If you notice you are spending too much time on Facebook or another site, or it is interfering with the rest of your life, here are some tips:

1. Admit you have a problem.  Do not deny the problem.

2. Figure out exactly how much time you are spending on the social site.  Use a kitchen timer, perhaps, to find out. Then decide you will only spend up to one hour daily at the site and time it to make sure.

3. Turn off notifications.

4. Set aside a fixed time each day to check Facebook, and stick with this schedule.

5. Figure out or ask others if you have some other problem of issue that you are running away from by spending time on Facebook or elsewhere.  Deal with the real underlying issue and stop running away.

6. Perhaps take a breather from Facebook for a month.  See how you feel without it, and work instead on your offline social life, school life and work life.  You may be surprised at how rewarding this can be.

7.  Make a list of things you would rather be doing than spending time on Facebook.  Then start planning and doing these things.

8.  In some cases, the best idea is to just block Facebook and do not tempt yourself with it.  This is like deciding you don’t need alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine or other things that just tempt the body or mind.

Dr. Lawrence Wilson