Managing time on the internet

As I walked into work today, I was told by a friend not to connect to the corporate network. There was a virus going around which was bringing everyone's computer down.

I did as I was told and later realized what a blessing it was to bump into someone who was kind enough to pass this message along to me before I brought my computer to a standstill and spent all day trying to fix it. Oh imagine the frustration I would have to deal with!

As I logged into my daily 9am meeting (on the phone), we talked how cool it would be to not have network for half a day every week. Think about it - wouldn't it be amazing? You can use this time for innovative thinking, reading up on material that you otherwise would not find time for, managing your PC/inbox/etc (which I only do on weekends), and so much more. There would be no meetings to attend during this time and no conference calls. The possibilities are endless.

At the same time though, I was able to get onto the Internet from my iPhone and find out what the problem was, and also a fix for it. I helped a few people with this information and they could bring their computers back up. Ah - the power of Internet!!!!

However, as I reflected upon this all day, I realized that you can spend all day, every day on the Internet, doing various things. But as much as its beneficial, its detrimental too. It is important to strike a balance and not become a slave to it.

I do some things for managing my time on the Internet:

- On most days, I browse news, social networking sites, personal emails, blogs, etc only twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening.
- I finish my work during my work hours and do my best to not login from home in the evening/night.
- I use the wi-fi capability on my iPhone to do most of my personal stuff during the work day. I do this when I'm not at my desk - like bathroom breaks, going to cafe, walking towards car in the parking lot, etc. That way I spend the least amount of time for such things on my PC.
- I take print-outs of manuals, documents, etc that are lengthy and need more than 15 mins to review. I read those instead of spending that time reading them on the computer screen.
- I could never read a book online. Audio books are okay, but kindle is just not for me.
- I only use one instant messenger - gtalk. And I stay offline during work hours on most days, so as to minimize interruptions.

There are some off days, where I don't follow the above mentioned things, but I make a conscious effort each day to stick to these rules. It helps me focus and be productive at my work, and also gives me quality time in the evening to spend with myself or my family at home.

All these are from a perspective of an individual working in the corporate world, like me. There are several exceptions and these may not apply to your situation.

Do you have any tips for managing time on the Internet effectively? Please share, I would love to hear them.