How long do you spend on the internet each week

[crazlunatic]

I wanted to keep track of how long I spent on the internet this week and the results were horrendous: Just this week alone I was on the net for 36 hours, that is almost 2 WHOLE DAYS of this week!!!

Please reply with how many hours you think or know you surf each week. I'm looking for a group of people who would like to cut back on this with me?

I'm thinking of using the all-at-once method, which is to just stop accessing my sites completely for as long as possible. Disconnecting myself from the internet is not possible since I need (seriously) to use it almost everyday.

Edit: I screwed up on the poll. I was thinking day instead of week -_-
Brutha: I changed it to day, and resetted the vote count

[fernando]

Hey pal, how's it going?

First of all, why are you talking about Internet usage as bad thing? The Internet is, in different degrees, a very important thing in a lot of people's lives. I don't think you should consider being online something you should avoid o cut back just because you have a general idea that being online is bad. The Internet can be "good" or "bad", it all depends on how you use it and what you do and don't do offline.

Now, I'm thinking you're probably saying you're not doing other things you'd like to do because you're online "too much". If that's the case, first of all determine what are those things you want to do instead and how much time you need or want for it.

Going for the actual cut back on your online time, first of all look at your online habits. Do you read blogs a lot? Go over your sites list (feeds or bookmarks) and delete everything except the ones you really like or enjoy. Cut the crap there, we all follow sites that are of little interest for us.
Do you do a lot of instant messaging? You might consider not opening your IM software until late on the day and do the rest of the things you have to do without chat windows popping up all the time.
Do you do a lot of random web browsing through search engines and such? Consider looking at stuff you really want or need and don't do it just because you can. I sometimes find myself looking for cool staff on eBay until I tell to myself "You don't need this! And you're looking to spend money on it! Go do the dishes instead!" and I'm out. LOL

Again, don't consider the fact that you're online a certain amount of time as bad thing unless you notice some sort of obsession with some kind of content or activity. Also, think about what you're not doing because you're online instead. If you find there are important things you should be doing but are avoiding because of your online habits, then go over these tips to see how can you make a cut back.

And just to let you know that you're OK, I spend online about 10 hours a day. LOL That's mostly because my job requires my online presence a lot, but even so I don't think my being online this much is bad. Specially since I still do offline stuff like any other person: house work, errands, jogging, being with friends, etc.

Anyway, hope this helps a little.

[supertom]

for fun or just in general??

[m0vingon]

Ooh, a minimum of 3 hours a day. Some days it's practically all day. HUGE time sink in my life.

I'll bet a number of others who post here are in the 36 hours/week range as well.

[Toefur]

I think I am probably more than 36 hours...

I need to get into the habit of doing the tasks I need to do, and then leave the computer off until the next day. Otherwise I just keep doing things, and checking things over and over again.

Definately want to cut my time down...

[Jamie]

Is there a tool that can automatically track your internet usage? Or which app you're using (browser, email etc). Then like after a week or something, you can view the results as a chart?

I think that would be great, to look back and see just how much time you do spend on the net, could shock you in to spending less time, or making the time you do spend, less, but more productive.

[JimOfferman]

Internet and e-mail are my main communication channels, so I spend quite a lot of time online. 40 hours a week for work alone, although I expect that to fall quite dramatically once I get out of the gaming bizz.

(note: by 'main' I don't mean most important, just that the bulk of my communication is over the internet and e-mail)

[Jennihul]

Three hours a day, M-F. But I multitask. I watch my recorded TV at the same time. Other than than I watch very little TV unless it's hockey, which I can do while I use the internet, as well.

Saturdays and Sundays, I surf from the time I get up, whenever that is, to a limit of 11am or noon. Then get on with my day.

Email is less than 1% of my time here. (See The 4 Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss.) But I rarely go over my 500 minutes on Vonage or my 500 minutes on my cell phone and I text about three times a week. So just because I CAN communicate with anyone from anywhere doesn't mean I feel compelled to. People are just wack with the time they spend communicating now.

Forums are probably 50% of my time online but I learn and teach and I am very selective about the threads I enjoy so it's not a huge time suck nor a total waste of time. I delete most of the email newsletters I am subscribed to without reading them. One can tell from the subject line that most are a re-hash of stuff I already know or have already heard.

A small % is online shopping, browsing or basic maintenance of subscriptions, programs, etc.

The rest is exploration. It's like my own library. The world at my fingertips. It's a wonderful window into all knowledge.

Usta chat but that is a time suck. It can get you in trouble too. Gave that up, for the most part. Sometimes I use IM to chat with my husband when he's up in the loft working and I am down on the couch watching my recorded TV.

Jennifer

[yogesh sarkar]

I normally use internet 7 hours a day, which comes out to be 49 hours a week

[Tayrak]

If you're getting something useful out of the internet I don't think it's a waste of time. I spend a lot of time on the internet, 3 hours is nuthin'. A lot of that time is spent learning, but a bunch is time spent with 'people', I get as much as I give in that case so it works for me.
If you feel your time is wasted just shut 'er down and walk away.

Tayrak