It’s no secret that with the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all spending more time than ever on the internet. In fact, 90% of adults in the United States have said that internet access has become essential to their day-to-day lives. Likewise, 36% of Americans have tried to reduce their time spent online during the pandemic.
Which brings us to the point: Though you may not be able to “go off the grid,” and abandon your screen time, there are many ways to make your time spent online more enriching. In this article, we’re going to run through a few different ways to make more of your time spent on the internet.
1. Playing brain games
At a certain point, there are only so many Tik-Toks one can consume before feeling like your time spent is a waste. Instead of scrolling through another three hours of Instagram reels, consider playing a few online games that will activate your brain. Here are a few suggestions:
- Puzzles can be a great way to bring your brain front and center. Completing online puzzles can help improve your memory, your IQ, and your problem solving capabilities.
- Crosswords can help flex your literary muscle, as well as expand your vocabulary. If you find a few friends to do crosswords with, it can even improve your social bonds.
- Card games like solitaire can also help activate your brain and improve your problem-solving skills.
2. Making money with surveys
Wish you could be making money during all that time spent on Youtube? Good news! You can. There are many sites like Swagbucks that will allow you to sign up, take surveys, watch media, and even more- all for a few chunks of change.
Though this method certainly won’t make you a millionaire overnight, it can be a good way to get a chunk of change you can use for one-off purchases. Some sites will even give coupons, which could help you lower your next grocery bill.
3. Learn something new
Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the internet during the pandemic is the wealth of knowledge that is becoming available online. In addition to major online players like Google creating online courses, sites like Coursera and Udemy are frequently offering deals on courses for nearly any subject you can imagine.
In fact, there is so much available online you could even start a new career by using this ‘extra’ inside time to learn skills in tech, marketing, or sales space.
4. Spend time with yourself
Blogging isn’t just for influencers! Keeping an online journal, whether that be on your personal computer or through a service like Tumblr. Keeping a journal offers a wide range of benefits:
- Helps keep track of your goals. With a visual guide like journaling, you can keep a better pulse on your goals and identify habits that may be holding you back from achieving them.
- Improve written communication skills. Practing writing can help improve your written communication skills.
- Strengthen memory and cognitive focus skills. Writing about your day can help improve your memory, as well as help you garner focus through this daily practice.
- Can improve mental health. Many people use journaling as a type of coping mechanism to not only track the ebb and flow of their mental state, but to express their emotions and work through them accordingly.
5. Expand your mind
Not in the mood to get a certificate? That doesn’t mean you don’t have room to expand your minds through free audio books, online books, and docuseries. Though these activities may not land you a brand new career, they will allow you to expand your mind. Google Books and Libre Library are completely free, where services like Audible will allow a free book a month for those who are looking to experience something new.
Conclusion: Being online doesn’t have to be a waste of time
It can be easy to lose yourself on the endless social media scroll, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of ways to engage your brain, learn something new, or make a chunk of change but changing your internet habits.
What do you do to maike the most of your time spent on the internet? How do you make sure you aren’t sucked into the endless scroll of social media? Share your perspective in the comments.