How many tabs do you have open right now? 
One? I’m impressed.
More than 4? Join the club.
Yeah, I used to be a member of the 10-tab browser club. I’d be on six blogs at once, have messages blinking on Facebook and compulsively check my e-mail just in case. If one was loading too slow, it was back over to another tab.
Until I realized that it was driving me NUTS.
I was stressed, scattered, and get this – incredibly anxious. I couldn’t pin the reason for a while, until one particularly peaceful day, it jumped out at me. I hadn’t been online all day, and had spent the day free from stomach knots…until I opened my web browser. Actually, as soon as I cracked open my laptop, the anxiety hit me.
And then I knew: it was the constant browsing, the million sites screaming for my attention that was making me so uneasy and overwhelmed.
Without any real plan, I quit.
I decided that the world wouldn’t end if I took a break, so I closed the browser and just sat there. I looked out the window, took a sip of water and the deepest breath.
That was a Friday, and for the rest of the weekend, I didn’t touch the computer. Instead, I spent time with family, went outside, cleaned and read – y’know, lived life offline.
Lovely, right? Away from all that noise, those tabs all vying for my attention, I felt peaceful. Happy.
But I couldn’t stay away from the internet forever – it was still be there waiting for me.
When I went back to work on Monday and opened up Internet Explorer, anxiety didn’t grip me. I read my e-mail, taking care of messages one at a time. If I saw an article I wanted to read, I’d “new-tab” it, but wait until I was done to go read it. And when I was reading the article, I didn’t stop mid-way to read a new one.
It was a small miracle!
By giving myself a bit of distance and the chance to re-create my inner peace, I was able to calmly return to the web. And the effects are lasting: now, I generally don’t have a ridiculous amount of tabs open, and I take things one page at a time. If I start to get crazy, I recognize it quickly and take a break.
Can you relate? Are you a member of the 10-tab browser club?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you might be:
- After you read an article, do you retain the information?
- Do you feel you’re gaining anything from the reading you’re doing online?
- Are you spending an unnecessary amount of time on social media?
- Do you find yourself hopping back and forth between tabs before finishing what you were doing?
Big deal, right?
Right.
Effects of mindless web browsing:
- Stress. Feeling like you can’t keep up is super stressful! By trying to read all the articles you want, keep up with social media and e-mail, you’re probably stressing yourself out. Am I right?
- Anxiety. Maybe you don’t get this, but I did – big time. Being pulled in so many directions was just killing the peace.
- Trouble focusing. How can you possibly focus when you have so many sites blinking for your attention?
- Destroys flow. You know when time ceases to exist, you’re filled with joy and could go on with the activity forever? That’s flow, and mindless web browsing destroys it. To create flow, you must be focused.
- Wasted time. When you’re hopping between tabs, you’re probably not focused enough to actually be gaining anything from your reading. So really you’re just wasting time, hopping around on the net from one flashy page to the next.
There are many reasons to stop, and I’m sure you have yours.
My main reason was the killer anxiety – here’s how I dropped the frenzy and began to browse more mindfully:
How to bust out of the mindless browsing trap:
1. Quit cold turkey. I think that’s the reason I’ve been so successful with it. Had I just inched my way out, the temptation would’ve been too great to resume old habits. But completely shutting myself off and getting rid of all temptation allowed a sense of peace to overcome me. That sense of peace allowed me to revisit the internet with a new frame of mind. If it can be a whole weekend – awesome! I highly encourage it. But if you only have a day, work with that.
2. Read everything in its entirety. I used to open up blog articles, skim them quickly and move on to another one (if I even made it all the way through). As you can imagine, I was gaining absolutely nothing from reading them – it was just a time waster. Lori Deschene at TinyBuddha has a wonderful reminder for her readers on every page – a little symbol that nudges you to read mindfully. I think we need this everywhere! A tiny buddha in the corner of our screens, reminding us to browse with purpose.
3. Beware the temptation of multiple tabs. I’ll still have a couple of tabs open sometimes, if I come across a linked article mid-way through a blog post, or something catches my eye. But it takes awareness and good effort to stop myself from jumping ship and moving on to the next shiny new thing. Your best bet is to minimize the amount of tabs you have up where you can – like with Facebook and e-mail. You don’t need these things up 24/7. They’re always wanting your attention.
