People waste a considerable amount of time on the internet using social media platforms, Netflix, text messaging and various other online activities. For teens who are born in the screen-dominated society, have a higher rate of depression and in many cases, the number of zeros has increased over time. One other fascinating thing here is that many people also waste a considerable amount of time searching for ways that can help them stay productive. Here are a few ways that can help you use the internet in a productive way:
Get a Work-Only Computer
This is a good tip for students who have more than one computer too use. This can help you remove the temptation of wasting time as you will have a computer for getting your assignments or work-related tasks done. Also refrain from installing stuff like social media apps, video streaming apps or chatting software unless theres a need to correspond with your customers, coworkers or business clients.
If you use Google Chrome and have Chrome synced with your account, you can consider creating a different Google account for your browser. This will help you stay away from unnecessary bookmarks. If you dont want to do that, you can hide the bookmarks bar on your browser.
You can also try using your computer in a different location where you can actually focus on your work better. For this, you can look for a specific spot on campus or in a coffee shop or if you are in your office, you can look for the study area as well.
Block Your Familiar Websites
One of the best ways to prevent yourself from wasting too much time using the internet would require you to block access to websites where you waste your time the most. This wont prevent you from finding a new alternative but it will prove to be effective when it comes to focusing on your tasks better. Start from blocking off the websites that you use to socialize when you are at work. This will make you use Google for more productive tasks. Get an updated version of the app rather than going on social media platforms and go through your entire Newsfeed.
Use Different Productivity Tools
You can find different productivity tools that can help you avoid any kinds of distractions over the internet. These apps are available for Mac, Android and Windows devices. For instance, you can select from the following apps that you can download using services from Spectrum which includes cable, phone and internet services.
Focus: The app helps you by blocking websites and applications that might distract you for a certain amount of time. It works as a timer that helps you focus on tasks and things that are at hand.
FocalFilter: The app helps you block websites across different browsers. It doesnt allow you to set recurring blocked periods. If you need to find a way to maintain focus while you are working on an assignment, it is a great option to have one.
Freedom: This is another tool that can help you block websites and applications across different browsers and platforms. You can use the app to block websites on iOS so you can focus on doing productive things while using your iPhones and iPad.
Cold Turkey: The app helps you block every digital distraction that you can imagine. It uses customized lists of different websites that are notorious for distracting users from focusing on their work. If you use a paid version of the app you can add other features including blocking other apps, also you can schedule blocking periods on a recurring basis.
Get Rid Of Your Notifications
Even if you have blocked access to your biggest time-sinker, your inbox gets flooded with notifications. This makes you distracted and pulls your focus away from your work.
- Eliminate your notifications on your phone.
- Put your phone on a Do Not Disturb mode when you are working.
- Dont keep social media apps and websites opened during the daytime.
Getting distracted and changing your focus from one task to another come with a cost. This cost does nothing but add more minutes to your time where you could actually have been more productive. When you disable your notifications you can focus on your work, the best.
Image credit: Stop Wasting Time via Marta Design/Shutterstock