the waste of precious life time and how to stop it.

I love the internet. That's fact. I could spend days on my laptop and browse the world-wide-web. And that's a pity, actually.

While browsing through Pinterest, I came across this article and it suits perfectly the topic of this post. We live in a technology-improving world, where children learn that it is important to be on-line and to use technological things to experience the world.

In the article (link above), a mother describes the growing addiction of her six year old son to the iPad, the change of his personality and how he became unenthusiastic about all the things he liked before the iPad, like drawing, reading time or to go outside.

It's not far-fetched. It's reality. It doesn't only concerns the children, but also us adults. Best example: ME.

I spend far to many hours on the internet, before work, and when I am back home. I feel constantly the need, to check my mail account(private & work), to reblog things on tumblr or to visit my facebook page. I am working  constantly on being less in the internet. I try to check my mail only for a few minutes in the morning and evening, (the weekends should be internet free), to get an update on all the important things that have to be done (work mails etc.) or to get an update of all my favourite blogs.

I dont want to waste precious time. Life is lived off-line, making memories in real life, meeting friends - make new friends, experience new things, enjoying fun nights out.

***

Lately, I found myself working a lot. It feels like I am living only for my work. I haven't seen friends and family for ages. I feel what it does to me: I feel lonely. In oneof those moments, I decided to step back from the internet as much as possible. Of course there are times, when I need it, may it to check my email-account from work, to write mails to colleagues and parents or to research things (and of course to update my blog and read my favourite ones). But in between these moments, I try to avoid it. I started last weekend. 

My laptop usually stands on my dining table. Always present, ready to tempt me using it whenever I have time. But this weekend, I put it away, out of sight and it felt....Great! As soon as it was out of sight, I didn't have the desire to get my laptop out again. And suddenly, I had so much more time for others things. 

***

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." 

***

This moment, I realised how much time I waste on the internet. Time I could have used much better and wiser. This past weekend showed me that it is okay, not to be online every time. It's not the end of the world. And in the end, it has a positive effect on my life: I am more relaxed, more positive and less stressed. I am learning now to aprreaciate the time more  that is given to me. I made a list of things I always wanted to try or to do but never had time to realize:

|writing poems and stories | taking walks in the evening | reading more books | sketching and drawing | starting a new hobby | staying in bed a bit longer | starting a morning/ evening ritual |  trying out new recipes | meeting new people and old friends more often| 
go on (spontanious) adevntures |

Here are some tips and tricks I'm following. I found them from different sources on the internet:

• Try to limit your time inside of your house.
• Be patient. Behavioural conditioning is a long process, and breaking a habit takes time - as much as you'd like to, you probably won't stop doing it overnight. Set realistic goals and plan to have the behaviour wiped out in 30 days. If you get to the end of a month and find you need more time, take another 30 days. As long as you're still improving, don't pay too much attention to how long the process is taking. You'll get there eventually. You just got to do it!
• Think about what will happen in the future when you have finally overcome your bad habit.
• Believe in yourself. Telling yourself you can't do something is a bad cognitive habit that needs breaking!
• Remember to reward and congratulate yourself when you do well.
• Take on one habit at a time, two at most. Any more than that, and you'll feel overwhelmed.
• Set some boundaries. Even though you're having fun while browsing the internet, you need to set yourself boundaries!
• Turn off the computer. It is a simple as it sounds. 

How we spend our life time is up to us. It is all a matter of decisions, we make. I for myself decided to enjoy life more, to live it to the fullest. Like my blog title says: "A Complete Life - living a simple and inspirational life". This is what I try to focus more in my life - the simple and delightful things in my life. And this is what I want to share with you here on my blog :)