4. Pay attention to how you’re feeling as you browse. Are you feeling rushed or overwhelmed, like you can’t possibly read everything you need to? If so, remember: one tab at a time. In fact, mindful browsing will make it more likely that you read what you need to – and actually retain and use that information.
5. Know your triggers and limit them. What websites make you more likely to become scattered? For me, it’s anything social media related – Facebook and Twitter, mostly. There’s always something new popping up to read or click on – you can never keep up! So I don’t even try. When I go on either, I limit my scrolling – do I really need to know what people were posting at 3am? It’s just a time waster. I try to stay in the present and read only the most recent updates, and when that’s done – it’s done.
6. If you start multi-tabbing and feeling overwhelmed, stop completely. Even if just for a few minutes, close (or at least minimize) your browser, take a drink of water, and sit. Just be. When you’re centered, return to the browser – one page at a time.
7. Take regular breaks. Before you even get to the point of overwhelm, minimize the browser and leave the screen for a minute. Stretch out, have a snack or just breathe. Remembering life beyond the internet helps me stay focused and mindful when I return to it.
I think the quickest, most effective way to start browsing mindfully is to give yourself a break (which is why it’s #1 
). Unplug, go outside, relax with your family – do anything but go online. When you return, I think you’ll find a new sense of peace and purpose in your browsing.
What do you think: Do you browse mindfully? Or are you a tab-hopper? What do you think you’d gain by surfing the net with more purpose?
* This post is part of Amit Amin’s Sweet Tune of June: A Month of Happiness! Tune in through the month of June for easy ways to become a happier human, one day at a time.
Peace, love and a steaming cup of Zen,
Kaylee
Kaylee, this is really good! I’m definitely sharing this post all over the place. I totally understand what you mean. The tab thing can be a complete waste of time as well as stress inducer. Ugh! I hate it. I try really hard on the weekends to stay away from the computer. It’s such a relief.
Thanks Bobbi! I really appreciate your support.
I hate it too – as I see the tabs racking up, the anxiety mounts. It’s such a terrible, frantic feeling! Weekends away are sweet, aren’t they?
They are sweet! Sometimes my partner will want me to do something on my computer on the weekend and I tell her, “Ugh! Forget it. I’m staying away from that thing for awhile!”
I agree with Bobbi, this is fantastically delicious!
I am a member of the 25 tab browser club. Plus, I use 3 monitors at once – I have an external monitor attached to my laptop, and I also have a desktop computer. I use all 3 at once.
I’ve favorited this post, and will comment again after I have somewhat successfully implemented some of this advice.
I’m glad I asked you to participate, this is great!
OMG Amit – 3 monitors?! How do you keep everything straight?! I swear, every comment of yours leaves me with some hilarious imagery. I’m curious to see how you’ll feel once you start cutting back… I appreciate your effort in trying it out and letting me know!
Anyway, thanks for the positive feedback! Glad you liked it, and I’m happy to be included in your month of happiness.
Anyhow, I finally figured it out! At first I really tried to cut back, but I couldn’t - I’m an information fiend, and so am constantly referencing lots of information from all over the place.
After taking in Ciara’s suggestion to use Evernote, I now move all open tabs to my evernote page. That way the information isn’t lost – as soon as I need it I can open it back up, and once I’m done with it I can delete the url from my evernote. Before I would have 3 tabs open for email, 5-10 about research studies or blog posts, 2-3 of my blog, 2-3 of misc. things, etc…, now I have 0 email tabs open, and 3 tabs max open at one time for what i’m currently working on.
How do I feel? More relaxed, in control, and focused!
Hey Amit, thanks for coming back with an update! I really appreciate that. =) I still haven’t signed up for Evernote…Every time I think about it, I’m on the computer at work. But it sounds like it’s a great tool, and working for you nicely! You weren’t kiddin’ when you said “25 tab club” – yowza!
It’s cool to see that reducing the tabs is giving you positive results. That’s what I like to see!
Oh my lord, Amit! You need to simplify, my man! And change your 3 pots of coffee per day to some Zen Caffeine!
Geez… I’m so guilty of this!
But wow, Amit! Three monitors? LOL… I only have one and I’m already overwhelmed.
I promise myself to follow these tips… I will!!!
I think the reason why we feel stuck sometimes because too much useless info is tuck in our head because of aimless web browsing…
Oh I totally agree, Glori! I know after a few hours of mindless browsing, there’s no way I can create much. Too much input just blocks my output. Good observation! Didn’t think of that.
