Computer Time & Family Life Pt 3: Setting Up a Computer Schedule

This interview with Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom and Biblical Womanhood is broken up into several articles, due to the amount of wonderful information we gathered. 
If you missed Balancing Computer Time and Family Life part 1 or Balancing Computer Time and Family Life part 2, go read them first.
Danelle asked: Some people, especially bloggers, might find that limiting their computer time makes them feel rushed or is if they don’t have enough time to accomplish what they need to do.  What advice do you have for people who would like to start using a schedule to limit their computer time that might help them avoid this “rushed” feeling?

Crystal Paine said:  “First off, if you’ve never had any sort of schedule for your computer time and are used to spending hours on it a day, don’t expect to set computer boundaries overnight. It will take time and effort to develop self-discipline. Think about what your ideal would be for computer time- when you’d like to be on the computer, how long you’d like to be on, and specific times you’d like to stay off the computer.

“Then, take these ideal goals, and think of smaller steps you could take to reach these. Perhaps if you are used to being on the computer at all hours of the day, all throughout the day, you could start by choosing one or two hours in the middle of the day when you will not- under any circumstance- turn your computer on. If it helps, go so far as to shut the entire computer down and off during these times. Once you’ve mastered this, then move on to going for longer periods with the computer off. Then learn the art of using a timer to stick to your daily designated computer times.”

Danelle:  Since setting up computer-free times might be a very difficult task for some people in the beginning, try this tip.  Choose a weekend day to cut back on your computer time, and go somewhere out of the house with your family (make sure the computer won’t be going with you.)  Try an activity or place where you’ll be so busy doing something fun with your spouse and kids that you don’t even notice being away from the computer – think bowling, a family adventure walk, movie theater, a picnic at the park, fishing, watching a live sporting event, etc.
After a few weekends in a row spending time out of the house without your computer, it won’t feel as foreign to stay at home during your selected day and do activities not computer-related.

Crystal Paine said: “At the same time, you also need to consider areas where you might need to cut back or eliminate things when it comes to spending time online. Are there certain websites or online activities which are taking large amounts of your time? Would your time be spent more wisely doing something else? Perhaps you need to stop visiting certain websites or set up specific boundaries for yourself in order to spend less time online.

“I personally have found I can easily waste large amounts of time chatting online or by being involved in message forums. So I have actually disabled all chat features on my computer and have a rule of thumb to never comment in message forums. This has saved countless hours for me.”

Danelle:  I have performed this time-wasting audit myself, and found that certain activities take up way too much of my blogging time.
A perfect example is the apps in Facebook.  There are lots of fun goodies, like sending Facebook presents, plants, playing games, memes, birthday calendars, etc., but all those Facebook apps (and every invitation to take part in one) takes more and more of your time.
Are they helping you create relationships with fellow bloggers or individuals online?  Maybe not.  Perhaps that time would be better spent reading the same individuals’ blogs and leaving meaningful comments.  I found the apps took so much of my computer time that I have now blocked all Facebook applications.  Drastic measure, I know, but I value my family time enough to know that I need limits.
There are also activities that I say no to on certain days.  I sometimes cut out Twitter completely on Saturday and don’t even log in, because I know tweeting can take a lot of my blogging time.  On Fridays, I do no other computer work but writing, which I can usually do without logging into any social media sites.  I call it Post-Only Friday, and look forward to a relaxing day of writing for my blogs without other computer responsibilities.  Because of this clear boundary, I usually finish my posting early in the day and have lots of time to spend Friday night on fun family activities.

Crystal Paine said:  “The most helpful thing of all for me has been to set aside one day per week to keep the computer off–for the entire day. It might seem impossible at first for you to consider doing something like this and I’m not saying everyone needs to, but I actually look forward to the quietness of my completely-computer-free Sundays. And I don’t think I really have ever missed anything life-changing as a result from not turning on my computer!”

Thank you so much to Crystal Paine for doing this interview with us and sharing such life-altering information!  Time is the great equalizer; we all have the same amount of time in a day no matter what.  How we choose to spend the minutes of our life is, after all, how we spend our life.  Looking back on our time on this Earth, will we be proud that we created the lives we wanted for ourselves and our families?
Let us know how you limit computer time and balance family life in the comments below! If you enjoyed this series and found it useful, please pass it on by posting about it on your blog or sharing on your favorite social site.  Thank you!

• Balancing Computer Time and Family Life, part 1
• Balancing Computer Time and Family Life, part 2
• Balancing Computer Time and Family Life, part 3