Spending time online is something that pretty much everyone does. Statistics show that, on average, internet users spend six hours and 40 minutes online each day. That’s a pretty big chunk of our waking hours spent on screen time. The big question is how people spend that time online. When you’re spending a big portion of your day on your computer, you want this time to be well spent and not wasted. It can be so easy to sit and mindlessly scroll without even noticing the hours are passing by. Taking action to use the time you spend online wisely can make a big difference to your experience. You’ll certainly get a lot more out of your screen time if you’re proactive about how you use it.
Being productive while you’re online doesn’t need to mean you spend your time working. Instead, it’s all about getting something out of the experience. This could be using time spent online to learn, relax, connect, or get motivated. It could be a combination of all these things. So, how can you spend time online productively without making it a chore? The simple answer is that there are lots of ways to do this. Here are some ideas to inspire you to make the most of your time spent online:
Learn a Language
Learning a new language has many benefits. It is a fun way to spend your spare time, but it also does so much more than that. When you develop your language skills, it can open up new employment opportunities, as language skills are highly sought after. Mastering a new language also provides the chance to travel more widely or study abroad. But the benefits go beyond this.
Being able to speak two or more languages can change your brain on a physical level. This includes boosting your memory, improving your concentration, increasing creativity, and enhancing academic performance. There are many different apps and websites available to help you learn a new language online, making it a great way to spend your free time.
Develop a New Skill
The internet is a fantastic place to learn new skills. Online, you’ll find enough information to help you learn how to do some pretty impressive things. This could be following DIY tutorials to help you gain the skills needed to makeover your home or something as niche as how to prune a bonsai tree. There really are endless possibilities.
Learning new skills and continuing to develop your knowledge without needing to leave the house is a great feeling. This could signal the start of a productive new hobby.
Make a Difference
Do you have a cause you are passionate about? Maybe there’s a subject that you want to raise awareness about. If so, this is something you can do online. There are quite a few ways that you can raise awareness of your chosen subject online. You could start writing a blog or create a website to share your information and develop your own platform.
Alternatively, you could start a petition to campaign for change to benefit the cause you’re passionate about. Or, you could start fundraising to support a charity that’s close to your heart. The internet provides many powerful ways to get your voice heard and connect with like-minded people who share your passion. It’s also an excellent way to raise awareness of important topics that may otherwise go under the radar.
Nurture Friendships
One way that many people use the internet in a positive way is to connect with others. Being able to connect with people, no matter how far away they are, is a huge advantage. This allows you to find others that share your interests, no matter how niche they are.
Of course, the internet is also a great way to reconnect with people you haven’t seen in a long time. Time and distance can sometimes get in the way of relationships. But the internet can provide a useful way to get back in touch and keep those friendships thriving regardless of distance.
Boost Your Cognitive Skills
Spending time online can really help boost your cognitive skills. Playing online games is especially helpful for this. Putting your thinking skills to the test in an enjoyable way helps to pass the time and is a great distraction from the stresses of daily life.
Choosing to play games that really challenge your thinking skills, such as online chess, is ideal for developing your problem-solving and logic skills. You can even play against a friend to make your online game a sociable experience.
Take a Course
The internet is full of opportunities to learn. There are a huge number of courses available in almost every subject imaginable. So, if there’s something you want to learn more about or a topic that you want to master, you’re sure to find a course available online to help. This can allow you to dive deeper into a subject you’re really interested in, or it can help you to progress your career by brushing up your professional knowledge and skills.
Taking an online course, rather than one in person has many advantages. Firstly, you are not restricted by your physical location. This opens up the chance to study for a huge range of courses that would have been inaccessible to you if you needed to travel to them in person. The location of the course simply isn’t an issue when you can study online.
Studying online also allows you to take a course at your own pace. Attending physical classes means you are restricted by time and need to keep to the class timetable. However, attending online classes means that they can be pre-recorded for you to catch up with at a convenient time for you. Studying at home also means you’re not spending your precious free time traveling to attend classes.
Be Creative
Connecting with your creativity and letting flow freely offers a wide variety of benefits. For starters, it can be a lot of fun. But the benefits go way beyond this. Being creative enables you to relax and fully engage with the task you’re working on. It’s also super satisfying to make something tangible.
If you get the urge to indulge your inner creativity, you’ll find lots of inspiration and tips to help you online. There’s so much craft and creative content on Pinterest that you’re sure to find something that captures your interest if you’re looking for ideas. Once you’ve found a craft that interests you, you’ll find lots of video tutorials to help you learn how to do it on YouTube. You may find you have a brand new hobby that you love before you know it!
Final Thoughts
Many people view time spent online as wasted. In some cases, this can be true. If people are spending time mindlessly scrolling, unaware that the hours are passing them by, this can become an issue. However, time spent online doesn’t have to be like this.
The internet can provide a huge range of positive opportunities for you to spend your time online productively. From learning new skills to gaining qualifications, nurturing relationships, and simply relaxing, there are so many ways that the internet can be used productively. While screen time is often viewed negatively, this is not always the case. The internet can be a place to learn, grow, and enhance your life. So, if you want to make the most of your screen time, why not try one of these ideas?