You bring up different but related issues. Overconsuming content on the Internet is the common theme but it manifests itself in different ways.
Having a bazillion tabs open is one way. Spending too much time, even worthy time, is another.
A solution is to start what you finish. If you open a tab it’s probably because you want to take some action. Like reading what loads or interacting with your friends on social media. So once that tab opens, do what you intended to do and close it. Tabs can be like email in that each tab/email becomes a to-do list. It wasn’t intended this way but it’s only because we allow it to happen that it becomes such as issue.
Good ideas about how to battle back again tab fatigue!
Thanks Joel!
Exactly – “each tab becomes a to-do list” – that’s how it feels to me. It’s just another article to read, e-mail to write. It becomes thoughtless. BUT you’re right – we allow it to happen, which means we can also choose to keep it from happening. Perhaps that’s another tip – recognize that you have a choice. You don’t have to read everything and be present everywhere on social media. You can choose to do less and really give your energy to what you are doing.
Thanks for your feedback, Joel! You really got me thinkin’ about something I hadn’t considered before.
I’m definitely guilty of having a gazillion tabs open – and Joel’s right and so are you Kaylee – it just turns into a stressful To-Do list. But I don’t want to lose track of some of these things I’d like to read or take action on later. I’m working on systems to manage the information – I’m going to try out the extension called “Read It Later” where you can pop in the stuff you want to check out. The trick will be actually checking it on a daily basis and deleting the stuff I don’t have time for LOL!
I definitely appreciate my unplugged times. The computer just gets too addictive, but it’s never a substitute for real life interaction and time in nature. Great stuff here!
Oooh I’ve never heard of “Read It Later” – that could totally help! Though it could turn into my “Favorites” tab on my laptop – tons of stuff that I want to get back to, but never have. So yeah, the challenge will be checking it everyday! Good luck! lol
I would agree with wasted time sometimes, but none of the other things happen for me really.
At work, I use two monitors. At home, I *usually* use just one laptop, so occasionally, I might use two.
There are some tabs continuously open, such as TV Guide, Facebook, Email, Twitter, and often A-list Forums. With the exception of Facebook, the others I only check periodically. Then there is tab for whatever I’m doing, opening up new posts from the forum to comment. I don’t flip back and forth between the articles.
I have tried one-tabbing, but really doesn’t work for me as I do like some information constantly available.
One thing I would like to stop doing though is to check email all the time. There is really no need, and it does waste time.
Great post, Kaylee
Hey Dolly
I’m glad none of the other things happen for you – they suck! lol. If you can focus with all of those sites running, good for you! I just don’t have the discipline to NOT check those things constantly. Like when I’d get stuck on a blog post, having those other tabs open just tempted me to jump ship and get distracted. But if it works for you, have at it. 
Glad you enjoyed, Dolly. I hope you’re checking e-mail less! BTW, I think you’d be happy to know that I’m about to crack open my journal – a *REAL* one, and put pen to paper.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Definitely guilty of this Kaylee! Thanks for the advice. I’ve started closing down twitter and Facebook when I’m working and only opening them at certain times and have noticed a difference already.
No prob. Those are definitely huge time suckers for me too. When I jump ship on a blog post, those are usually the first places I go – if I have them open and waiting in the sidelines. Talk about stalling! Anywho, I’m glad you’re already noticing a difference. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Brilliant post – I’m also guilty of multi-tabbing/tasking. I just read the 4-hour work week which suggests you check email twice a day. I’ve been doing that and am amazed at how I really get into projects and get them finished instead of flitting here and there. Great reminder Kaylee, thanks.
Thanks Bridget!
I’m glad you liked this. It is amazing, isn’t it? The amount of work you get done – but even more than that, the depth that you engage yourself in that work – it’s awesome! I like the e-mail twice a day suggestion – there’s rarely a message that can’t wait a few hours.
Glad cutting back is working for ya. Thanks for sharing! Seems like a few commenters have already tried similar strategies, and it helps!
Thanks for this. In my experience, another useful approach can be to notice the discomfort in my body (a/k/a the boredom, distractibility, etc.) that comes up before I’m about to switch between windows (or tasks generally), and see if I can allow that discomfort to just be rather than trying to escape from it by switching.
