Limiting Computer Time

God has really been convicting me lately about my computer usage. I am finding that I don't have time to read, work on crafts or be outside because I am spending so much time on the Internet. To be honest, I feel that I am a bit addicted to the Internet! I find that if a day goes by and I haven't had much or any time on the internet that I feel like I might have missed something important, or that something interesting might have slipped by me.
When something becomes so important to us that we spend the most time doing that one thing, then it is becoming an addiction. This can be the Internet, TV, friends, etc. Whatever we spend the most time on is what is most important to us.
As Christians, we should be spending the majority of our time in service to our Lord, not in service to ourselves. When we find ourselves spending more and more time on ourselves it is time to evaluate our actions.
Of course, I don't want to downplay the use of the computer and media. It can be a wonderful resource to reach many people with the gospel, help us learn new things and connect with far away friends. But when we spend endless time on "fun" things, it can end up being a time waster.
Because of this, I have been evaluating what I am doing on the computer and how I can cut down on the time I spend on it. Here are a few things I came up with:

~Pray
Yes, that's right-pray! Pray that God would give you an extra measure of self-control in this area. Ask Him to help you find other things to fill your time. If need be, ask Him to even take your desire to be on the computer away. If you are committed to doing this He will help you to spend you time otherwise.

~Set Small Goals
Unless you want to, don't quit "cold turkey". Set small goals and strive to meet those goals daily.
One goal I have started with is no computer after dinner. This time can instead be used to make new items for my Etsy shop, read, watch a movie, etc. This may be the only time you have together as a family, so it is important to use that time to be together, instead of glued to the computer.

~Only Do Certain Things on Certain Days
I recently started doing this, and I think it will be really helpful in cutting down on the time I spend on the Internet. I have set Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as my "Etsy Days", where I spend time listing items in my shop and promoting my shop. I will usually list 1 item, and put one item "in draft" so I can easily list it the next day without spending more than 30 seconds on it. I'm working on listing at least 5 new items weekly for the upcoming Christmas season, so having this draft option is very helpful in cutting down on the time I spend listing items.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are my "Blog Days". These are the days I spend entering giveaways and writing a blog post.
This can also apply if you have a Facebook page, Twitter page, Pinterest, etc. Set certain days you update these sites and do your best to limit your time on there.

~Cut Down on the Blogs You Read
My goal is to follow 50 or less blogs. I currently follow over 150 blogs, and find I don't even read many of them. A great way to figure out if you really need to follow a blog is if  you read ever or almost ever post they publish. If you do, then go ahead and follow. But if you find yourself rarely reading the posts, stop following. If you are unsure if you really want to stop following, write down the URL in a notepad and then quite following. If you find yourself missing the blog, follow again. If not, then keep the URL around for future reference but don't follow the blog again. The less blogs you follow is less time you spend on the computer.

~Earn Your Time
A great way to limit your time is to "earn" it. Maybe you have to complete an hour of work to earn an hour of computer time. Maybe you have to read for an hour to earn an hour on the computer. Also set certain times you will or won't be on the computer. My goal is to not get on the computer until noon or after. The morning is my most productive time, so I don't want to use up my time and energy on the computer.

~Take A Day Off
Try taking one day a week off of the computer. Completely off. Now I know some of you have to use the computer for school work or Etsy shops (like myself), so during those times try to not get on the Internet, check blogs/Facebook, etc.
I am setting Sundays as a "no computer" day. I don't work in my Etsy shop on Sundays, and very few people post on their blogs on Sundays, so there really isn't any need to get on.

Thinking that you will be bored not being on the computer as much? Thing again! There are so many different things you can do that you probably won't even miss that time.
That time could be spent reading, learning a new skill like knitting, crocheting painting, drawing, sewing, writing, etc. You could learn a new musical instrument or improve the one you already play. You could make a new recipe and share it with your family. You could clean up and organize you room. You could volunteer.
You could take a walk.You could memorize Scripture.  See? There are so many things you could do and I haven't even exhausted the list of things to fill your time. We have only one life to live-how will your spend your life? I would much rather get to the end of my life and look back at all of the wonderful things I did with my time instead of looking back and thinking of all the time I spent on the computer when I could have done something else.

How about you- are you spending your time wisely?

Are you spending more time on yourself or on God?

Evalute your life and be commited to

 making any necessary changes - you will be glad you did!