Six Ways to Simplify Your Time Online

Spending time online – surfing the Internet, reading and commenting on blogs, writing and then, writing some more are an important part of who I am and what I do. However, with the recent situation at home, I’ve had to take a long, hard look at how I spend my time online and maximize it to yield the greatest benefits. So, here is what I’ve done to simplify my time online while continuing to work, write and read.

1. Prioritize

One of the first things that I did to simplify and organize my time online was to prioritize. I know that I need to be online for learning and earning , therefore, my focus was to make time for these two needs first. Recreational activities, like Twitter and Facebook, came lower down the list and while I enjoy connecting and networking, I realized that I’d have to keep them for days when I had time freed up from writing and reading.

2.  Plan Your Time

I also spend 10 to 15 minutes each evening, planning out my time online for the next day. Nothing fancy, basically a  list of things that I must-do while am online – articles and blog posts to be written, emails that HAVE to be replied, topics that I must research.

3. Prepare

Before I sit down to start writing or researching, I get my workspace in order. Books and magazines that I need to reference for articles, a glass of water, my cell phone are all placed within easy reach. This small ritual of preparation helps to reduce distractions (see #4) and also, cuts down the time I would have spent looking (read, hunting) for a particular book or article.

4.  Put Off Distractions

When I’m writing, I turn off Tweetdeck and Yahoo IM, don’t log into Facebook,  and only keep my Word file open along with any other online reference that I might be using. Then, I just write. No distractions mean more time spent doing things that you should be doing.

5. Practice Mindful Reading

I love being able to extend mindfulness to all aspects of my life and reading is no exception. However, I’d noticed that very often, I’d have 3-4 blogs open in different windows or tabs and I’d hardly be paying any attention to what was actually written. Now, I open just one blog at a time from the list that I’m subscribed to (I use email subscription and have a particular email address dedicated to all my subscriptions), read mindfully and if need be, comment. Reading mindfully helps me to read, absorb and learn more in less time.

6. Pare Down

Closely connected to mindful reading and prioritizing is paring down online reading. With time at a premium, I had to decide which blogs and websites to follow and which to unsubscribe from. Tough decision, but I had to do it. So, now I follow only a handful of blogs. I’ve bookmarked a few others that I visit whenever I have some free time online and this has really helped me to read only what I need or use.

Simplifying my time online and organizing it has not only helped me to focus, learn and write more, it has helped me to get rid of several time-wasting online activities, like checking everyone’s FB status every 20 minutes! Plus, the added joy of using my limited time online in a positive and productive manner.

I’d love to hear your tips and tricks on managing time while online? What helps you to stay focused when surrounded by the tons on information on the Internet? Do share!

Photo Credit: John Loo