Redeeming the Time - How to Manage Internet Time

I've confessed it before - I struggle managing my time online. It seems so simple - just stop spending so much time in front of the computer, right? Goodness knows I've got many, many other things to do with my time! However, it hasn't been that easy for me. A quick check of my email turns into replying to a friend, checking in on a thread on a message board I belong to, reading the other threads on the message board, popping in on Facebook, reading a blog I enjoy, following a link from that blog to another blog... and so on!

Suddenly my day is gone, my children are unruly, I'm irritable, the house is a mess and dinner isn't ready! How does that even happen?! I know I am not the only person who gets sucked in like this, so I wanted to share what I've done to combat it and control it.

First, I've prayed. I've confessed it as a sin to the Lord. Yes, I said sin! No, there's nothing in the 10 Commandments that says "Thou shalt not be online all day"! But, God has given me very specific responsibilities - to raise and train my children, to keep my home, to love and respect my husband - and all of these things require careful management of my time and energy. Not to mention the numerous scriptures regarding idleness! So, to waste my time online instead of being about His work IS a sin.

After confessing and acknowledging it for what it is, I've prayed for help to overcome this sin. One of the fruits of the spirit is self-control, and I know I need a big dose of it - but I can't obtain it without His help. Oh, yes, I can try to get it on my own accord, but ultimately, it always leads to failure. So I need His help, through the Holy Spirit.

Then, I've made myself accountable to my husband. I told him the struggle I've been having, and asked him to keep me accountable. Using a Firefox Add-on called Time Tracker, I am able to see how much time exactly I've spent online each day. And my sweet hubby can see it, too! And he can very gently, or not-so-gently if needed, remind me, scold me, or otherwise guilt me into being much more aware of where my time is going.

I'm going to go ahead and be real here - there were days when my online time logged in at anywhere from 4-6 hours in a day. HOURS! Now, it wasn't like I was sitting myself down for hours at a time staring at the monitor... no, it was just those "little checks here, little checks there..." and wow, did the time accumulate! So you see, when I say it was a problem... it was a problem.

The most drastic step I've taken has been to actually implement another Firefox Add-on, called "LeechBlock". This program allows you to block certain websites, block certain usage times, only allow certain websites and usage times, and so on. It's very versatile. So, I installed it and created parameters for myself - the internet is inaccessible to me from 7:30 am until 5:30 pm, with a small 15-minute break at noon. The kids can still access the sites they need for school, but that's it. If the temptation were to become too strong, I can even ask Michael to put a password on the program so that I can't access it to override my limitations! Thankfully, it hasn't come to that.

As the days have gone by with my enforced limited internet access, the Holy Spirit has also been doing it's work and curbing my appetite for screen time. Of course, the benefits of not spending all my time on the computer has shown up in all areas of my life, as well as my family's. School is running much more smoothly, I'm able to be more consistent in training the children, not to mention the little fun things we're doing that we rarely did before because I thought I "didn't have time". I'm better about decluttering and staying on top of my chores, and meals are planned and ready on time! It's amazing all the time I have now - I feel such much less stressed and rushed all the time, because I'm not so distracted. Go figure!

I know the temptation and lure is still very real in my flesh, so I won't be letting my guard down for quite a while. But I also know that the Lord is on my side in fighting this battle, and with His help, I will overcome this! Thank you for letting me "be real" and hopefully this can help others out there who may share the same struggle!