That’s a great idea, Chris. Fits right in line with being more aware and present. It’s annoying to wait for a page to load, but why not just sit with that instead of distracting yourself? Totally hadn’t thought of that aspect, so thank you for sharing!
Really? That’s interesting! Maybe Amit has it right!
But it’s not something I’m gonna try – if I have anxiety over 1 monitor, I’m not about to multiply it! Anyway, I hear you on the reading. There’s sooo much good stuff out there, you wanna read it all! But it’s impossible, and Leo is so right – less is more, especially when less means being more engaged in what you’re doing. I hope you enjoyed your down time, Ciara! 
When I began reading your post – I looked and found 7 tabs open. After reading I closed all but two. Thanks for this post and great tips to be more mindful while even on the web.
No problem, Jane. I’m glad you found it helpful – and actually took action! That’s awesome.
Wow, this is so true! I only log in into FB and Twitter once a day and then log out yet I usually have stuff open in three different browsers. It’s really a relief every month or so when it all crashes and “lose” everything. This article is a good reminder to set a limit.
You only FB and Twitter once a day? Good for you! Now that’s discipline.
Those are my go-tos when I’m bored or procrastinating. I’ve done that before, where I’ll log out instead of leaving myself logged in, and that definitely helps. Glad I could remind you to slow down and do a little less. 
Thanks for visiting, Miriam!
i need this post because i always try to do everything in the same time
its so stressful of course
thank you for sharing: )
Of course! I’m glad it resonated with you, Farouk.
It is very relaxing to know I don’t have to do everything all at once! Truly, I appreciate the reminder. I had four tabs open when I started reading. Now five, because I’m going to look at the Buddha blog. More often, lately, I’ve been trying to cut back on how much I’ve got going at one time. The to-do list (on a spreadsheet) is supposed to remind me what to do next, not an open tab.
Glad my reminder helped you to relax, Linda. =) It’s so easy to forget that you can take it one task at a time and still get things done – I still do sometimes. You said you’ve been cutting back lately – how’re you feeling? Is it helping?
Hope all is well!
Hi Kaylee,
This was a brilliant post and you gave some fantastic advice. I loved your concept of ‘mindful browsing’.
I’m also one those people who will open up a number of browsers and before I know it, I might have 5 or 6 open. However, I’m mindful that I don’t need to read each page completely.
Spending time away from the net can be tough to begin with. But as you quite rightly said, after one does so, one realises they don’t really need it as much as they initially believed.
Hey Hiten, good to “see” you! =)
Thanks! I’m glad you liked the post. It is tough to get away from the net – at work, even once all my web stuff is done, I’m *still* tempted to get back on and browse sometimes. It’s one powerful habit to break..but worth it for greater peace and calm.
Sounds like you’ve already incorporated some mindfulness into your web browsing. Nice!
Great post, Kaylee! You described perfectly how I feel when I try to chase the tabs and pin them down, only to realize the work day is done and I haven’t accomplished half of my to-do list.
BTW, I have two monitors (my husband has four), while it looks like air traffic control, it’s very useful for me. I have a really hard time on a single screen, now. I am practicing being off the grid–but my friends get pissed when I don’t answer their emails, tweets, or chat requests. LOL!
Two and four monitors?! Hell, I have a hard time with one! Though I can see how it might actually make things easier – you can drag things to check out later onto another screen so they’re not there blinking at you.
lol, hopefully by now your friends are used to your delayed responses..and you’re getting a lot more done! Yes? =) Anywho, I’m glad you liked the post, LeAnne! Thanks for commenting!
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Hi my dear. I know this was written back in June, but I just have to comment first at how spot on you are; I was suffering from internet anxiety as well. And how wonderful your posts and writing are; you are so tuned into the yen and yang of feelings, I never have trouble focusing on what you have to say as it is so interesting. Another great post by Kaylee. No focus buddha needed for me on ZenCaffeine.
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Hello Lee. =) Thank you for your kind words…you’re so sweet! I’m glad my content holds your interest and resonates with you. I hope the internet anxiety has died down a bit for you. I find that as I sign offline and tune into life more, the time I do spend on the internet isn’t so crazy-making.
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I must admit I have six tabs open but I’m not stressing. I’ve been reading. Finishing. Emailing. All while there are 39 G+ messages for me. They can wait.
Hope you are well, dear.
