Edited by Wes Platt, Tom Viren, Scott Hanson, Ben Rubenstein and 46 others
Spending hours and hours in front of the computer? Many people suffer from addiction to the internet and have a hard time paying attention to the important things around them.
- 1Admit you have an addiction. Understand that you do have an internet addiction, and that there is no use in avoiding the truth.
- 2Realize that more and more people in the world are becoming addicted to the internet. You are not the only one with this problem, it is becoming more and more common and more and more well known. Do not be embarrassed, find others with the same problem and help each other beat it.
- 3Get a hobby or an interest that doesn't involve the internet, video games, TV, cell phones, smartphones, portable media players or computers. Get involved with teams, clubs, sports, church, music, dancing, singing, etc. Go for a run with a friend or get exercise some other way. Go to bed on time and get a good night's rest. Keep up with the local events in your community. There may be talks, film screenings, concerts, local sporting events, and book signings etc. Find some, as long as it is not on the internet, and get involved.
- 4Complete your studies. If you are a student then do your homework and study. This is a great thing to do right away when you get home. You will feel great knowing that you did your homework early. Read books or research at the library instead of browsing Wikipedia for information. Teachers would rather have you use a real book than Wikipedia. Study lessons that you learned for the day, whether there's a test the next day or not.
- 5Help with meals. Your parents will be happier that you're helping out with dinner or dishes instead of chatting online. Cook or bake something one night for the family. Anything that gets you off the computer for a while will help and increase your confidence that you can stay off even longer.
- 6Hang out with friends. Plan a trip to the bowling alley, mall, or ice rink. Get a friend to walk a dog with you for the afternoon. Avoid places that have free internet access such as coffee shops.
- 7Plan family nights. Instead of watching TV or doing individual things during dinner time, eat dinner as a family on the table and plan games afterward.
- 8Limit your computer time. Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week. If you have a laptop, make sure to put it somewhere that you can remember but not somewhere that you see every day. Try keeping the lid closed when you are not using it; when the computer is not looking at you, you are less likely to use it. If you have a desktop PC, try not to go near it or put something over it like a sheet.
- 9Call people instead of sending instant messages. Call a friend and ask them to go outside for at least 3 hours a day. This will distract you from the computer. Also try doing your homework together.
- 10Use an alarm clock or timer. Before using your computer decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes. Set the clock or timer and make sure that you get off the computer when the time is up. Alternatively create a shutdown timer shortcut on your desktop (google search "shutdown timer" for tutorials). This can be programmed to shutdown your computer after a predesignated time after it has been activated.
- 11Don't eat meals at your computer! Eating at a separate place will help you to not go online.
- Regulate your sleeping pattern. A lot of people lose sleep while on the internet and mess up their sleeping pattern. It will be beneficial to you as you will become more organized and self disciplined.
- Have ambition in mind that i can do this!
- Try to stay off websites that are addictive. If you have problems getting off of these sites, just have someone else block these sites using your built in Content Advisor or if you are using Windows Vista, use the parental controls to control internet access and time on computer.
- Make a list of reasons why you will be happier when you use the internet less.
- Remember to take breaks to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and take care of your hygiene.
- Try using the computer at the library. You won't be as tempted to look at certain websites (such as porn, etc.)and they do have a limit on how long you can stay online. Also, the library is a good place to get some good books and magazines to read, so you won't be as tempted to be on the Internet at home.
- Every time you log on to different sites, set yourself a timer, and a small list of what you want to do within that time, and then try and make yourself log off when the time is up. Do this constantly, but try to reduce the amount of time you are on the page by 5 minutes each time.
- If there are pages which you look at constantly for information (like wikipedia), simply copy all the text and save it in a file, or even print it off. This will stop you from using the Internet so often, and it will stop you from drifting to another page.
- Turn off email notifications, subscriptions or anything else that may turn your attention to the Internet.
- Get your friends and family to help by reminding you when you have been on a long time.
- If you need to look up a topic, do it as fast as you can, but don't sit down. Stand up the entire time you're browsing, and don't allow yourself to sit down.
- Think about the money you will save without having internet.
- Cancel your internet connection or get rid of your computer.
- If you plan on quitting the Internet forever, do not think about doing anything with the internet.
- You may still need the computer for school/work or for a college project. That's fine, just don't overdo it.
- After about 15 minutes on the computer, get up and stretch to prevent eye and muscle fatigue. Long periods of time with your hands at a keyboard or mouse can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and other serious disorders.
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