How to Stop Wasting Time Online – And Focus on Your Goals!

Have you ever found yourself frittering your time away on the internet while you should be coding, blogging or completing your online writing project? Well, you might be doing it as a way of distracting yourself from the enormous task ahead or simply because you’ve made it a routine.

The truth is spending too much time reading fun blog posts, cruising through social media sites and/or chatting on online forums can only make you less focused and more unproductive. If you would want to get rid of this rather addictive behavior, then our practical tips on how to stop wasting time online can go a long way.

 

Here is how to do it:

 

1. Schedule Your E-Mail Time

If you have the habit of checking your email inbox every 5 minutes or so, chances are you’ll get distracted from
whatever you’re doing. It can even be worse if the task you are undertaking requires long concentration spans.

Much as you might be expecting an important mail from your content requestors, clients or friends, you don’t have to keep your e-mail tab open throughout the day.

The best way to deal with this form of distraction is to schedule some time in each day when you’ll solely be focusing
on reading and replying to your emails. This doesn’t really have to be a hard thing to follow.

A block of 30 minutes or an hour or two in the morning, after lunch and/or just before hitting the bed can be great for checking your inbox. That way, you don’t have to keep switching focus from one tab to the next hence productivity is guaranteed.

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2. Set an End Time

Nothing can keep you on toes like having a project whose deadline is just a few hours away.

You know you have to do everything possible to ensure the work is done just before time elapses. But if you don’t have any strict timelines to beat, it’s easy to procrastinate or simply let the work be.

 

You’ll end up staying on Facebook, Instagram and/or gossip blog pages the whole day with nothing to show for it. If you want to be more productive in your work, you need to set a specific end time to your day.

 

As arbitrary as it might be, it will help you get the job done just in time for you to go out with your partner, share dinner with family or simply take a rest.

 

With so much to be done in a single day, you need to be strict with your work plan, if you are to achieve meaningful results at the end of each day.

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3. Don’t Get Stuck On Social Platform

Social media platforms are great because they help you connect with close friends and allow you to get the latest news from around the globe. But if you are not careful, you’ll end up overstaying on these social websites, something that can eat much into your working time.

It all starts with liking several posts on Facebook, sliding a few messages on the DM and/or posting a photo on Instagram. Once you realize you’ve overstretched, it’s almost lunchtime or way past 4 o’clock.

So how do you steer clear of this addiction? It’s simple. Before you start working, make sure you’ve logged out all your social media accounts and if possible, block them though browser settings on your phone or computer. That way you’ll minimize the time wasted online.

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4. Write a To-Do List

Preparing a list of the things you need to do for each day and at what time sets the pace for having a fruitful day,
without wasting anytime online.

 

But even as you craft time for workout, travel plans, work, lunch and more, you should never forget to include time for browsing the internet.

 

That means you can work swiftly knowing you’ll have some time later to check out on your favorite social media pages, news sites, and latest games.

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5. Track Your Productivity

If you have to make something good out of your online venture or work, then you need to set goals (achievable ones for that matter) and track your performance as you go along.

Self-assessment can help you know what you are doing right and what you need to improve on.

Poor productivity over a week’s or month’s time may mean you are wasting too much time online or you have not been able to give it your best shot at whatever it’s you’re doing.

So, periodic assessment of yourself will allow you to re-align your strategies which will ensure maximum results at the end of each day.

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6. Close Your Browser

If you are a serial Facebook liker or an Instagrammer who can’t go 5 minutes without checking what’s popping, you might not be able to perform well in your work.

As sharp as you may be, striking a balance between working and being on social media at the same time can be a rather delicate affair, because of the divided attention.

So for you to avoid the temptation to get into social media or visit your favorite gossip site, simply close your browser (if you don’t really need it for work).

The browser is always there and you can go to Facebook, Twitter or IG and spend as much time as you wish after you are DONE with work.

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7. Take Breaks

Whether you’re working online or in a conventional work setting, taking regular breaks can steer you away from logging in to social media or visiting that travel site you so love to check on each day.

The essence of taking a break is to refresh your mind and flex your muscles so that you can continue working on your project without any bugs’.

You really need 3 to 4 breaks a day (reasonably short ones) to get your act together for even better performance and productivity.

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8. Focus on Your Goals

Setting goals is usually one thing and pursuing them effectively till accomplishment is another thing altogether.

But
if you’re focused enough, you’ll keep off any social media or online distraction that would otherwise jeopardize your performance.

If you can set mini-goals for each day and focus on them to their entirety, then you can be making meaningful progress at the end of the week or month.

That then means you have to get rid of any time-wasting site or platform from your browser, and most importantly your mind.

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My Final Thoughts  

Managing your work time is as easy as following the steps enumerated above. If you can only get rid of the online
time-wasting habits, then you’ll have enough time to plan yourself and get the job done without any distraction.

With undivided attention to your work, greater performance and higher productivity are almost guaranteed. That doesn’t mean you completing avoid getting social with your friends online or checking the latest news.

It’s a matter of priority. You can always have tons of time later to check on all these things.

 

 

What about you? Have stopped wasting time online? If so, you are welcome to share your experience in the comments below.