When you are in a reflective mood, all the things you would like to accomplish float to the top of your mind.

Wouldn’t it be great to finally get an MBA?

You’ve gotten into good shape several times in your life. Isn’t now a good time to commit to going to the gym?

You love a game series, but you never actually played parts V and VI. Can you really call yourself a fan if you’ve never experienced those stories?

And so on.

And when you are in this contemplative state, time can feel vast. But it isn’t.

The modern American dad has about two hours a day of solo free time. Maybe a bit less, if his kids have not hit double digit ages, or his commute is long. On weekends, dads can expect about four hours a day to work on personal projects like reading, writing, gaming, the gym, tv, etc. That’s a total of 18 hours a week.

That’s tight. Less time than a part-time job. Far less time than sleeping (42-56 hours).

Given this, I think carefully about what the BEST use of my time is, day by day. I can’t let it slip away like sand in a hourglass.

This is why I have left Facebook, Twitter, and free-to-play games behind. These are platforms built to siphon as much of your time as possible, with as little effort as possible on their end. Your friends are the content. The longer you are in those apps, the more likely you are to earn the app makers money. In their metrics driven-world, the perfect scenario is for you to funnel all of your solo time into their apps. And after that time has been taken, they want to cut into your sleep time, your family time, and even your work time. They are built to addict. They are digital nicotine.

I’d rather use my free time to get a little further in a game that I am really enjoying. Or complete another blog entry. I’d even prefer to get mundane stuff done like bills, because at least that activity is finite (and necessary).

Leaving social media and F2P games has given me precious hours of my time back every week. it’s raised my feelings of respect for friends and family. It’s been all upside. I only wish I had dumped it hose technologies sooner.