Did you ever sign up for Evernote? It’s to die for. I’ve used it for years and years. And never paid a dime. I just give them free advertising wherever I go. There is this one pen that now works with my favorite of everything: moleskins, Evernote, and this recording pen that Jen Owenby (another blog writer) got from her hubby called LiveScribe. It records both voice and what you write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, it’s that wonderful.
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That sounds amazing, Lee! Christmas is coming up, hmmm….
I still haven’t signed up for Evernote, but everyone keeps talking about it. Maybe I should..
Anywho, glad you’re not stressing! Sucesss. =)
Kaylee,
Saying that you are some sort of an angel for me at this moment wouldn’t be wrong. I replied to your post on Tiny Buddha too. And I am honestly telling you this- both these issues were the ones i was struggling with.
I am 15 and have my no. 1 priority as studies. But, in this world of distractions, it’s so easy to forget that and whenever I am feeling bored or don’t feel like studying ‘cuz it puts too much pressure on my mind- weak impulses- I instantly think of rushing to the laptop. This impulse is heightened more by the fact that the laptop sits right on my desk in my room and it appeals to me most pitifully! So….. every evening i mean to just sit on the net for 1/2 hour but it morphs into 1 hour or 1 hour 45 minutes. Talk about guilt! And anguish at breaking a personal sacred promise. On top of that, I sometimes log on when I come back for school and 1/2 hour is the minimum time. Whew!
And whenever I am on the net, I have 5 or 6 tabs open. I am rushing through them, feeling I don’t have time, not picking anything, abandoning one in the middle to read the next, abandoning that too, and returning to the previous one.
I don’t really feel I have gained anything from that time. Nothing at all.
While I am writing this, I have just ONE tab open and even when I had multiple tabs I read the articles one by one and absorbing them.
Now, I have decided that I won’t touch the laptop in the evenings. I have plenty of time to study then and my flow just gets interrupted due to weaker impulses. Also, whenever i sit on the net, to NOT feel guilty and keep my promise to myself and of course, to remember what I REALLY need instead of what I think I need!
Aww, my friend! You’ve touched my heart today. =) I’m so glad to know that I’ve helped you in some way.
I sent you an e-mail a little while ago, so I won’t elaborate too much here, but just one thing: guilting ourselves typically doesn’t get results. Trust me – I’ve guilted myself into too many diets to count, and none of them stuck. Why? Because I was trying to change from a place of loathing and guilt, instead of love. Think of why you want to stop the impulsive net surfing – do you want to be more creative? Have more time to read books you love? Try writing again? I find that replacing a bad habit with something I enjoy instead works the best. And hey, if you slip up, don’t beat yourself up – it happens! Just be mindful, recognize when it’s happening, and if you choose, stop. If not, choose better the next time.
I’m glad to hear you already put this to practice though! It’s way easier to absorb and then use the content when you’re fully engaged in it.
That’s a really nice and effective things, kaylee- the question that you wrote I should ask myself. The intent.
It can be applied to so many other things we do and the things that we set out to change. For e.g. I am not making my to- do lists at this point of time and making a timetable for myself. So, a few days back I thought I should make one ‘cuz in the past it had always helped me. I sat down to make it, wrote whatever I wanted to and at the end of the day- I had just actually done what I wanted and HOW and WHEN i wanted.
The thing is- I was making one to make. Should do was in the back of my mind. Forced and compulsory. It wan’t with an intent to really organize my time or anything.
I’ll keep in mind to ask that question!
Great advice. Fantastic reasoning. But I’m not sure I can do that. Presently there are…..(wait for it)…..18 tabs open.
Are there any passes granted for enthusiastically geeky readers/researchers?
I get all your points, of course.
Here’s a side effect that wasn’t mentioned. While I do normally read everything I open in its entirety. The problem with that is sometimes I stay up too late when I should be sleeping.
There’s a lot of smart information here, Kaylee – and all kidding aside, I should take it all to heart. Thanks!
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18? Yowza, Gary! But I know I’ve done that only a million times before…and I still do sometimes. It’s a tough habit to break, that’s for sure! But hey, at least you actually read through everything, so you’re not getting the frantic hopping around. That’s the part I hate.
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lol yep, it’s amazing, the places you end up, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s great – I can’t tell you how many awesome recipes I found today (salted caramel apple crumb bars? YES!!). But it’s definitely distracting.
I hope the tips work for you. Thanks for stoppin’ by, Jessica! =)
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