ideas for spending less time online

Hi everyone,

I've decided that it's time to compile a list of ideas about things we could do to help us spend less time online. I'm a night owl and internet addict, though have been getting better since I've been in a relationship.

Here's 3 of mine:
1) Cook. I don't normally cook, so this is a big one for me.
2) Clean. Same as above.
3) Go to the beach for an hour. I'm lucky enough to live within walking distance to the beach. And I try not to take my phone with me when I go.

These are just small things, but they're enough to disrupt my internet routine a bit....

I'd also like to start a project where we post some photos with a short description about things we've enjoyed while not being connected. And we only upload the photos once a week (so it doesn't add to our internet habit...) Anyone want to join me?

You can often go on nature. Beautiful nature - this is a very interest the.

Gym or manual work -- that's it for me. It has to be something that keeps my hands busy -- a walk in the nature unfortunately doesn't rule out getting my mobile with 4G connection out of my pocket

Love the nature idea. I find a walk with my dog or solo in the forest or local walking trails a great way to get off the 'net!

Take on a new hobby, like art or an instrument or something.

Swim and become a seashell collector.

Stalk people you find interesting and learn things about them for $#%^ and giggles. Bench eavesdropping.

Keeping busy! Work, little projects or even leisure are all great options. If you get into a state of 'flow' with something you'd be surprised how much time passes

I think this whole world got addicted to their cellphones. Even doing every other thing they have to outside their on their phones. People need to find things to do without playing with their cellphones.

I'm struggling with this, too. Things I enjoy doing Internet-free are:

. Driving through a country road (not in town with traffic) listening to my favorite music
. Reading a book- an actual, paper book. Over the last 6 years, my addiction to online reading has made me spend less time reading real books. I want to learn to love them again.
. Taking a walk in the woods with nature. Sometimes though this makes me daydream, and the daydreams are the maladaptive kind that are related to my online addictions.
. Baking and cooking. Especially baking cookies, but that leads to eating them too much unless I give away the treats or share.
. When I do spend time with real life friends, I feel so good, but chances to do this don't come as often as I wish. Friends are always busy.

I created a system that works well for me.

During my work time I do the following:

- I leave my phone on silent in another room. I check it briefly only for lunchtime, and then it goes away again. Maybe I'll even stop doing that.
- I have a Google Chrome extension called Block Site, where I block all the unproductive websites I used to visit and block any keywords I used to google. You can even set time frames in a day to block all the stuff like from 8AM t 7PM.
- To relax during breaks, instead of using the internet (which actually did not recharge me, probably depleted me even further), I eat an apple or an orange, go for a walk outside, drink some tea, do a quick meditation, do some quick cleaning, etc.

- after my work hours, I allow myself to use the internet for educational purposes and for watching comedy and laugh a bit. It can't be all about restrictions, there has to be some pleasure and fun, too. Sometimes I also masturbate thinking about a hot girl I saw on the street.
- I don't watch porn anymore, and that was hard. Hard as my boners were back in high school.
- Every evening I review my day in my diary (some might say that's gay that I have a diary, but whatever). I write all the good things I did, things that I could improve, and try to find solutions to any situations, which I didn't know how to respond to in the moment (that's mostly for social situations)
- I try to stay positive, relaxed, stand/sit straight and be patient. If I spent a decade of my life doing useless $#%^ online I cant expect to change my life in a week, so now I think to myself: be just one percent better than yesterday.
The patience thing is more applicable to me. I mean some people suddenly get a super strong emotional leverage to change their life, and those are the stories that sound cool, but that ain't me. I gotta go day by day. 1% and 1% and 1% and in half a year I'm going to be a different person.