Do you struggle with Internet Addiction?

Would you believe me if I told you the average American spends more hours a day on the internet than they do sleeping?

Well, believe it. Newsweek recently pointed out that “Americans have merged with their machines.” Now before you judge too quickly, think about your own life for a minute. You too may fall into this category.

I’ll be the first to admit: my phone is almost always in my hand.

Sound familiar? Whether you realize it or not, most people are consumed by the Internet at least once an hour throughout their day.
Whether you’re a college student, soccer mom or tech-savvy grandparent, this applies to almost everyone. We have a desire to constantly be in the know.

Why else would we scroll through Twitter, then close out the app, just to reopen it minutes later and repeat the whole process? We live in a time of short attention spans, and for whatever reason, most of us feel a strong need to multitask.

But don’t fear, for there is hope. Here are 5 incredibly simple ways to help you get past Internet addiction…for good.

1. Unplug

I know you’ve heard this before. This is perhaps the most common, yet least utilized, way to overcome an addiction to the online world.
Think about it: Have you ever left your phone behind in your room to charge and felt so free by not having notifications constantly going off? Sure, you may feel a little empty at first, but the more often you learn to ignore your phone, the more free you begin to feel.

2. Invest

Here’s an idea — spend some time with actual people. I’m talking about giving someone you care about your undivided attention. Twitter will still be there when you’re done. I promise.

3. Forced Freedom

If you can’t seem to find the willpower to say “no” to the Internet on your own, maybe it’s time to take a mini road trip to create some space between you and your best friend, the smartphone. You can do this easily by going someplace where you know you won’t get service.

Maybe it’s a local park, or maybe it’s just a building where your 4G doesn’t work. Heaven forbid, you go somewhere without WiFi. Whatever the case, sometimes you have to be a little drastic in order to take that first step of learning to live a life free of Internet addiction.

4. Intentionally Forget

I tend to be one of those overly prepared kinds of people, especially when I have a long day ahead of me. Most mornings, the first thing thrown in my bag before heading out is my phone charger.

Why? Because the world would obviously end if my phone died and I couldn’t check my email or surf Pinterest to kill time, or so I may think.

Recently I started being intentional about not bringing my phone charger with me, even on those long days. I realized that even if my phone died, everything was still going to be okay…hopefully.

5. Stay Accountable

Find a friend who, at this point, is probably tired of conversations with you being interrupted by your phone. Have them call you out when your eyes dart to your phone because a Facebook notification popped up.

The thing is, these 5 tips will only be helpful if you actually apply them, but don’t just take my word for it. What are some creative ways that you unplug?