I am certainly not one who is looking for more bills to pay.  However that may be coming soon because some Internet providers are considering a move from a flat rate, which they feel is no longer realistic given the increasing traffic demands, to a pay-for-usage plan.

Although I am all in favor of saving money, when I read about Internet carriers who are considering switching to a fee for Internet browsing access, my thought is that this could be turn out to be a productivity booster.

The Internet by its very nature is designed to be a distraction.  Pages are crammed with boxes of information while ads pull your attention in multiple directions.  One link leads to another, and time flies by.

Suppose you had to be more conscious of how much time you devoted to online activities?  It is more effective to group tasks so that your brain is not forced to multitask, bouncing from one activity to another. For example, it is better to deal with email in blocks of time rather than letting it interrupt you throughout the day. Having to pay for access might encourage you to also set up blocks of Internet time, where you have a list or file for the sites you want to visit.

With a block of time scheduled and a list of priorities, you would become more selective in how you spend your online minutes.  If you applied this time management technique, you would not be overly punished by prices.

According to University of Minnesota professor Andrew Odlyzko, the average Internet user runs to about 15 gigabytes a month.  Compare this with some of the trial plans that are out there now:  150 gigabytes, the most expensive from AT&T (you are charged by the gigabyte for exceeding), equals 75 million emails or 30,000 downloaded songs.

This possible switch in payment methods stems from the federal government pushing to apply rules that require all Internet traffic to be treated equally, regardless of bandwidth consumed.  The companies feel that coping with the growth in demand and not having priorities is unachievable.  They are looking for alternatives. 

Even if we end up having to pay a bit more, there will be a return for our investment if we can use that negative to improve our personal productivity.