Limiting my computer usage (drastically)

Nibble

I've known that I need to do this for years now, but after reading this post I've decided to finally take action against my computer addiction. Basically, I have issues dealing with stress, and I use my computer to avoid all sources of stress to the point where about 90% of my free time is spent using my computer, just browsing Digg, Reddit and PA, and playing video games. I actually find it incredibly boring and hate that I waste my time doing it, but it's just easier than dealing with real life. I keep my laptop on my bed, and I stay online until 2-3AM doing nothing productive.

Now I really want to stop it. First, I want to sell my laptop and drastically limit my use of my desktop. I'm pretty good at following rules that I've set for myself, but I'm also very good at finding loopholes and excuses when it comes to computers, so I need to come up with some pretty iron-clad rules. I still need to use my computer for checking my email, talking to my parents on Skype, and preparing lesson plans and tests for my students, so I figure I should give myself one hour of computer use each day. If there's something I want to read in depth, I can print it out on a cheap printer (B&W laserjet?) or format it for reading on my Pocket PC (is there a good program for that?) during that time. I know that I will find various excuses for passing my daily quota, such as typing up a report for school or chatting with my girlfriend on MSN, so I need some method of punishing myself, regardless of my reason for using the computer. I know that even if I am using it to type a report, I will spend a lot of that time "taking a break" to read Digg. I was thinking of charging myself $10 per extra hour, to be put into some sort of "computer jar," but I have no idea what to do with that money after.

Any suggestions for improvement? Am I doing it all wrong? I'm willing to try just about anything.

Revolutionary

To focus on school, I just sold my computer which was a pretty powerful gaming machine.

Right now I just use my laptop, which has a gorgeously huge screen but modest hardware behind it. It does work but can't house that many games. The only games I've played in two months have been online flash ones.

Working great for me. Without games, you can only browse the net for so long. You get more hours in the day, which leads you to work/sleep.

Hope it helps.

Oh, and you'll instantly make a cool amount of money from selling the gaming machine.

Tweaked_Bat_

Well I guess an idea would be to take up a hobby or activity of some sort that fills in the time you'd previously spend on the computer. If you're doing it out of boredom, then a different activity should be able to shift your focus away from the computer.

Casually Hardcore

Cancel your internet subscription and depend solely on wifi hotspots.

Fantasma

Get a nice girlfriend and have a lot of sex with her, go to the movies, have cappuchinos, learn a useful hobby which knowledge could help you get a job.

Nibble

The thing is, I have a job, and a girlfriend, though I don't get to see her during the weekdays. I don't use my computer out of boredom, but out of a desire to avoid things that I need to do, such as complete my university degree and get into a masters program, make plans for the future, clean my room, etc. Taking up a new hobby would be great, after I take care of all the things that I need to do.

wunderbar

Then just stop using it. Pick up your computer, take it to a friend's place, take it to your parents, etc. Then, if you *have* to use it, you have to go there. Make it too hard for you to use for any length of time.

blah

^^ Worked for me, I moved out and had no internet for about 4 months. I'd go over to my parents house and use theirs about once a week just to keep up with stuff going on, emails and to download a bunch of stuff that I could watch at home. Made a huge difference, I felt a huge urge to leave the house and go do things with friends. Being able to just sit down and have some social interaction on msn totally drained me of the will to actually make dates, outings etc. Alas I now have internet, and find myself falling into some old habits, though not all.

So yeah, disconnect your internets, ride a bike to your parents or gf's place for your nets, play single player games with storylines rather than MMO timesinks. If you really hate your lifestyle right now, do something about it, call your ISP right now and cancel that shit.

Valkun

Basically what the others have said. Make it a bitch to use a computer and you're less likely to go to it when bored. Having to go to an internet cafe, school, or someone else's house to use it will help.

It's pretty much impossible to cut yourself off completely while getting your degree, so you can't just go cold turkey.

Daedalus

Whenever I needed to cut back on my non-school-related computer useage, I blacklisted forums.penny-arcade.com in my HOSTS file. It cut down on usage drastically.

I'm not being sarcastic at all. I'm good with not playing video games when I have shit to do, but forums and other websites not so much.

Noff

Personally I would get rid of the desktop before the laptop. For me at least the desktop was the center of the room so I would naturally tend to sit down at the pc whenever I walked into my bedroom. Laptop, not so much. Also the desktop was better for games which were just another distraction. Maybe things would be different for you though, because you spend most of your time on the lappy.

I have been in a similar situation before though, in that I would sit down at my computer and start playing Red Orchestra or looking at forums whenever I walked into my room. I sort of reorganized my desk so that the pc tower was off to the side, and whenever I wasn't using the computer for something I'd turn it off and put the keyboard and mouse (wireless) away, so it was more of an appliance that I had to actually unpack and start up when I needed it, rather than something that I was constantly on.

I also got an acoustic guitar and sat it on a stand in my room. Whenever I needed a break from studying I would practice that for a few minutes. It also helps you enjoy playing more because you think of it more as a reward than a chore you have to do every day.

Mim

Can you make your school work your hobby? Then again, I can see that being challenging if you're looking to avoid it anyways. But maybe there is something you can do to make it more interesting than using the computer?

Fantasma

Are you trying to tell us you don't clean your room?, I thought I was a computer addict, but at least I take time to clean from time to time. Something that keeps me away from my addiction to read hard copies of books, such as Science Fiction, Poems, Mythology, and of course, I watch some TV Anime shows like Bleach.

Do you ever go jogging?

Pulvaan

there has to be a program out there that will be able to limit the time you can access the computer everyday. If there isn't, someone should invent it, and then profit off of the millions of parents in the world that want to reduce the time their kids spend on the net.

Look into something like this, and have someone else set it up so that you don't have the password.

AtomBomb

You can also "earn" your computer time. Pick something difficult for you. For example, you might have to go running for an hour in order to use the computer for an hour. You could also scale stuff so it isn't 1 to 1. If you're a teacher, you can get 15 minutes of computer time for every hour you spend grading papers. Also, set a stop time where you can't use the computer regardless. You could turn off the computer at 10pm, regardless of how much time you've earned that day. No rollover minutes either (I figure you might use that to "cheat").