Stick to the Task at Hand

To avoid letting the Internet steal your time, it's important to stick to the task at hand.  Decide before you go on what you need to do and do it, not following rabbit trails.

As with television, it's the casual surfing that seems to take the most time.  For instance, if you go to the TV to watch a certain program, turn it on at the beginning and off at the end, you've kept control of your time.  But if you pick up the remote and just start channel surfing, you can easily find yourself hours later wondering where all your time went.

With all the enticing and even worthwhile things on the Internet, I know this is easier said than done.  But it must be said!  Remind yourself to "stick to the task at hand." 

And parents can give their kids a time limit, too, and hold them to it.

Keep the Computer in a Public Area

One of the hurdles in the "real" world that keeps people from going where they shouldn't is simple embarrassment.  People don't want to be seen doing something they shouldn't be doing.  This keeps many people from buying something if it involves talking to a sales clerk, or parking a car where it might be seen.  

The same holds true for the Internet.  If you can keep your computer in a public place where there's plenty of foot traffic, this simple step can eliminate several problems for yourself and your family.  Conversely, computers in bedrooms and behind closed doors can create a breeding ground for hidden activity.

Get an Accountability Partner

A friend told me how he keeps himself pure on the Internet:

"Two major steps have kept me morally pure on the internet:  1) My knowledge that my every move can be traced in some way by someone -- that gives me the creeps -- and scares me into fearing sin! 2) My accountability partners ask me about this!"

A good accountability partner can help with struggles of any kind temptation.  

Some people write to me at The Ranch to ask if I will simply correspond with them every week or two to see how they're doing in this area.  When they know someone else will ask them about their struggle, they're more likely to succeed in overcoming it.

Tell a friend what's going on and invite them to ask you how you're doing in that area from time to time.

Seek Help

Again, it's not a sign of weakness to seek help for something that's destroying you.  

For people who struggle with pornography, there are several online places to get help, such as pureintimacy.com, or the chat forums on crosswalk.com. 

There are also professional Christian counselors online at places like www.barnabus.com who will work through problems with you.  

These are a few of the "personal" steps people can take towards protecting themselves and their family.  Now, on to the "technological" steps .