LOSING TRACK OF TIME ONLINE? A Solution

What would you do if you had 1,612 hours, all to yourself, to spend however you wanted? Would you read a stack of books? Travel to a different continent? Write a novel? Record a CD? Think about it for a moment... all of that free time. How would you use it?

The answer might surprise you -- according to statistics, you'd most likely spend it online. 1,612 hours -- that's exactly how much time the average teenager allots to internet use every year. Sound outrageous? It is! But sadly, for many of us, that number is probably much higher -- after all, this statistic is based on an average of 4.4 hours of web-surfing per day. For me, it's common to spend as many as eight hours a day on the computer, especially during weekends and holidays. And I'll be the first to admit that, no, not all of that time goes towards MMM!

The subject of internet addiction is becoming more and more relevant to Christian youth as the web becomes an increasingly useful tool for witnessing, ministry, fellowship and spiritual growth. These benefits are infinitely valuable, especially for Christians who have limited access to church and wouldn't be able to participate in such activities otherwise. Unfortunately, the "online church" can easily be twisted into an excuse for avoiding in-person gatherings and witnessing -- after all, why put in extra effort when you can worship, learn, and interact without having to leave your chair? The time that Christians invest into online lives must be matched by an equal or larger investment of commitment to "real-life" friendships, relationships and responsibilities; otherwise, believers risk neglecting the very people and ministries whom they can impact most -- those right in their community.

That has certainly proved true for me. Although this ministry may seem like a big, time-consuming project (and it should be!), I spend only a small fraction of my online time on it. Every time I use the computer, I log on with the intention of accomplishing something important, something that glorifies God. It only takes a few minutes, however, until I find myself checking another Facebook profile, entangled in another forum debate, or tuned into another YouTube video. I've ended up alienated from my closest family and friends, with little "online ministry" to speak of for all the hours that I've spent staring at the screen.

It's a common misconception, however, that these hours in themselves are a negative thing. It's not necessarily the online-time itself that's bad -- it's also the way that this time is used. If a person tries to cut down on their internet time, they're only looking at part of the picture: just as much effort should be placed into using that limited time as constructively as possible. Last weekend, I decided to take some real action against my web addiction, and did something that addressed both of these facets so effectively that I was surprised and wanted to share it with all of you. What I did was very simple. It took me about 5 minutes, but it has been invaluable in keeping me accountable for my web use.

What did I do? I installed a computer timer.

The way it works is simple: every ten minutes, the timer triggers a pop-up window which stays open for one minute. During that minute, I do three things -- I reflect on what I've accomplished so far, decide whether or not I really need to keep using the computer (if I have no good reason to continue, it's time to log off), and take a quick moment to pray. When the pop-up window disappears, I go on with my work for another ten-minute interval. Easy, right? Almost too easy to make a difference, you might be thinking (I know I was). Well, not quite.

How often do you pray while you're online? The internet is amazingly adept at engaging the surfer's attention on a particular page, and making anything else -- prayer, church, your mom asking for help in the kitchen -- seem like an unwelcome distraction. Before installing the computer timer, I had rarely prayed while surfing the web. I lacked the will-power to snap myself out of a cyber-world that contained 19.2 billion web-pages for exploration, and any attempts at prayer were hurried, with more thought given to what link I should click next than to what I wanted to tell God. Installing a timer which prompts me to pray every ten minutes might seem like a mechanical approach to the problem, but its purpose is not to impose a legalistic schedule on prayer; rather, it coaches me to "pray continually," as Paul exhorted believers to. Anyone who wants to pray continually must learn to move God to the forefront of their mind by shutting out unimportant distractions, and that's exactly what this timer teaches me to do.

When I let God become my main focus -- even for a single minute -- my perspective changes entirely. I begin to see what I've done online in the light of what He's done for me, and it makes me realize that whatever enthralling video or annoying broken link I've just been concentrating on isn't really that important after all. If I'm at a loss over how to start praying, I simply tell God about the site I'm currently surfing, and a whole new dimension is added to my experience.

Prayer keeps me accountable: if, in telling God about it, I realize that the site at which I'm looking doesn't please God, I'm convicted to turn it off. Prayer motivates me. After a moment of silent reflection, I have a new vision; a desire to spend the remainder of my time in a better way. The internet can really "quench the Spirit" by distracting me from my God-given mission (1 Th. 5:19), so setting aside a minute of prayer lets me satisfy my thirst enough to keep on working. Prayer keeps me down-to-earth. If something difficult is going on in my life, I often use the web as a means of escape: it distracts me from things that I'm afraid of, gives me an excuse to put off hard work for later. It allows me to slip into an online-profile-self where I can pretend that I "have it all together." My prayer-timer puts me face-to-face with whatever I'm using the web to flee from, and reminds me that God alone can serve as my refuge.

In addition to the benefits listed above, the timer has proved very handy in helping me get a better sense of how time passes while I'm online. When I look down at my clock after spending a few hours on the computer, I'm usually surprised at how the minutes have flown by -- I'm often caught off guard by how quickly "just one more minute" here and "just one more minute" there can add up! After installing the timer, I've gotten a good grasp on how fleeting and precious each minute is -- instead of waiting until they day is over to come to my senses and realize how I've been wasting time, the realization hits me every ten minutes, and I always have a chance to make the next ten minutes count!

Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, installing a computer timer has taught me to be still. It's a well-known fact that they Internet is a fast-paced world. Have you noticed how news stories are no longer labeled by date? Today, it's common to see things like "posted 1 minute ago" or "added half an hour ago" instead of the traditional date-and-time. Why? Because, online, speed and efficiency are everything -- the faster you are, the more likely you are to succeed. When Christians get caught up in trying to be the first and the fastest, they can lose touch with the meaning of peace, stillness, and rest. One minute can seem far too long when you have to tear yourself away from the bustling activity and excitement of the web, but it is so refreshing to have a moment of stillness during which all of your attentions, efforts, and thoughts abide on God.

The computer timer has worked wonders for my over-use of the computer, but it hasn't always been easy -- sometimes, prayer is the last thing I want to do in a particular moment. However, if you install a timer -- or take any other measure to curb your computer-time -- make sure you're consistent. If you ignore it once, you're more likely to take it less seriously the next time, and after a while it will simply become meaningless. If, on the other hand, you put real, sincere effort into becoming a more responsible web-surfer, you'll find both your online and offline time more rewarding and God-glorifying. So try installing an online timer on your computer, and see how it works for you!

Article by Oksana K.
Image credits: DyingBeautyStock and others.
Statistics from: The Independent

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