll find you’ll spend more time talking about calling as opposed to actually doing it.
Use it to become more productive. While many people view screen time as something that will limit productivity (especially if it distracts you from your work or the task at hand), the truth is that there are many ways in which it can also make you more productive. For example, you could start using time management tools or software when going online during working hours, which allows you to ensure you’re spending every minute as wisely as possible. This can also help you figure out which tasks you tend to spend the most time on so that you are in the best possible position to reduce this moving forward.
Set timers on your apps. We’ve all been guilty of picking up our phone to check a message before losing hours of our time to scrolling. However, this often means that you are wasting time without realising you are doing so. One way in which you can combat this is by setting daily timers on the apps on your phone so that you cannot spend more than a designated amount of time on them (such as 1 hour per app). You’d be surprised at just how much time this can free up in your day.
If you find this a little limiting, set yourself a daily limit instead. This way, you can balance your time between multiple apps as opposed to only getting a few minutes on each one. This is useful for those who tend to do a lot of different things each day.
Go online with a purpose. For the most part, we reach for our phones and devices subconsciously. This means that we spend a great deal of time staring at screens without having any real intention behind it. You can combat this by ensuring that you’re always going online with a clear purpose or objective in mind. For example, this could be to respond to an important email that you didn’t get round to during the day, or to check in on a friend. If you don’t have a clear reason in mind for why you’re about to go online, find something else to do with your time instead.
This is something that will take a little while to become instinctive, but once you get into the habit of it, it is a great way to optimise the time you spend both online and offline.
Give yourself a digital detox on a regular basis. Taking part in a “digital detox” on a regular basis can reduce your dependency on going online without a clear purpose or function. You may also find that it helps you to lower any stress or anxiety you may be feeling.
However, it’s also relatively difficult, especially when we’ve become so used to relying on our phones and technology to get by. Luckily, there are many ways around this. For example, you should participate in a digital detox over the weekend or whenever you have time off for work. You should also turn off or mute any non-essential notifications. While you may want to keep track of the football scores, this information can wait, and you don’t need to be given an excuse to look at your phone every five minutes. You may find it easier to complete a digital detox by putting your phone somewhere where it is not in immediate arm’s reach.
Final thoughts. Many people consider the time spent online to be somewhat fruitless. However, this often means that they are simply not spending their time online wisely, using it to scroll through social media mindlessly as opposed to doing something useful. In reality, there are plenty of ways in which you can optimize your online time, such as by:
- Using it to reduce your stress levels
- Using it to make some extra money
- Using it to take the next step in your career
- Using it to learn something new
- Using it as a tool to connect with others
- Using it to become more productive
- Setting timers on your mobile apps
- Going online with a purpose
- Regularly giving yourself a digital detox
By using the points outlined above as guidance on how you should be spending your time online, you can ensure that you feel as productive and satisfied as possible with your screen time.