10 Tips for How To Improve Digital and Online Habits
You’ve been feeling overwhelmed with the amount of time you spend online and the number of things you need to get done. You know that you need to make some changes, but you’re not sure where to start. Here are a few reasons why it might be a good idea to improve your digital and online routines:
- You’re spending too much time on social media and not enough time interacting with people in person
- You’re constantly checking your email, and it’s interrupting your workflow
- You have a hard time focusing on one task at a time because you’re trying to do too many things at once
- You feel like you’re always behind, and you’re never able to catch up
It can be hard to break bad habits, especially when they are part of your daily routine. You get so used to doing things a certain way that it’s hard to imagine doing them any other way. But if you want to improve your digital and online routines, you need to be willing to make changes.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link. For more information, see my full disclaimer here.
In this post, I’ll share 10 tips for how to improve digital and online habits. But before we get into that, let’s take a step back and look at why it’s important to make changes in the first place.
Understand why it’s important to improve your digital and online habits
You need to understand why it’s important to make changes. If you don’t know why you’re trying to improve your habits, it will be difficult to stick with them in the long run. There are a variety of benefits to improving your digital and internet routines:
- Be more productive with your time
- Reduce the number of distractions you’re exposed to
- Improve your focus and concentration
- Declutter your digital space
- Improve your relationships with others
If you take the time to understand why you want to make changes, you’ll be more likely to stick with your new habits.
Identify the areas of your life where you need to make changes
Next, identify the areas in your life where you need to make changes to improve your digital and online practices. If you don’t know where you need to make changes, you won’t be very successful in improving your habits. Some areas that you may want to consider include:
- How much time you’re spending online
- How you’re using your time when you’re online
- The number of tasks you’re trying to accomplish at one time
- How you interact with social media
- Your email routines
By taking a close look at the areas in your life where you need to make changes, you can develop a plan to improve your digital and online habits.
Make a plan to improve your digital and online habits
Making a plan is essential if you want to be successful in making changes. If you don’t have a plan, you’ll be more likely to give up or lose focus.
Let’s take a look at some of the areas you might want to include in your plan.
Recommend Reading
If you want to learn more about developing good habits, I suggest reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Schedule how much time you will allot for your online activities
One of the first things you’ll want to do in your plan is schedule how much time you will spend on your online activities. This will help you be more mindful of your time online and make sure that you’re using your time wisely.
You might also want to set times when you won’t access digital devices.
This could mean setting a time after which you won’t use your phone or laptop (say 8 pm or 2 hours before bedtime, for example). The blue light that electronic devices emit makes it harder to get to sleep, and we all know how lack of sleep impacts productivity.
Set times for when to read your emails
Another important aspect of your plan is to set times for when you’re going to read your emails. This will help to reduce the amount of time you’re spending on email and make sure that you’re only reading your emails at certain times of the day.
Reduce your online to-do list
If you have a long list of things you need to do online, it can be helpful to reduce the number of items on your list. This will help ensure that you’re not trying to accomplish too many things at once and that you’re prioritizing the most critical tasks.
Take regular breaks
It’s also important to include breaks from being online. Taking time away from technology will help you avoid burnout and make sure that you’re able to focus when you’re working on tasks.
Plus, you’ll feel better if you take a break from technology. This is a great time to fit in some physical activity like a short walk.
Do the more difficult tasks before lunchtime
If you have more difficult or time-consuming tasks, it can be helpful to do them before lunchtime. This will help ensure that you have the energy to complete the activity.
Make digital decluttering a habit
One of the best things you can do to improve your digital and online habits is to make digital decluttering a habit. This will help you reduce the amount of clutter in your digital space and make sure that you’re only keeping the files and folders that are truly important.
In addition to getting rid of files and folders, you can also periodically evaluate the digital tools you have on your phone and computer. Ask yourself “what can I get rid of?”
Stick with your plan and evaluate your progress
Once you’ve implemented your plan, stick with it and evaluate your progress. This will help you see how well you’re doing with making changes to your digital and online habits and ensure that you’re on track to meet your goals.
Evaluating your progress will also help you identify any areas where you need to make further changes.
Follow these tips to improve your digital and online habits
Making changes to your digital and online practices can be a challenge. Still, it’s important to make sure that you’re using your time wisely. Technology should improve your productivity rather than distract you and make you less productive.
By taking the time to identify the areas where you need to make changes and making a plan, you can successfully make the changes you need.
FAQs
The first step is to identify the areas where you need to make changes. Then you can make a plan to improve your digital habits. Once you’ve implemented the plan, stick with it and evaluate your progress.
Some examples of digital habits include the amount of time you spend on your online activities, when you check your email, how often you declutter your digital space, and whether or not you take breaks while working online.
The first step is to identify the bad habits you want to stop. Then, once you’ve identified the patterns, you can make a plan to stop them.
Free Quiz
Have you ever wondered if a digital detox would improve your productivity? Take my free quiz to find out!