Abby Quillen

Freelance Content Marketing Writer and Editor

Simplify Your Time Online

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I’ve had no Internet connection or a very spotty one for the last week. I rely on the Internet for my work, not to mention to create this blog, so it’s been frustrating, maddening, and at times, depressing to be disconnected. But it’s also been eye-opening.

During my first hours without the Internet, I thought of dozens of things I “needed” to do, but could not – access my email, download a podcast, read an article, check an account balance, see what I had on hold at the library, etc. I was shocked by how much of my life I’m living virtually – not in the, um, actual world.

After my offline experience, I’m eager to streamline my online time. And I’m going to embrace five strategies toward that end. If you’re also feeling a bit over-connected, here are some things you might try:

1. Consolidate your email

Over the years, I’ve created several email accounts. I have one for my writing business, and one for this blog, and then there’s my personal email and the one I created for newsletters and the like. This multiple-email-address approach has had its advantages, but it’s inefficient. I’m ready to consolidate into one account.

2. Subscribe to your favorite blogs

I read a number of blogs regularly. These are the ones I’ll have delivered directly to my inbox. I don’t want to clutter up my email too much, so I’ll reserve subscriptions for my favorite blogs. (If you want to subscribe to New Urban Habitat, I added a subscription button to the sidebar up there on your right.)

3. Use a feed reader

For the blogs I read on a less regular basis than my favorites, I’ll continue to use my Google feed reader. It makes it easy to read many blogs in one place, but it can also be overwhelming. I find myself only visiting once a week or so. (That’s why I’m going to have my must-reads delivered to my inbox.)

4. Leave the Internet closed while you compose

I love to research, so when I’m writing an article, a blog post, or even an email, I often find myself clicking over to Google to just look up one thing … and then one more thing. I’m amazed by how much more quickly I’ve been writing without Internet access. In the future, when I need to look up something, I’ll make a note of it and do all my research at once.

5. Put Internet-surfing last on your to-do list

When I go online first thing in the morning, quite a few other things on my to-do list tend to go undone. Lately I’ve been doing all my other chores first, which keeps things running more smoothly at home and with my business.

This post is for Steady Mom’s 30 Minute Blog Challenge.

What are your strategies for simplifying online time?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Excellent tips! Thanks for sharing these good ideas. I just added another email account for myself, and have been thinking maybe I need to route them all to one place.

  3. It seems like every few months I realize my online time has gotten out of whack and I have to scale back.

    I’m trying to do some of my writing in a notebook these days.

  4. I found you via Jamie’s and am curious about your writing. I write picture books and mid-grade novels (for kids 8-13). It’s always lovely to run into other writers in the blogosphere.

    All the best.
    Caroline

  5. Great tips! I find that when I finish up ‘computer time’ it’s best if I shut the system down so I’m not tempted to check on something ‘real quick’ because, let’s face it – rarely is something on the computer ‘real quick.’ I’m trying to consolidate my time using the computer so it’s not always SO ‘available’ and taking up my precious time.

    • I know what you mean. I’m also trying to make myself shut the computer down … or it’s just too easy.

  8. Number Four is so important. I would extend that to “keep the internet closed while you’re doing ANYTHING aside from intentionally being online.” I’ve found that it’s so easy to be doing something around the house, and then think of something I’d like to look up really quickly…and then the next thing I know, I’ve spent much more time than I wanted to online. I’d like to try to designate specific online time and only research as much as can fit in that time on a particular day.

  9. Great post!!! I discovered the same thing a few weeks ago when we had a power failure for a couple of hours for a number of days running. Wow, initially I could do nothing. But I soon got up to speed and all that time I spend online I quickly figured I could be doing stuff round the house: gardening, cupboards etc.- and did we get a lot of things done that get pushed aside for messing around online!!! Now I go online for a few minutes after meals and in the evenings … I broke the daytime habit completely!!!

  10. I make lists of what needs to be done online so I’m not constantly jumping up and down onto the computer. I can spend a lot of time offline and I mostly write on paper only putting poems onto the computer at the last moment, to avoid the online distractions.

  11. Great ideas! I especially like the one where you make a list of things to research all at once. Your article is also timely to a show I watched on PBS last night: Frontline.
    Thanks for the great post.

  12. I still have multiple email accounts, but I utilize Gmail’s ability to forward those “extra” email account’s inboxes to one email address!! I love it. Only have to check ONE email, but still have different email addresses for different purposes.

    I can’t tell enough people about Yoono.com!! It’s a FireFox add on, and it serves as a sidebar functioning tool that collects all my social networking sites in one place. I COULD even have my Gmail account load there, but I don’t do that. I can view and USE my flickr, twitter, and facebook accounts all in one place. Yoono CAN access more than that. Those are just the accounts I use Yoono for.

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